cleaning tubing

[CTsugarMan]

Currently I'm on buckets, next year I wanta go to tubbing if it is worth it, what would be the minimum for taps, and how do you clean the tubing, before or after you take it down at the end of the season?

Thanks alot

[spencer11]

well typically you would leave tubing up all year long and never take it down..but you can if you need/want to. this is my first year with tubing and i dont think im gonna clean it. just drain it. you can clean it and there was a thread started recentally about it.

spencer

[PerryW]

I use a 3 gallon backpack sprayer filled with water. Just poll each tap and give it a good squirt. Hot water works better, though I don't have that luxury. Some people also use a 5% chlorox solution first, then rinse, but you have to make sure and get all the chlorox out.

[Burnt sap]

The big outfits here use the tubing for just a few seasons then replace it. When you have 20-50 thousand taps you don't spend time cleaning taps or drops you just replace it. I guess it's up to you and how much time you have.

[Vermonner]

I use a 3 gallon backpack sprayer filled with water. Just poll each tap and give it a good squirt. Hot water works better, though I don't have that luxury. Some people also use a 5% chlorox solution first, then rinse, but you have to make sure and get all the chlorox out.
The crew I worked on this year, 17,000 taps, pulls their taps under vacuum and plugs the taps, no cleaning. I asked them the same ? and the advice I was given about 5% Clorox (or any bleach) is that chemically it's active component is sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl, which despite anyone's best effort to get it all out of the tubing some will remain. It will denature in part to sodium, which is a squirrel MAGNET. And if you don't absolutely hate squirrels now, just wait til you hang tubing.....

That being said, there are many many ways to clean tubing if that is what you choose to do, from water forced back through the lines with a pressure washer to a 5% bleach solution. Hope this helps.

[PerryW]

Not to mention, if you leave any residue in the lines, your first run will taste salty.

[batsofbedlam]

I tried water and air and I got algae; I tried just plain water and I got algae; I tried bleach solution and I got holes in tubing from squirrel bites like you wouldn't believe.
The last three years I put white vinegar cut 50/50 with water and used the vacuum to suck a little in each tap as I pulled it. The lines look clean, I see very little mold growth in the lines and the sap comes out nice and clean the following spring.
What really sold me was the fact that this year, being a dismal season for most syrup makers, produced the most sap I have ever gotten. On final tally, I got 30 gallons of sap per tap and make the best syrup ever. I'm going to continue to do what I am doing until proven wrong.

[mrnorthshore]

batsofbedlam, this is my first year on tubing with 800 taps, do you rinse the vinegar out with water or just turn on the vac and pull it throught the lines, and main line do you use vinegar and flush them also?? thanks paul

[adk1]

for those of us without vac that is hard to do that is for sure. I am building an air/water pressure washing system to flush my lines. The alge problem may be from what your water source was. Mine will be potable water right from my house.

[GeneralStark]

I tried water and air and I got algae; I tried just plain water and I got algae; I tried bleach solution and I got holes in tubing from squirrel bites like you wouldn't believe.
The last three years I put white vinegar cut 50/50 with water and used the vacuum to suck a little in each tap as I pulled it. The lines look clean, I see very little mold growth in the lines and the sap comes out nice and clean the following spring.
What really sold me was the fact that this year, being a dismal season for most syrup makers, produced the most sap I have ever gotten. On final tally, I got 30 gallons of sap per tap and make the best syrup ever. I'm going to continue to do what I am doing until proven wrong.

As I pull taps under vacuum I dip the drop in a water bottle to pull some water through the lateral and into the mainline. I generally start at the mainline and finish at the end tree for the final rinse. This seems to work well and definitely cleans the snot out of the laterals. The mainlines are a different story.

[collinsmapleman2012]

if your running just water then take a 5 gallon bucket to the end of your mains and send the whole 5 gallons thru. the pressure gradient actually sucks some of the water up the laterals and cleans them out. then when you seal the system everything sucks out. ive seen it work in action. hot water works best too if you have access.

[adk1]

i just flushed my lines with my new system it is awesome. air and water created alot of turbulance. there was alot of pressure. it really flushed it out. then i closed off the water and let the air flow. went through and let the air run though the drop lines. should work out well

[batsofbedlam]

batsofbedlam, this is my first year on tubing with 800 taps, do you rinse the vinegar out with water or just turn on the vac and pull it throught the lines, and main line do you use vinegar and flush them also?? thanks paul
I use the vacuum to suck up the vinegar. It eventually works its way into the mainlines. I leave it sit until next season.

[adk1]

and you dont get any vinegar smell/taste?? I just used potable water.

[batsofbedlam]

The vinegar breaks down during the course of the year. Water only grows algae.

[stoweski]

I am building an air/water pressure washing system to flush my lines.

So what's the new engineering marvel you built? Pictures? Description? Parts list? :)

[gmcooper]

Anyone looking at using food grade peroxide to clean tubing? The guy from CDL this winter made it sound like a good option.

[chevypower]

I just had my wife pick up 5 gallons of the CDL peroxide solution.... $263 after tax, I may be bringing it back unless I start to hear how great it is.

[GeneralStark]

I just had my wife pick up 5 gallons of the CDL peroxide solution.... $263 after tax, I may be bringing it back unless I start to hear how great it is.

I assume you cut that with water. What ratio?

[chevypower]

We'll be cutting it but not sure what ratio, most likely 3-5% since it's quite strong.

[Brent]

Batsofbedlam is right about the algae. Plain water is big trouble. I tried commercial tube cleaner and spent days repairing
squirrel chews. Mind you I had the same problem this year with nothing but plain water.

Talking with my local dealer, he said good results without problems have been had with isopropyl alcohol. Then the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
published this article on alcohol.
See http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/updates/maple/2012-03-19.htm
I've done about half the bush with it so far. MIght get finished this weekend. I plan to flush with plain water
on a warm day in the middle of next winter. Hopefully no "dump the first flow" losses. Boy do I wish I had that back this year !!!

Stay tuned for a Spring 2013 report.

[pdr]

First year with high-vac for me. I just used saved pre-heater condensate to flush the lines. Hopefully this "distilled water" had fewer gunk-forming organisms and minerals than tap water. I partially covered the stubby with my thumb to help create some scrubbing action with an air/water mix. The added air really makes it shoot down the line.

I noticed early on that when the air/water mix entered the lateral, some of it went up the line a few feet. Thinking this might leave behind some fairly concentrated residue, I started at the drop line closest to the mainline and worked my way up/back to the end tree. I used just enough water to flush each drop - except for the end tree. There I used several ounces and didn't plug the stubby until I saw all of it clear the lateral into the mainline. Don't know if this flushing in reverse order helps. Any thoughts?

I also wonder if anybody knows if vinegar, peroxide, alcohol, etc. has any adverse effects on tubing, fittings (poly or stainless), releaser, etc. - especially since they are essentially being stored in a closed environment. Will likely use one (or more?) next year.