DSKUP
03-11-2012, 09:18 AM
I'm a 100-tap hobbyist who made the switch from buckets to bags this year. I want to share a couple a few significant findings, and maybe other can help me out further.
First of all, I was guided by my local maple equipment company to buy D&G cast aluminum bucket spouts and to remove the hook so they fit properly. This is a very sturdy 5/16" spout, and it stays in place better than anything I've used (traditional stainless, plastic CDL). However, once you take the hook off the spout, the bag holder tips forward and the output end of the spout no longer lines up with the bag opening. Sap runs outside the bag. After scrampling about to find a better spout, I decided to try the spouts with the hook in place. LEARNIN' #1: Leave the hook on the spout. It keeps the bag assembly in a vertical position and the drip properly lined up.
For experimental purposes, I tapped some trees with both the D&G 5/16", and my old CDL 7/16" plastic taps. Yesterday the temps reached 61F. I'm walking about looking at my taps, and I notice the D&G aren't running worth a darn, while the 7/16" taps in the same tree are running like wild fire. As an experiment, I pulled the D&G and drilled a second hole in the end of the tap (the factory hole is in the bottom) and put it back in. It started running hard. So I walked around and drilled all the D&Gs the same way, and one by one they started running. LEARNIN' #2: I figure I either did not clean the tap holes well enough, or I pounded the tap too deep. But if you want a more fool-proof system, drilling the tap helps. Hmm. Maybe you're supposed to do that? The taps don't come with instructions!!!
I'm sure I have lots more to learn as I make the transition from concrete block boiling to a metal evaporator this year. :o
First of all, I was guided by my local maple equipment company to buy D&G cast aluminum bucket spouts and to remove the hook so they fit properly. This is a very sturdy 5/16" spout, and it stays in place better than anything I've used (traditional stainless, plastic CDL). However, once you take the hook off the spout, the bag holder tips forward and the output end of the spout no longer lines up with the bag opening. Sap runs outside the bag. After scrampling about to find a better spout, I decided to try the spouts with the hook in place. LEARNIN' #1: Leave the hook on the spout. It keeps the bag assembly in a vertical position and the drip properly lined up.
For experimental purposes, I tapped some trees with both the D&G 5/16", and my old CDL 7/16" plastic taps. Yesterday the temps reached 61F. I'm walking about looking at my taps, and I notice the D&G aren't running worth a darn, while the 7/16" taps in the same tree are running like wild fire. As an experiment, I pulled the D&G and drilled a second hole in the end of the tap (the factory hole is in the bottom) and put it back in. It started running hard. So I walked around and drilled all the D&Gs the same way, and one by one they started running. LEARNIN' #2: I figure I either did not clean the tap holes well enough, or I pounded the tap too deep. But if you want a more fool-proof system, drilling the tap helps. Hmm. Maybe you're supposed to do that? The taps don't come with instructions!!!
I'm sure I have lots more to learn as I make the transition from concrete block boiling to a metal evaporator this year. :o