markcasper
03-27-2012, 11:58 PM
This is a pretty ridiculous situation, but that is what this site is for.
I am starting work on retubing my big woods. I originally had approx. 600 taps on vacuum divided in half, and going to, two seperate locations with a releaser at each tank. The first tank had about 300 taps and will remain the same except there will be a wet/dry and there will be more mainline. There is a 600 gallon tank located there.
Further to the east, there was 300 taps there before which will be joined with at least 400 more. Tank size undetermined at this time. I have plans to put a big releaser in that spot and run the wet/dry's out from that spot. There is an additional 2-300 taps over the hill, which if I ever did them, would have to be on a seperate system and then pump the stuff back over.
There is at least 1000 taps with ease, and quite possibly up to 1500 depending on how many I can get from "across the fences". The BAD situation is all of this is at least 1500 - 2200 feet from the road to the tanks. Between the road and the tanks is active cropland. My folks own all of it, so that is the good part. Up until last year, it was nothing to get 800-1200 gallons a day (3 trips) out of the existing 600 taps. I am sick of the mud, tearing hay fields up, risking getting stuck, time consuming as heck...etc. I have long been thinking of getting that sap to the road. Ideally an underground line is what is needed, but am not ready for this yet.
There is very little slope from the road, but there is a natural water run and it is quite noticeable. There is maybe an 6-10% slope from each of the tank locations (300 feet, 100 feet respectively) to the "main" natural drainage run that goes all the way to the road. This water run averages MAYBE 1/2 % slope across the first 40 acres and up to 2% on the other 40. If there will be 2,000 gallons a day, there is NO WAY I am hauling that all out 400 gallons at a time. I was thinking,....running 3/4" white mainline from the road all the way to the tanks and laying flat on the ground the whole span. There will be one T in it to go for the north tank. I was thinking of having a vacuum pump and releaser down at the road to help move the sap across and get it up into the cheese vat I am thinking of setting there. At best there is 20-25 feet of total drop from the road to the tanks, and I am talking over 2000 feet, (Hardly noticeable). I AM NOT SETTING UP STAKES and WIRE EVERY YEAR!
I am aware of freezing up problems...at the same time, there will be tanks at the woods to hold sap for situations when the ground lines do become frozen. I am leery of going to bigger than 3/4" because that will take longer to unthaw, during slow runs, the sap will sit there in the field line, at the same time its alot easier to roll up than 1" at the end. Maybe 3/4" is not enough, thats why i am posting. I do not want to go with anything other than white due to the fact this is going to be laying out in the full sun. Any advice or changes are appreciated!! or completely different ideas.
I am starting work on retubing my big woods. I originally had approx. 600 taps on vacuum divided in half, and going to, two seperate locations with a releaser at each tank. The first tank had about 300 taps and will remain the same except there will be a wet/dry and there will be more mainline. There is a 600 gallon tank located there.
Further to the east, there was 300 taps there before which will be joined with at least 400 more. Tank size undetermined at this time. I have plans to put a big releaser in that spot and run the wet/dry's out from that spot. There is an additional 2-300 taps over the hill, which if I ever did them, would have to be on a seperate system and then pump the stuff back over.
There is at least 1000 taps with ease, and quite possibly up to 1500 depending on how many I can get from "across the fences". The BAD situation is all of this is at least 1500 - 2200 feet from the road to the tanks. Between the road and the tanks is active cropland. My folks own all of it, so that is the good part. Up until last year, it was nothing to get 800-1200 gallons a day (3 trips) out of the existing 600 taps. I am sick of the mud, tearing hay fields up, risking getting stuck, time consuming as heck...etc. I have long been thinking of getting that sap to the road. Ideally an underground line is what is needed, but am not ready for this yet.
There is very little slope from the road, but there is a natural water run and it is quite noticeable. There is maybe an 6-10% slope from each of the tank locations (300 feet, 100 feet respectively) to the "main" natural drainage run that goes all the way to the road. This water run averages MAYBE 1/2 % slope across the first 40 acres and up to 2% on the other 40. If there will be 2,000 gallons a day, there is NO WAY I am hauling that all out 400 gallons at a time. I was thinking,....running 3/4" white mainline from the road all the way to the tanks and laying flat on the ground the whole span. There will be one T in it to go for the north tank. I was thinking of having a vacuum pump and releaser down at the road to help move the sap across and get it up into the cheese vat I am thinking of setting there. At best there is 20-25 feet of total drop from the road to the tanks, and I am talking over 2000 feet, (Hardly noticeable). I AM NOT SETTING UP STAKES and WIRE EVERY YEAR!
I am aware of freezing up problems...at the same time, there will be tanks at the woods to hold sap for situations when the ground lines do become frozen. I am leery of going to bigger than 3/4" because that will take longer to unthaw, during slow runs, the sap will sit there in the field line, at the same time its alot easier to roll up than 1" at the end. Maybe 3/4" is not enough, thats why i am posting. I do not want to go with anything other than white due to the fact this is going to be laying out in the full sun. Any advice or changes are appreciated!! or completely different ideas.