3/16" tubing

[Forrest hunters]

I have read the one study where 3/16" tubing is creating a lot of vacuum. Has anyone else tried this and if so how did it work. I have an area where I could set up one or two lines and empty into a barrel but it would be below road level. If I set this up I can tap more trees and get probably be 10-15 foot drop and depend on how many trees are hit but be maybe 200-300 foot run. Would using the ice maker tubing work or does it need to be something different.

Need to get the gps out and mark trees and elevation.

[500592]

How would you get the fittings

[GeneralStark]

I sat in on a workshop this winter at the Vermont Sugarmaker's Association Maple School presented by Tim Wilmot of UVM in which he described his experiments setting up 3/16" tubing to achieve natural vacuum with gravity tubing. He was able to achieve high vacuum levels similar to using a pump and his results were impressive to say the least. There are many challenges to this system include leak finding and sourcing materials.

He claimed that D+G was going to start selling 3/16" maple tubing this spring. For fittings, he used 3/16" T's and 3/16" to 5/16" reducers that he sourced from McMaster Carr. He used 5/16" spouts and reduced to 3/16" in the drop line. He didn't use mainlines for his experiments but you could and then use reducers before the saddle.

[Forrest hunters]

Thanks General. I figure the fittings could be found at Granger or McMaster Carr. I am hoping to hear from someone who has tried it and what their take on it was. Hopefully Dr. Tim will chime in too with some results from this years trials.

[TRAILGUY]

i think the biggest rub is slope. I think he said you need a 50 foot drop in elevation to get high vacuum. That is after your taps and most bushes do not have that much slope. however any added vacuum should help

[GeneralStark]

i think the biggest rub is slope. I think he said you need a 50 foot drop in elevation to get high vacuum. That is after your taps and most bushes do not have that much slope. however any added vacuum should help

You do need slope but Tim W did not specify what would be required. He tested the 3/16" gravity system at a range of slopes but did say that more experimentation would be required to determine the possible range.

This type of setup is experimental and he encouraged others to try it out but was clear that results may vary.

[DrTimPerkins]

Hopefully Dr. Tim will chime in too with some results from this years trials.

This is Tim Wilmot's work. I believe he said he was planning on an article for the next edition of the Maple Digest, so stay tuned.

[DrTimPerkins]

Tim Wilmot's study on small (3/16") tubing was published in the June edition of the Maple Digest and is now available on the UVM PMRC website http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc Look on the right under "Recent Publications". It is the first item in the list.