Help with a gravity flow?

[bnbmaplesyrup]

We are looking to set up a gravity flow line on several steep side hills. Does anyone have suggestion on how we should go about this? We are fairly new in the maple syrup business. We had 50 taps on buckets last year but can get to 100 plus if do this gravity feed system.

[spencer11]

from what i know, long laterals with many taps going into a small mainline if any mainline at all with get the best natural vac(as much sap as possible)

[MilesTeg]

First of all I would highly recommend finding someone with some experience locally because its hard to give a correct answer without walking the land.

The next question is can you do this with one main line? This is usually determined by how far you will have to go with your 5/16 lines to pick up the trees you want. If you have to go less then 100 ft the general rule is yes you can do it with one main line. If you can't do this then it is reccomended to do it with multiple mainlines.

Ok with one main line you want to run it with the hill with a nice steady slope leading to the collection point. With this you try to have your 5/16 one direction but that is more convincence. So if you have this Maine running down the middle of the taps it's no problem.

If you need to run more than one main line the general setup is to run one straight up the hill and branch out where you need to, to minimize your 5/16 runs. These secondary main lines should be ran just like the singular main lines I described before. Now if your ever planning on going with vac there are steps you can do now to help yourself in the future but to help you there someone needs to walk the woods with you.

If you can't find a local producer that wants to help you out then most equipment dealers will come out to help just to ensure your future business. I hoped this help please ask any more questions you might have and don't forget the search function can be very helpful. On this subject you can read past posts until your eyes bleed.

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

Run 3/4'' mainline and do your 5/16 laterals off that. Natural vac works, but needs to have, for lack of better word, ideal conditions, meaning if not much sap, not much vac, alot of sap, well, vac, but it might back up in the lines. I'd run it like a regualar system and then you cat put it on a real vac system in the future. :)

[Shawn]

Do gravity flow here and so far have had good luck. On our steep side hills we make sure the line from tree to tree is going down and has enough down grade. We at this point due not use mainline and try to advoid long laterals at most. Its worked for us at this point. We started with buckets and now we have 190 taps on pipeline as of this year and still using buckets will have almost three hundred taps out this year. Yep time to look at a new arch! Have a friend that is going to introduce us to an RO system this year also. Its a bug that keeps growing!!!!!!!:cool:

[bnbmaplesyrup]

Do you set up a wire line down the hill and then connect your main to it? We will 3 mains coming down the hill each will be less than 100 feet in length. then multiple taps into each line. How tight does this main line need to be? I have access to light weight aircraft cable ( wire rope) would this work to connect the main too. for the main I was thinking 1/2 tubing would you recommend going with something bigger?

[Homestead Maple]

Here is a link to a study done by Timothy Wilmot of the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research center in Underhill Center, Vermont. The article is titled High Vacuum in Gravity Tubing.

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/highvacuum.pdf

[farmall h]

Study the link Homesteadmaple gave you. 1/2 tubing works well for a mainline especially if you are only having 100 or so taps. Place star fitting manifolds in desired locations on the mainline and remember to maximize taps on your 5/16 tubing. 20 plus taps per lateral is best.