ok new to tubing. I have some gravity questions

[ericjeeper]

Ok I have been running sap sacks for several years. I am trying to enlarge our operation a bit. Due to the high up front cost of sack holders and spiles. I am going to run a few trees on 5/16 to a few scattered 55 gallon barrels for collection.
Ok on my first tree, do I just wrap the tubing around the tree and stick a tap on it? or is there some sort of special way to anchor the tubing at the first tree?
How many trees can I tie into one 5/16 line? Thanks

[spencer11]

you want to use an end ring, end hook, or slide fitting to anchor your lateral to the tree and then your drop line runs up from that, what i have heard is from 30-50 taps on 1 5/16" line on gravity

[morningstarfarm]

as stated before use an end connector of some type...as to how many...i am sure there are many different opinions on this...if you have a fairly good slope to run down I have run as many as 150 taps on a single 5/16 mainline...with that many the sap will actually create its own vacuum in the lines..I have measured mine at around 3in HG...

[SevenCreeksSap]

I've got a few short lines like your describing, one thing I learned was drill the hole in your barrel smaller than the OD of your line. sounds pretty obvious but I havent found a really good way to keep that end of the line in the barrel without smashing or crimping it, which inhibits flow. on a long line if its full it might pull out when you least expect it and lose sap.

I got some slide rings for the tree end but that leaves a wrap around the tree that always seems slightly up hill from the tap hole, sap will push out but there always seems to be a little in that wrap. there has to be a better way for a gravity set up. you have to play with those and adjust. I was reading about a Blind T fitting, that only lets the sap travel the one direction and might fit the tree better. In a pinch and if the end tree is small, I have a couple that I wrapped two wraps of tubing down ward from the tap, not the best setup but it does hold tight enough. if a larger tree you are losing several feet of tubing you could use somewhere else.

From what I've read 20-25 taps per lat gives good natural vacuum and less chance of overloading the line, but best to have a good steep drop for about 20-30 ft to your collection tank.Like Morningstar said, many different opinions and probably depends on your terrain, tree size, tree health,ect. Do a search on here about natural vacuum. there are papers out that explain it all.

[farmall h]

Ericjeeper, the best thing to do is visit a sugarbush nearest to you and take a look at how the laterals are set up to the main line...consider the mainline as your (barrels).

[ericjeeper]

Ericjeeper, the best thing to do is visit a sugarbush nearest to you and take a look at how the laterals are set up to the main line...consider the mainline as your (barrels).
there are not to many sugarbush near me. I have resorted to youtube videos and trying to see what is going on in the background.

[ClarkFarmMapleSyrup]

As stated before about having problems keeping the tubing in the barrel, you can drill the hole, stick the tubing through, and put in a straight connector so that the tube cant be pulled out due to the connector. Then, you wont have the tubing falling on the ground.

[SevenCreeksSap]

Duh, theres a good idea. I wonder if necking down the tubing like that with the smaller hole in the straight connector would cause the sap to build up faster, and create the natural vacuum faster. on a good day that thing could be spraying out with 20 trees on a line.

[maplesyrupstove]

60726073 I used a hook on the start of the pipeline and on the end of the pipeline.I put a wire in a piece of hose around the tree or a wire around a post .When I wash my lines I put a tee in the tap for the summer.I put 6 taps in a 5 gallon bucket and 15 taps in a tote, they are full by the end of the day.Been doing this for 10 years work for me. Darrell

[spencer11]

you could do that and take a piece of wire around a tree and instead of a connecter you could use a slide fitting so you can adjust it