7/16 to 7/16 check valve adaptor?

[The Sweet Spot]

This may sound like a silly question, but I am looking for a check valve adaptor that I can put a 7/16" leader spout in. Now here is the catch I havn't been able to find. I would like it to be a 7/16" check valve.
My Reasoning: I have many 7/16" spiles with no vaccume, and was told that a 7/16" hole will produce 40% more sap without vaccume. I do have natural vaccume as we have great hills. I have looked but not found a check valve spout that uses a 7/16" hole. I have not measured the vaccume that we get, but when walking the lines I could hear my leaks to find them easily. Is there an certain amount of vaccume that would account for using the 5/16" taps and not loosing the 40% that we could gain using a 7/16 hole?
Thank you Troy

[DrTimPerkins]

There is not a check-valve spout adapter (or spout) that is 7/16". They are only made for 5/16"

When you change from 7/16" to 5/16", you will experience a 5-20% reduction in sap yield....some years on the high side of that, some years on the low side of that.

[The Sweet Spot]

Thank you DrTim! Would you recomend I continue using 7/16" spouts on gravity, or would the increase length of sap season produce more sap?

[DrTimPerkins]

You would probably produce more sap by switching to 5/16" spouts and changing your spouts every year (assuming you aren't replacing your 7/16" spouts each year...which very few people do). The increase from changing spouts each year would offset (or more) the switch to 5/16" spouts. If you really want to increase production, change your drops every 3-4 years as well as changing your spouts each year, or switch to CV spout adapters (and change them every year).

[The Sweet Spot]

Would there be a specific CV spout adapter that I could use with my Leader 7/16 spouts or must you replace them also?

[unc23win]

I actually know someone who is using the original check valve with the 7/16 Lamb double spiles. The seemed to fit pretty good. They are on vacuum. Personally I don't see it being worth saving the $ not to mention how far they stick out from the tree.

[markcasper]

This may sound like a silly question, but I am looking for a check valve adaptor that I can put a 7/16" leader spout in.?
Thank you Troy

Are you using the 7/16 blue lamb spiles? I have finally gotten rid of the last of mine in a non vacuum area, actually most of them broke their barbs off. In my operation they were just plain junk. They will fit a standard checkvalve, but the extra stress of trying to get them apart at the season end is going to cause the barbs to break off in due time.

I had many maple expert / cdl / ipl? green 7/16" spouts at one time and I found them to be alot more durable than those lamb blue spouts. The maple expert spouts had to have the tips cut off and they worked fine with the checkvalves, have since removed all of that however.

[The Sweet Spot]

If I had thought of this last week I could have picked up some of the CV adaptors at the MMSA meeting this past weekend and tried them out. LOL hindsight is great.

[The Sweet Spot]

Opp's yes I am using the blue lamb, they are not new. I thought if I could attach a check valve adaptor right to them it would be simpler than replacing the drop and tap every year. The extended season might make it worth it.

[DrTimPerkins]

Opp's yes I am using the blue lamb, they are not new. I thought if I could attach a check valve adaptor right to them it would be simpler than replacing the drop and tap every year. The extended season might make it worth it.

If you are using CVs, you don't need to replace drops each year.