sap ladder

[Bolen Creek]

Can someone post a picture of a 1" pipe sap ladder. Need to lift 200 taps about six feet. thanks

[ennismaple]

I've posted one before and its in my Photobucket account.

[vtmapleman]

What the picture does not show is that the bottom insert/star is up side down - by having the insert/star upside down allows the vacuum to lift the sapn before the mainline fills up. I have mine made the same way and they work fine. However, I was at maple school this past weekend where a session was held on sap ladders. The one difference was that the instructor in building his connected the end of each level with a vertical pipe the same size as the mainlines. His feeling that when the bottom stars freeze and they do, unless when you shut your vacuum there is absolutely no sap in the star/line that when the sap begins to run and prior to the stars thrawing that the sap will come up the vertical connector pipe. He indicated he a great deal of success with his set-up.

[Mark-NH]

Vtmapleman. Don't doubt you for a second. I'm sure he said and does exactly that. My question is; if sap will travel up a vertical mainline, why bother with a ladder at all?

[Sunday Rock Maple]

My understanding is the the 2nd pipe creates a pressure delta with the first and they work against each other (don't know if this is right though). Also, I don't have a picture but we used a "T" on the bottom with two short (12") pieces of pipe to an elbow on one side and another "T" on the other (this side got a shut off valve). Then two vertical pipes up to two elbows then two more 12" sections of pipe to a final "T'" at the top feeding the line back to the releaser. summary = 3 "T's", 3 elbows and a shut off valve and a whole bunch of clamps.