First Year With Tubing

[wnybassman]

Next year will be my first year with tubing and I will use this thread to answer some of the questions I may come up with. The past few years I have run 32 taps, 16 on my side of my property line, and 16 on my neighbors side. My neighbors woods has dozens and dozens of nice maples, and he said I can treat it as if it were my own, but I only tap the few I do just so I don't wear out my welcome. I may ask him this year if I could add a few more trees seeing I am going to tubing.

Anyway, I bought a 210 gallon truck tank this season and will use that as my holding tank. The tank will sit about 50-60 feet from my barn, and about 22 feet lower in elevation. I already have the pump to pump it back to my barn, where I keep smaller storage tanks in the cool shade of the barn.

I will use all 5/16" lines and I can get all 16 of my trees on one run. My neighbors trees are over a slight ridge, but I can get most of those on one run and have that line break over the ridge right near the tank location. My question is would it be better to Y or T that line into the other before going into the tank, or have two separate lines going into the tank?

As for going into the tank, I plan on pounding a steel T post into the ground at the tank location, and pounding in another at an angle to provide support so I can put tension on the line(s). From there should I put a fitting on the tank to accept the 5/16" tubing, or just drill a hole and let the tubing loosely dump into the tank? As I understand it, the tubing lines should not be vented at the ends, but does the tank need to be vented in any way?

Thanks, and I'm sure I will have a few more questions along the way.

[PerryW]

Either a Y or TEE would work, though, if possible, running 2 separate lines would be better. With two lines, you can compare one to the other and determine if there might be a problem with one of the lines. Also, for gravity (non-vacuum), limiting the number of taps on a single lateral to 20 or 30 is probably a good idea.

Yes, no vents. The only opening should be at the tank end. The tubing should hang loosely into the top of the tank and the tank should not be airtight. Also , the tubing should not go all the wa to the bottom of the tank as ice could freeeze up the outlet of the tubing.

The stakes will work, though if the tank is next to the barn, you could just hook a wire to the barn and tension the line by hooking the wire to a 5/16" straight connector (with a little hole).

[maple flats]

If your trees are all on a good slope, just 1 line @ 5/16 diameter is good, if not a good slope then split into 2 lines of about 8 taps each. On your neighbors you need help maybe. Gravity won't pull sap up over the rise. But if you can tap high enough to even get a slight downward slope until over the rise, then the fall to the tank will help draw those taps to the tank. Tee posts are not very strong, but to support the 2 or 3 lines @ 5/16 diameter it will work. I think you are better off putting 2 guy wires in that are spread enough to keep the post from tilting one side or the other. The guys can either be more T posts or any stakes that won't pull out too easily. The ones on the neighbor's side will get the advantage of natural vacuum if the drop to the tank is good enough, but only after the line fills with sap, as will yours too if the fall is good enough. Roughly 1' of drop is equal to 1" of vacuum. Natural vacuum runs for free and free is good.

[wnybassman]

I think I'll have good enough drop. Both sides drop about 15-20 feet in 150-200 feet.

I will have complete down pitch from my neighbors side to my side if I cross that little ridge in one particular spot, which happens to be near the tank. I will have to keep that line to within a foot of the ground going over the bump, which isn't ideal but do-able. Just have to keep it clear of snow during the early season.