3/16 tuding tips for next year needed

[TRAILGUY]

I have 100 tap% deeper in the woods that have 12 to 20 slope. already tubed with 5/16 tubing the total drop is around 50 feet there are taps all the way down to the bottom of the run. How many taps pure run? Can you put the taps that have a 5 foot drop on the same run?

[PerryW]

(for gravity tubing) I generally limit my 5/16" lateral to 25-30 per lateral, but have put as many as 50 on them with no problems. I would probably start at the top and string the tubing from tree to tree and when I had 30 - 50 hooked in, I would run straight down to the tank with a piece of 5/16. The I would start another lateral beginning where I left off and continue down with the rest of the taps.

You can certainly hook taps with only a 5 foot drop into the same pipe that was hooked to taps on a steeper hill as long as you don't overload the pipe.

[StayinLowTech]

I had 30 taps on one run of 3/16 tubing with a good slope and it created 25-27" of vacuum plus it ran longer than my 5/16 drops. With less slope it made a little more vac than the 5/16 tubing (10" to 4"). Tim Wilmot says that he is doing an experiment to see how many drops the 3/16 will handle this year. He had 22 on one lateral with no overload last year. Where I had more than 30 taps, I went into 5/16 every 25 or so taps. I think the max on the 5/16 should be about 65 taps. The 3/16 is the way to go (if only you didn't have to reduce it at the spouts).

[TRAILGUY]

what is the best fitting to reduce down with, did you run 5/16 drops

[windyacres]

I use about 24 inchs 5/16 drop and use a 3/16 to 1/4 adapter from Spaneur in Kitchener - they ship overnite to Ontario. The 1/4 holds the 5/16 tubing well. My 3 /16 tubing is running hard 4 days after the season ended last Thursday(spring peepers )- it ran more than a gallon/tap to-day before i pulled taps I have 4000 feet- 175 taps- they have outperformed the rest of my 5/16 by at least 100% for this first season

[StayinLowTech]

Everything on my laterals and drops are 3/16" except for about 6 - 8 inches of 5/16" tubing right at the spout. This gives you a few years of 5/16 which you can cut off to change spouts before you reach the reducer. Set up starting at tree is: spout; 8" of 5/16 tubing; single barb reducer coupling (1/4" x 3/16" from McMaster-Carr #5116K53); 3/16 tubing for rest of drop with a Lapierre end of line ring put on now for spout in off season; tee (McMaster-Carr #5116K15); and then continue lateral with 3/16; finally another 1/4 to 3/16 reducer to go back to 5/16 which can be a "mainline" for several laterals of 3/16 or can go into saddle on real mainline. The FDA white nylon single barb work better than the multi barb and the 1/4" end holds the 5/16 tubing. They also have straight coupler for 3/16 to 3/16 which is FDA white nylon single barb for splicing the 3/16 tubing.

[pls009]

I would like to give the 3/16 tubing a try next year - I am a beginner at this but have 20-25 taps on a steep slope that I haven't tapped before due to access with carrying buckets. Are you using the 3/16 tubing as your mainline or are you using a y or t to get back into 5/16 tubing?

Also - I saw an earlier post that you can buy the 3/16 tubing from D&G - I couldn't find it in their online catelog - Do I just need to call them or ask a local dealer?

[StayinLowTech]

Your trees sound ideal for the 3/16 tubing - you will get lots of natural vacuum. All 25 taps can be on the same 3/16 tubing for the line and the drops. Just go past the lowest tree for 20' or so with the 3/16 and then you can either continue on with the 3/16 or go to 5/16 with the reducer coupling. You will need the reducers at the spouts with a little section of 5/16 because they do not make any spouts for the 3/16. You can order from D&G USA on the phone or maybe the local dealer will get it.l

[pls009]

Thanks for the reply! One last question. I took a look at the spot today. I was hoping to zig zag the tubing past all 25 taps but that doesn't look possible now. Would it work to us a y or a tee to bring in one group of 12 taps with another group of 12 taps while still just using the 3/16 line? I will have at least 40' of great slope after this junction and before the sap would get to the barrel. If that isn't a good idea, I could just run two seperate lines of 12 but didn't know if that amount of taps would be suffient to get the amount of natural vacuum that I was shooting for. This is just all new to me.

[StayinLowTech]

24 total taps would probably be fine - the expert Tim Wilmot says he was not overloaded with 22 on one line and urged me to put 30 on one line. Good luck.

[TRAILGUY]

got the transit out today
2 runs 500 feet long around 10% a 51' drop around 20 taps each top of run may pull 27" and lowest maybe 8 in so average around17"
1 run 330 feet long around 10% a 35' drop around 15 taps top of run may pull 24" and lowest maybe 8 in so average around16"
The group below will need tubing and very little slope downhill from tank so is a little vacuum better then none
2 runs 190 feet long around 14% a 27' drop around 18 taps each top of run may pull 16" and lowest maybe 8 in so average around 12"
3 runs 150 feet long around 10% a 15"' drop around 10 taps each top of run may pull 10" and lowest maybe 4" so average around 7"
is this possible or plausible?

[DrTimPerkins]

...is a little vacuum better then none

Sap flow is proportional to the pressure gradient....the bigger the gradient, the more sap flows. Even a little is better than none, but more is better than less.

[TRAILGUY]

these taps are deeper in the woods 1200 to 1500 ' away from any power and lower them my main group of tap so to set up for vacuum would be costly. to get a greater drop is not practical (roads,snowmobile trails and 3% slope). I have to run tubing so why not 3/16 instead of 5/16 and maybe I would gain some. Not all sugar bushes have the trees in the right place with the right slope just tiring to find the biggest bang for the buck. I averaged 7.6 gallons per tap at 2.3 % would be nice to bump that up a little.

[TRAILGUY]

got the first tick of the season.

[TRAILGUY]

got out the back hoe and added more road to get to lower part of the sugar bush will add 250 ' at 12% over a 30 ' drop opens up another 30 taps mix of reds and sugars