Plastic disposable spiles to feed buckets

[Shaggy acres]

Hi folks,
In 2011 I tapped 4 trees and had some fun
In 2012 I made a small evaporator and tapped 12 trees still fun and a bit addicting.
Now I have identified about 60 trees in the back yard and I need to find out if I can use the newer plastic spiles for a simple gravity feed system. My property climbs a pretty good grade all the way to the top of the hill. The first two years I used home made stainless spiles but they need a pretty big hole (1/2) and I don't want to damage the trees. Any help is good help! Thank you

[delivron]

The smaller the tree the more important a smaller spout. You want to prevent compartmentalization. In compartmentalization the sap flows poorly at best. The plastic disposable spouts are the best investment. At 17 to 21 cents each use them and toss them! SS will take almost 20 years to get your return on investment even if you purchase 5/16" spouts. SS typically sell for $3.00 to 3.50.
You might want to read this study from UVM dealing with yields.

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/smallspout.pdf

[lyford]

great article, thanks for posting the link

[Shaggy acres]

Thank you for that great article. Looks like only a tiny drop in production for the smaller spiles even with buckets. I was thinking about making a couple collection spots on the hill and running tubing from several trees into 3 or 4 55 gal water barrels. That way I would not have to stop at every tree and have 60 buckets in the off season to deal with. Can you use small tubing to connect 10 or so trees or would I need a larger line for them to plug into?
Thanks again!

[delivron]

Can you use small tubing to connect 10 or so trees or would I need a larger line for them to plug into?
I would respectfully recommend 4 to 5 vs 10. If you need to have more consider saddles and 3/4" main line.
But this is always an interesting question. The effective of multiple taps on 5/16" line on gravity and vacuum.