how many taps can i get on 3/4 line with vacum

[bluegirl]

I have 300 taps on this line and i plan on putting a vac on it will it work.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Personally, I would add an air line (dry line). It will work without but as sap flow increases there will be less room for vacuum transfer. Also any slight sag will create a trap effect and you will get surging of sap and uneven vacuum to the tap.

[bluegirl]

how do you run a dry line

[red maples]

You should be OK they say you can have as much as 500 on a single 3/4 inch line. but if you go more than 300 your gonna want a dry line.

A dry line would be in your case run a 1" line 6-8 inches above parallel to your 3/4 inch line and all the branches will be tied to the 3/4 line and the dry line there are a couple different ways to attach the dry line to the lines off your main 3/4"" line you can use a manifold or you can use a whip style which is basically a big loop that ties in the side lines about 4-5 feet from the main line. It will remove the air faster and you'll get a better sap flow and better vacuum transfer to the taps themselves.

Its not as confusing as it sounds. but you will be fine with the single 3/4 main line.

[Thad Blaisdell]

Depends on total length. the longer you go the fewer you can put on it. If you are 500' or under you are fine. If you are much longer you may want to switch it over to 1' half the way or so.

[Randy Brutkoski]

I wouldn't listen to Thad, he is a rookie backyarder.

[BreezyHill]

Send me an email at bhffeed@msn.com and I will send you the Data report on tap capacity of mainlines from Steve Childs of Cornell

It also explains the affect of slope on carry capacity, effect of length of mains on vacuum transfer. This is very important when you are setting up mains.

[spud]

I have 300 taps on this line and i plan on putting a vac on it will it work.

It will work but you will not be as productive as using a larger pipe. For next year it would be good if you could add a 1 inch dry line over this 3/4 wet line. For now though it will work.

Spud

[BreezyHill]

bluegirl :)

You will have to excuse some of the ribbing that is given on this site...Thad is a great guy and no back yarder. He is a great resource and it is even better when you get two producers with differing point of views explaining their reasons for their views.

a 3/4" line is about 56% the capacity of a 1" line. The thing to remember is that for the best vacuum transfer you want to have a space at the top of the main line(mains) to be empty for vacuum transfer from the releaser to the last tap. The smaller this space the harder it is to transfer the vacuum. A dry line will be the best conductor of vacuum as it is ment to be empty, but in the event that the wet line is full or blocked dry line will still be able to transport sap to the releaser. This event often occurs in the start of a sap flow. Take a day that starts of cloudy and it is 28 degrees at noon. The line froze sap in it last night from the prior days run. The south facing taps will start to flow when the sun finally breaks thru the clouds at 1 pm; but the large diameter of the mains is still frozen. While the running wap will start to slowly warm the mains and thaw it. The trees will be running because of the vacuum in the dry line. So the sap runs down the dry line until the wet line starts to flow. When the wet is able to it will take the sap to the releaser and the dry line will again be dry and only transfer vacuum until the next blockage event.

For me this event happens nearly every evening as my mains that cross a brook freeze at least 30-60 minutes before the bush shuts down. This is not peak flow but it does have a huge affect on how much sap is available to freeze in the mains between the taps and the mains. One night I tried to calculate the amount and it was far more than I had expected as I lost more than 20 gallons out of a ladder that services only 85 taps. I have to guess that the amount was around 30 gallons as it over flowed a 20 gallon container and left a large wet area around the container. that is a large area of 1" mains that would be full of ice to thaw in the am.

That is why I am up grading to two dry lines for one bush over the brook. The two dry lines will service separate areas of the bush but will all tie together about 200' from the sugar house and about 100' from the brook crossing.

The sags that Thomson speaks of are really bad for vacuum transfer. And a sag of the width of the mains will drop your vacuum 3-4 points. This will equal a reduction of 15% to 28% of production past the sag. It is a huge production killer. Sags can be eliminated by a tight and consistent sloped mains. This may require the inclusion of a support wire for the mains or the use of more support posts. Posts of 2x3 wood or even blown done branches and plastic baler twine can be used to support the mains. Do what ever it takes to remove sags! They will truly make you blue.

Remember it is fine to walk before you run. So the first year you will be fine on a single line and expand on the design the second year.

Ben

[spud]

Randy and Thad are good friends and just love to joke around. Thad has been a HUGH help to me the last few years while I was setting up my new woods. My only concern is when Thad and Flat Lander put on their pink bathrobes and go to Verona for the weekend. Maybe I'm just jealous.:D

Spud

[Randy Brutkoski]

Spud is right, 1 inch over and you should be all set. It will only help if you do that. If I had time I would also be in on this pink robe thing. I heard thad and rusty shave there legs though. I am not really into that.

[Thad Blaisdell]

Now I don't see this the same way everyone else is.... I am picturing this as a single line with 300 taps on it.... If this is the case a dry line over the top is not what they need. If this is a single line with 300 taps and that is all it will ever have and that is the way it is, and it is 500 feet or less, I would not change a thing. Now if it is longer, like a 1000 feet. I would probably change the first 100 feet to 1 inch. But other than that it will most likely be plenty fine for the application.

By the way I wax not shave, and my bathrobe is salmon thank you.

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

It is true- wnen I saw them Verona weekend, they both had on their robes-Thads was a salmon colored and Flats was more of a Lavender colored one. They also both had on eyeliner and shadow.
Neil

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

HEY HEY I thought what happened in Verona stayed in Verona:evil:

The picture Randys neighbor got of a squatch really wasnt a squatch it was randy walking away from the trail cam with his shirt off BBBBAAARRRF. I dont know how his wife does it, she must put velcro on her hands