Best spile ?

[butler]

What do you guys think is the best 7/16" spile and the best 5/16" plastic spile for tubing?

[Greenwich Maple Man]

Oh boy this is going to get messy !

[jmayerl]

Well no one should ever use a 7/16 for tree health, so that should end that discussion. 5/16 depends on if vacuum or not. If on vacuum a check valve is the the best option, I'd no vacuum then I say go with clear poly......next opinion.

[Drew Pond Maple]

I never used 7/16". First two years 5/16" tree saver spout.
Now I'm going to try cv2 with vacuum pump

[adk1]

Cv all the way

[butler]

By 7/16" I mean the metal spiles you hang buckets on...is there a better option ? I have seen the clear smart spouts but how do you hang your buckets?
I have around 200 taps on gravity ...can I use cv on them or are the clear poly ones better?

[maple flats]

For buckets I think non traditional is best. Use any good 5/16 spout and attach a piece of tubing, then drop down to a closed container on the ground. Even using the new 3/16 tubing could help get you a little natural vacuum, tap high but at a comfortable height for working. The extra distance can give you another 1" or 2" vacuum on good days.

[mellondome]

For traditional buckets, they make a 5/16 spile that the buckets will fit on

[Randy Brutkoski]

Hey ,i have been to potter county. I went deer hunting in coutersport. You guys are infested with deer.

[Ausable]

Hi Butler - When You ask these questions - Always remember that You are dealing with Two Basic Groups of Maple Syrup Makers - Commercial Producers and Hobby Syrup Makers - such as myself. That is why - The answers to Your questions might seem a little strange. We All do the same thing - but - our approach to syrup making is a mite different. Ok ---- I used the Grimm 7/16" metal spiles for years and the first several years hung coffee cans on the hooks - later pails. I have some Soule metal spiles - They appear to be cast aluminum and I'm not to fond of them. I have switched to 5 gal buckets and lids sitting on the ground - connected to the tree with 7/16 plastic spiles and plastic tubing. Now - I mostly use 7/16 plastic tubing spiles (many use 5/16") and here is what I do ------- Tap the tree (s) with a 7/16" drill, place a five gallon pail with lid near tree (s) on the ground (lol-snow), Say I tap two trees - I drill two 7/16" holes in the pail lid, I measure from the hole in the tree(s) to the hole(s) in the lid on the bucket, Say you measure 20" - I cut off a length of 7/16" OD plastic tubing about 25" long allowing an extra 5" to push into pail lid. Attach spile to tubing and tap in with small rubber mallet and push other end on tubing into pail lid hole. Tubing fits snug into hole and doesn't allow water in. I weight the lid with a clean length of slab wood it keeps the lid in place and wind and critters from moving bucket. Also - I write tubing length on each spile with a marker so I don't have to remeasure tubing next year. The spile and tubing are married when connected and will not pull apart - so I leave them connected at the end of the season and wash, rinse, hang to dry and store for next year. LOL - I mention all of this detail - as I learn mostly by trial and error and what I find on the Sugarin sites. - Hope I helped. ----Mike----

[adk1]

I use a few dozen sap sacks. I use the leader 5/16" bucket spout. Has the little shark fin on top. Would work with buckets to. I highly recommend using 5/16" spouts over the 7/16" spouts. Allot less damage to the tree

[BlueberryHill]

For buckets I think non traditional is best. Use any good 5/16 spout and attach a piece of tubing, then drop down to a closed container on the ground. Even using the new 3/16 tubing could help get you a little natural vacuum, tap high but at a comfortable height for working. The extra distance can give you another 1" or 2" vacuum on good days.

Wow, I never thought of this. How much vac do you get if you tap 5ft high and run 3/16 down to a pail on the ground? I think I'll give it a shot. I have a bunch of trees that I run with 5/16 ecolo spouts and 5/16 line down to a pail. Not allowed to stretch tubing all over the place at the location and no hill. Interested in seeing how much more say you can get from a tap hole with my current method, vs the 3/16 method. Will 1 tap produce enough sap to fill the line and produce vac? Is a 5' or 6' drop enough?

[tcross]

last year I did not buy spiles for my buckets/5 gal pails. I bought 5/16" o.d tube and rain it straight from the tree into the bucket! I believe I saved a few pennies and did not have any leaking issue! they seemed like they ran great! I did drill the hole 2" deep just to make sure they stayed in... the trees were fairly big!

[butler]

Sounds like 7/16" are a thing of the past even buckets are being hung on 5/16". Thanks so much for all the info guys.

[Ausable]

Sounds like 7/16" are a thing of the past even buckets are being hung on 5/16". Thanks so much for all the info guys.

Gosh Butler - I try and help You and You say something horrible like that. Now using home carved Black Elderberry Stems might be a bit old school. But - The 7/16 Spile has been with us awhile and won't vanish. You have to remember - a lot of these kids would love to poke an IV Needle into a Sugar Maple and put 30 inches of Vacuum on it and be as happy as clams. If You are using gravity and tree pressure for Your sap - a 7/16 spile will work just fine and scar over. If You are going to a tube and vacuum setup and Your goal is to Suck the Bark off Your Sugar Maples ---- Go for it with smaller Spiles. Main thing is to have Fun making Maple. ---Mike---

[ennismaple]

a lot of these kids would love to poke an IV Needle into a Sugar Maple and put 30 inches of Vacuum on it and be as happy as clams.

If they (UVM?) develop a reliable way we can do this while collecting 20GPT of sap and minimize the stain columns in the trees I'll be the first to try. Tree health is paramount for long term success in our industry and the stain column is directly related to taphole size but is independent of vacuum levels used. The Alonquin tribes used to slash the trees with hatchets for a few thousand years - but we wouldn't consider using such methods now.

[butler]

Just lookin for some info...I am all about getting lots of sap but if I can help save my trees at the same time, I am open to any good ideas...didn't want to open a can of worms. I actually use 300 7/16" spiles with buckets and around 200 5/16" spiles with my tubing. I have been looking at the cdl clear seasonal spouts...

[Ausable]

Butler - I'm just kidding. Tree health is always important. Something as basic as allowing the maple leaves decompose helps the trees. With 500 trees tapped You have a sizeable operation and are not a Hobby Producer. Never be shy about sharing what you know or asking questions. A Good bunch of Guys and Gals on this Site with different opinions - as You already know. Have a Great Year. ----Mike-----

[butler]

Ya...I hear ya...this is an awesome site. I didn't grow up doing syrup....I am at 500 taps now and 90 percent of what I learned came from info on this site. Appreciated all the help.