accidental experiment?

[harrison6jd]

i have a tubing setup with 5/16 lines. mainline and laterals. all the trees are in the same location with the same slope and sun exposure. i have the trees divided equally on 2 independent lines all collecting downhill into 1 tank. as i was out checking things today(first run here), i noticed one line running into the tank twice as fast as the other. so i backtracked looking for debris in the line,blockage, or anything that may be restricting flow. i saw nothing throughout both lines until i got to the very top of the faster line. i accidentally have a tee that is open and not connected to anything. i can here the natural vacuum occurring in the line.now to my question.

i know the tubing setups are to be closed to keep out bacteria but...is there any harm in keeping it open during the run but before the end of the day, close it off?
the higher flow rate of the open line has me questioning everything. i am looking for someone with more experience or knowledge than me to straighten me out. i will entertain all theories and thoughts. thanks and happy tapping

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

That natural vacuum you are hearing is sucking bacteria into that line

[rayi]

Not an expert by any means. The one that is vented will let the syrup move faster but you will lose any natural vacuum so at the end of the day both will produce the same or in theory the vented one will produce less. Never vent tubing

[harrison6jd]

that is the response i thought i would get. ive read alot of things on here and i did know it but its going to be hard to cap it and see the flow decrease. i will be better off in the long run i know. thanks

what about the open end of the tubing where it drops in the tank. wont bacteria be sucked back in?

[Ittiz]

If you have a slope a closed line is better. It creates a natural vacuum that pulls the sap out of the trees. Although the sap in an open line will flow faster, but you won't get as much.

[SevenCreeksSap]

The 5/16 lines will hold the sap in the line if its all closed with no leaks. It drove me nuts the first year but it gets pushed out the next run. Since it stays in there, to get from the tank to the tap it would have to work all the way back through the sap, although bacteria isn't one thing moving in your line, it's everywhere. Eventually the bacteria is going to win and the syrup will get darker and the taphole will seal. The idea of the closed system is to keep the tap hole open longer and sap cleaner for longer (I think, at least this is how I understand it all). would you rather get sap for possibly 6 weeks with a closed system, and only purge your lines once at the end, or let them drain clear every night for 4 weeks?

[DrTimPerkins]

It is quite simple, and the choice of whether or not to vent is entire up to you. Your choices are:

1. VENT - get sap a little faster, but get 33-50% less sap over the season.
2. DO NOT VENT - sap comes a little slower during a run, but you get quite a lot more.

Take your pick.

[harrison6jd]

thank you for all replys and information. i am headng out after breakfast to put drop line and tap on it. thank you

[psparr]

What about a HEPA filter on the end?