Sap Meister stainless steel spouts

[Jal-Bear]

Is anyone using or have tried the Sap Meister stainless steel spouts for buckets? I hang around 150 buckets with the flat/hinge type lids and I see on their site that they have spouts specifically for these style lids. I have been using the 5/16 plastic blue spouts and replacing them every year would be costly over time. I like the idea that with the stainless at the end of the season they can be properly cleaned and sanitized and used year after year.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Haven't used them, but I am going to place my order next week. Planning on sterilizing them with a pressure cooker at the end of next season because of the very high temps. Some of the research I read showed that polished stainless steel decreases the adhesion of biofilms. The biofilms contain bacteria and other microbes that can cause premature tap "drying" especially in subsequent seasons if proper cleaning is not done. At least this is my understanding. I'd love to compare notes after the next season if you go with these.

[sugarsand]

What is the price for the hinged bucket spout? We need new spouts and these look like they would work great.

Sugarsand

[Biz]

Just received some of these, paid 2.47 apiece from Nate at Devon Lane (in Mass), they are stainless 5/16 with hook, and tube welded on top for hinged cover. Quality looks great, and they should last forever. Or until the tube weld breaks trying to remove it :) I test fit in a 5/16 hole and it''s a much better fit than the plastic 5/16 spouts were. Nate can ship UPS, mine arrived the next day. I had a lot of problems with the 5/16 plastic spouts falling out so I'm switching to the stainless.

Dave

[Jal-Bear]

Thats good to hear. Thanks for the info!

[WI Sugarpop]

Is anyone using or have tried the Sap Meister stainless steel spouts for buckets? I hang around 150 buckets with the flat/hinge type lids and I see on their site that they have spouts specifically for these style lids. I have been using the 5/16 plastic blue spouts and replacing them every year would be costly over time. I like the idea that with the stainless at the end of the season they can be properly cleaned and sanitized and used year after year.

We tried 5 of these spouts with sap sack holders for the 2014 season and we liked them so we replaced all of our 7/16 aluminum spouts for this season. We paid $1.60 each from Andersons Maples Syrup.

[maple marc]

Tested them last year with plastic buckets. Shifted over to them completely this year. I think they are the best spouts for plastic buckets. Competing brand cast aluminum tap with "shark fin" on top cuts into wall of plastic bucket. Sap Meister has a nice "washer" holding the bucket on--doesn't cut. Sap Meister also has inside diameter significantly larger than other taps--better flow, less chance of debris blockage. Tip I received last year from member here was to cut round hole in bucket for tap (3/4" works), then at the top of the hole cut a "key hole" slot where the tap barrel fits (3/8"). This allows the washer hook to hold the bucket on securely so it is less prone to wind removal. Stainless steel will not corrode like aluminum. They can even be cleaned with vinegar or acid--also boiled, of course. Bottom line: 5 stars.
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2/24/2016 Please note: after more experience with these spouts I am revising my rating of these spouts downward. They have many good attributes but one fatal flaw: they develop a back flow and the sap flows toward the tree and onto the ground. This happens because the drip edge on the end is not effective. Even with a standard angle on the spout it can back drip. This usually occurs when there is high humidity and a cold spout can cause condensation to form. Eventually the drips will run uphill toward the tree and out of the bucket. I tried several fixes including o-rings and polishing. The only fix that really works is to attach a plastic wire tie around the barrel of the spout at the drip edge. It can be trimmed quite short. This will cause the drips to follow the wire tie and fall into the bucket.

I also am wondering if these spouts collect as much sap as the old cast aluminum spouts with less contact inside the hole bored into the tree. These Sap Meister spouts have little taper on them, making more contact with the tree tissue. Is it possible this could interfere with sap flow into the hole? I would have to do a scientific study, but it seems I might not be collecting as much sap now as I did with the old aluminum spouts. Any other users out there with ideas?

Bottom line: you can make them work, but why should have have to retrofit them with a wire tie? New rating: 3 stars.

[maple marc]

Anyone using Sap Meister spouts this year? I'm curious about your experience with them.

Marc

[Michael Greer]

I invested in 100 Sapmeister spouts with the bucket hook. They are so much nicer than my old 7/16 spouts that I'll probably buy 400 more before next year. The very slight taper makes the spout super easy to set. I have had no leaks at all with these spouts, no pull outs, and no buckets blown off. The simple design, and perfect material gives me a spout that will last forever.That pleases me. Throwing all that plastic away is a crime.
I have had one small problem. On trees that have a strong taper, or lean away from the tap location, the bucket pulls the hook forward just enough to cause the falling drop to strike the tip of the hook. This drop then follows the shape of the hook and falls outside the bucket. This only happened on a dozen trees and it was easy to remedy by pushing a short piece of tubing onto the tap. I suggested to the company that the spout needed to be about 1/4" longer, and got a quick and friendly response. I hope these guys are here to stay.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

2/24/2016 Please note: after more experience with these spouts I am revising my rating of these spouts downward. They have many good attributes but one fatal flaw: they develop a back flow and the sap flows toward the tree and onto the ground. This happens because the drip edge on the end is not effective. Even with a standard angle on the spout it can back drip. This usually occurs when there is high humidity and a cold spout can cause condensation to form. Eventually the drips will run uphill toward the tree and out of the bucket. I tried several fixes including o-rings and polishing. The only fix that really works is to attach a plastic wire tie around the barrel of the spout at the drip edge. It can be trimmed quite short. This will cause the drips to follow the wire tie and fall into the bucket.

I also am wondering if these spouts collect as much sap as the old cast aluminum spouts with less contact inside the hole bored into the tree. These Sap Meister spouts have little taper on them, making more contact with the tree tissue. Is it possible this could interfere with sap flow into the hole? I would have to do a scientific study, but it seems I might not be collecting as much sap now as I did with the old aluminum spouts. Any other users out there with ideas?

Bottom line: you can make them work, but why should have have to retrofit them with a wire tie? New rating: 3 stars.

I agree with your review. The first year with these I had a terrible time with back flow and with sap drops hitting the bucket hook and then it followed the path of the hook, promptly dropping to the ground. The sap loss was significant. If you have buckets that have a large enough hole to hang them behind the flange/washer fitting, then they work great. The zip-tie solution works great too but you have to make sure the tie is back in the bucket when you re-hang it. Sometimes people helping me wouldn't know to do that. Overall, I would not buy anymore of these spouts. The design needs some work for the metal bucket application.

This year I bought 40 of the aluminum shark fin taps and I really like them. No issues. I think the sap-meister taps are great for sacks but I don't use sacks. Another option to try is the SS spouts available at Next Gen Maple. They are $3 each but have a better spout design. They are the only ones I found that have the benefit of SS and the simplicity of the shark fin style. I may try them in 2017.

[wnybassman]

I had 60 new ones for this year. Overall I thought they were great, but also experienced the "drip on the hook" scenario. Started out just a few, but by years end I had a zip tie on every spout. I had to make sure the "nub" of the zip tie was turned down to keep the hook as far back as possible.

I already remedied the situation for next year. I bought a box of 7/16" stainless nuts that will be slipped on between the spout washer and the hook at the time the spout is set. That seems to be the perfect distance and the 7/16" nut slips on with very little slop.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I forgot to mention I squeezed the hooks to a smaller "U" shape with pliers so the tip of hook is more out of the way of the sap drops.

[Jal-Bear]

I forgot to mention I squeezed the hooks to a smaller "U" shape with pliers so the tip of hook is more out of the way of the sap drops.I had the same problem, bent the hooks like you did to a smaller "U" shape and it fixed the problem.

[wnybassman]

I squeezed all my hooks also. Fixed some, but not others.

[jlemieux]

I bought a bag of hookless and I am losing a ton of sap on the ground. The sap runs back up the spout to washer and then goes out of bucket. Just a pain. I wanted something different after breaking a few leAder aluminum spouts but these are not the answer. I will carry around some wire ties next time I gather. These spouts will not go back out next yeAr. Not recommended at all. Junk

[Michael Greer]

Liquids don't run up-hill. Drill your holes at a proper 10 to 15 degree angle and all your problems will go away....and if you really don't like them, send them to me.

[jlemieux]

Thanks for the tip. I will get out my protractor next year because at 9 degrees these spouts work like crap. At least I am not the only one having this problem. Did you just move up from West Virginia?

[maple marc]

Michael, check out this video. Yes, liquids can run uphill--capillary action, siphoning. This tap was installed with at least a 10 degree angle. It's back-dripping right out of the bucket. I don't like to run anyone's product down, but this spout is a poor design. Yes, it has some good qualities: stainless steel, easily sanitized, holds a bucket well; good length; holds in tree well. You can "fix" the back-dripping problem by adding a wire tie or crimping the end in a vise, but why should I have to?

https://youtu.be/67UDsvBcvzw

You will note that the cast aluminum Leader spouts with the "shark fin" have a prominent "beard" on the end to promote dripping into the bucket. The Leader spout also has its issues: shark fin cuts through plastic buckets; doesn't hold in the tree as well as some spouts; short. I've tested some stainless Next Gen spouts and they seem to work well. They drip well even if installed almost level. I do wonder if over time the vertical tab that holds the bucket might cut through a plastic bucket.

I also wonder if these stainless spouts without much taper inside the tap hole might reduce the flow of sap. Comments, anyone?

Marc

[wnybassman]

https://youtu.be/67UDsvBcvzw



Wow, luckily I didn't have that problem. Out of 60 of those taps I used this year only one did that, and I drilled that one too close to level. My taps were the hooked version which has a longer shoulder, so maybe that was the difference?

I have a half dozen or so sharkfin style taps and out of the 80 aluminum buckets I have, it only fits about 4 or 5 of them. Most of my buckets are the smaller hole version. Even with the larger hole version buckets I have, the sharkfin only fits about half of those.

[Michael Greer]

Maple marc That's a great little video. The "bucket hook" spouts I'm using are a bit longer than that, and the company tells me they've made the new ones even a tad longer. As far as sap flow, I'm getting more sap than ever this year, I'll be replacing all my old galvanized 7/16 taps with these before next season.

[WI Sugarpop]

We used them with sap sacks for 2 years now and haven't had a problem.

[Tater]

We used the Sapmeister bucket spouts with sap sacks this year. None leaked onto the ground. We had 35 taps for 4 weeks and added 7 more taps for the last 2 weeks. Our final run of sap ran a third of the sacks over in 36 hours. Some had dried up, but others were obviously still running well. We made 13 gallons of syrup (plus threw away a couple gallons that spoiled in the pan over a cold snap :confused:). We had numerous days with temps in the 60s, and two of the final couple days before our last run hit 80. If we had tapped those other 7 earlier, we'd have averaged over 1/3 gallon per tap. I was very impressed with these spouts and will likely order more unless I use some tubing next year.

[wnybassman]

I implemented my "fix" to these spouts this year and it seems to be working well. I used a stainless 7/16" nut for a spacer, and found a reasonably priced source for quantity on Ebay.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s163/wnybassman/maple/ss_spout_fix_zpszzve9ih8.jpg

[coastie]

Anyone use the ones designed for the flat covers yet? Wondering how sturdy the weld is that attaches the tube for the cover.

[jrm]

Last year I bought 4 with the welded tube for a lidded bucket. They've only been used the one season, but I had no issues with the lids/tubes holding. In fact, my taps were all sanitized last night so that we can get tapping today, and I was thinking I had intended to buy mor of them for this year. The remaining taps are the shark fin variety (we'll put out 13 total again this year.) I recall liking the taps last year, I don't recall having the back drip issue, but as someone's else pointed out, that might be due to the slightly different design between the two with the tube and the hookless. I may, however, for "safety" use Noel's cool trick with the nut.

[KV Sappers]

I switched out all my 7/16 to the sap meister hinged spiles this year. I've had no problems with leakage and highly recommend them.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

I believe Sap Meister re-designed these spouts with longer necks and a better drip edge. I wrap a small zip tie around the lip if I have one that drips backward and onto the bucket hook causing sap to leak behind the bucket.

[Jal-Bear]

Anyone use the ones designed for the flat covers yet? Wondering how sturdy the weld is that attaches the tube for the cover.This will be my third season using these and have had no problems with the welds. The only thing I've had to do is slightly bend the hooks to keep the sap from dripping out the back of the hook.

[jrm]

You know that thing where you hear all sorts of great ideas from experienced folks, and you think "I should try that?" Yesterday, my son and placed 6 taps, 4 of the Sap Meister with hooks. I saw the idea of using nuts and thought it couldn't hurt, but didn't have any in the house to fit. Wanting to catch the sap run, and not losing my son's readiness to do the taps, we went ahead.

Well, I checked back a few hours later (all had started running as soon as they were tapped) and two of the four Sap Meister's were dripping backwards. One was mostly going out of the bucket.

I went in, grabbed wire ties, per another suggestion on here. Initially I put them at the drip edge, which doesn't work. But, I then decided to use wire tires in place of a nut, and placed two ties between the hook and the lid tube. That worked Tom push the angle back and allow the sap to drip into the bucket. One of the three tapes we mistakenly use a shark fin hook and that had no problem as the hook held the bucket a bit lower.

In looking at the taps, I in fact think it was free, and two location, specific, as on the taps that were leaking out, the bucket was hitting a bark ridge, or a trunk bulge, which meant the bucket didn't lay straight.

I still want to replace the rest of my taps, but I think I would take precautions for the problem either using the it route, or adjusting the hooks as jai-bear describes.

[christopherh]

I've been using them a couple years now and really like them. I've had the same problem with a few dripping down the hook. Usually because of bark.

[Michael Greer]

I cut some short little bits of tubing and put them in my pocket the first time I gather. There will be a couple that fall onto the hook, but it's easy to just push a bit of tubing on there and extend the spout.

[wnybassman]

I cut some short little bits of tubing and put them in my pocket the first time I gather. There will be a couple that fall onto the hook, but it's easy to just push a bit of tubing on there and extend the spout.

I got a couple I'm going to do that on tomorrow! Two days in a row those two spouts over-flowed the buckets without even a wet spot on the tree. This afternoon I go back and the sap is barely drizzling out of the spout, but trailing back to the "washer" and down the hook and down the tree. It's almost is if the tree warmed up and the angle of the tap changed a little. Anyway, that is one of my best producing trees and I'm not going to let sap run down the tree!

[Greensprings sugar]

I 2nd using a small zip tie at front edge with zip part pointing down, fixed 30 or so worked on everyone!

[Michael Greer]

The newest ones are much better...just a bit longer, and with a nicer drip-edge. I went back and bought all they had at our local supplier.

[Andy VT]

A few years later, what is the verdict on these stainless steel spouts?
I'm wondering both about buckets and for vacuum tubing systems.
People were citing backwards drip problems... is that all worked out?
Does boiling them take care of microbes for lifetime usage with good production?
Andy

[Pdiamond]

Andy, The SS spouts I use for my bags I boil each year and have had no issue, this was my fourth year with the bags. I boil them after use in the spring and place them in a zip lock bag until next year, after they have completely air dried.

[darkmachine]

I run stainless taps on my vacuum system and for my buckets, ill never go back. As was mentioned before, I boil them after the season but I also boil them the day I tap. I have not seen any loss in production, two seasons using them, will order more as I grow.