Can you get tubing too tight?

[Bruce L]

Running lines in the bush today to the new mains, can't wait for warmer weather or we'll miss some runs. Naturally I am not getting the stretch I would prefer since it is so cold yet, my wife wondered if we could go back in the summer when it is hot, before or after bug season, stretching the tubing and cutting out lengths. Would it possibly be too tight then next winter?

[Schiefe4]

tighten the tubing for the weather you plan to collect sap in. so maybe the fall?

[Sugarmaker]

I have stretched 5/16 tubing tight in warm weather and had it pull apart at the fittings during a overnight cold snap. My answer is that you can stretch it too tight. Part of line maintenance is to evaluate the tightness and the goal is to have the tubing tight and running down hill at all times during the sap runs for bet performance.
Regards,
Chris

[BreezyHill]

Running lines in the bush today to the new mains, can't wait for warmer weather or we'll miss some runs. Naturally I am not getting the stretch I would prefer since it is so cold yet, my wife wondered if we could go back in the summer when it is hot, before or after bug season, stretching the tubing and cutting out lengths. Would it possibly be too tight then next winter?

I was doing a roll of tubing today and found it worked quite well, CDL Semi Rigid. It takes two people, one to pull on the 5/16 and the other to hook the connector to the rapid tie's last hole. I cut of lengths of 12 holes of rapid tie to leave for pulling it tighter as the season warms, if needed.

Too tight next season...doubtful; if there is not a bad spot in the tubing. These spots actually look like a ring in the tubing and will pull apart when stretched tight.

I found, if it was going to fail... it will, and at the worst possible time... splice it and forget it.

[ennismaple]

Bruce,

I agree with Chris - you can stretch tubing too tight. Stretch it as tight as you need it now and it won't get too sloppy in the summer nor too tight in the dead of winter. I've stretched tubing so tight before and the 2 handed tubing tool wouldn't grip the tubing anymore.

[argohauler]

Bruce,

I agree with Chris - you can stretch tubing too tight. Stretch it as tight as you need it now and it won't get too sloppy in the summer nor too tight in the dead of winter. I've stretched tubing so tight before and the 2 handed tubing tool wouldn't grip the tubing anymore.

Same here. I'm a flatlander, so I need to make my own slope. I've also pulled it to where the tubing tool won't work. My lines sag some over the year so I cinch them up before I tap and I joke I'm making my own 3/16 line. Anyways I found a tree rat bite between 2 taps and the tool wouldn't work, so I just put a new piece of LaPierre in.

[BreezyHill]

I've stretched tubing so tight before and the 2 handed tubing tool wouldn't grip the tubing anymore.

How are you stretching the tubing this tight? I weigh in at 190 and my middle son at 170. Yesterday we installed 1000' of tubing after school. This was a area that the slope is poor and I need every inch of elevation. Our snow is only knee deep to waist in this section we were working due to the wind. We would stretch it to where we were sliding in the snow and the tubing tool worked just fine. This was rigid CDL product and not tubing for drops. So it doesn't shrink when you pull it like drop tubing will if you over did it.

So how were you guys pulling lateral tubing this tight...ratchet straps?

[Sugarmaker]

I don't have any laterals. Mine is one run of 5/16 around 4-5 big maples in a row. I have designed a loop tightener to snug up the tubing, and try to keep it nice and tight.
I have a loop at both ends of the short run tubing system.
Most lines work fine. But every once in a while I find one that has pulled apart at the fitting.
Regards,
Chris

[ennismaple]

How are you stretching the tubing this tight? I weigh in at 190 and my middle son at 170. Yesterday we installed 1000' of tubing after school. This was a area that the slope is poor and I need every inch of elevation. Our snow is only knee deep to waist in this section we were working due to the wind. We would stretch it to where we were sliding in the snow and the tubing tool worked just fine. This was rigid CDL product and not tubing for drops. So it doesn't shrink when you pull it like drop tubing will if you over did it.

So how were you guys pulling lateral tubing this tight...ratchet straps?

We use semi-rigid tubing - it has a lot more give than rigid tubing. We try to stretch it in the fall because stretching in knee to waist deep snow sucks!! The temperatures are similar in November to March/April sugaring season. At 6'2" and 215lbs I can put a lot of tension on tubing - especially when you stretch downhill and use gravity to your advantage! Some rolls seem more stretchy than others. I had a roll a few years back that several sections came off the spool already stretched to half the original diameter - guess it was a manufacturing defect that didn't get caught. I took the sections of tubing back to my supplier and Lapierre gave me a new roll to replace the bad one.

[steve J]

I repaired a section of 3/16th tubing last fall. Apparently we may have stretched it a bit to much as during the cold snap 10 days ago it blew apart and by time I found it on the ground rodents had chewed on it pretty good.

[BreezyHill]

I had a roll a few years back that several sections came off the spool already stretched to half the original diameter - guess it was a manufacturing defect that didn't get caught. I took the sections of tubing back to my supplier and Lapierre gave me a new roll to replace the bad one.


I had a similar issue with some of the Lapierre tubing and they didn't do anything about it. That was when I went back to CDL products. Seem to be much higher quality standards. Thanks for the explanation.

Ben