My trees have gas. 3/16 gravity vac.

[Sandersyrup]

Ok so watching the sap flow in my 3/16 tubing is see bubbles. Near the end of the line they are moving much faster than the top. Near as i can tell this gas comes directly out of the tap holes. The most gassy hole has a bubble leave the tap every 5 seconds or so. It is also the last tap before the drop zone.

Now I'm Pretty sure leaks look more like tiny bubbles quickly moving from a hole.

My system ran ok today, 20" vac. Wondering if there is anything I can do to stop the gas?

Also, if I have a lot of taps at the same elevation before the vac drop zone. Where can I expect the most vac pressure?


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[DrTimPerkins]

Wondering if there is anything I can do to stop the gas?

Maple trees naturally produce sap and gases. Nothing at all unusual about that. Only way to stop it would be to kill the tree...even then it would take a long time.

The higher you go in elevation above where the sap empties from the pipe, the higher the vacuum.

[spud]

I get a lot of tree gas towards the end of the season when the days are hotter 55+ degrees. It also brings your vac down 2-5 inches. Nothing you can do about tree gas.

Spud

[Tor Haxson]

Dr Tim,

Has anyone ever analyzed the gas emitted from the sap hole ?

Is it just the usual like atmospheric gas mix, nitrogen, Oxygen, CO2 ?
Or is it more interesting?
Like ethylene perhaps to kickstart the budding or something?

--
Tor

[DrTimPerkins]

Has anyone ever analyzed the gas emitted from the sap hole ?


It is air, but enriched in CO2 due to the tree's metabolism.

[5050racing]

It's GREAT to the Dr Perkins answer our questions !!!

[Sandersyrup]

Here is a video of my last tap before everything heads downhill. Lots of gas. Fortunately this gas never passes another tap.

https://vimeo.com/121595390

https://vimeo.com/121595405


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[maple flats]

Perfectly normal. In fact, that gas helps you monitor flow and better enables a sap ladder to work, if you ever get into vacuum and sap ladders.
The air (gas) is what protects the tree from damage when it freezes. The air (gas) takes up the expansion of the liquid to protect the cell walls.