3/16 - Nights not freezing but sap keeps flowing?

[Sandersyrup]

Ok so I realize this is my first experience with vacuum sap flow. But when the weather finally thawed on Sunday and the buckets finally started to drip my 3/16 natural Vac line with 26 taps started to flow nicely. After the sun went down the buckets quit entirely offering about 1/2 gallon per tap. The 3/16 gave up about 1 gallon per tap.

its been 3 days since the thaw and buckets never started up again, not a single drop. The 3/16 however slows as night but starts flowing hard in the AM and keeps giving and giving with no freezing nights and warm sunny day in the 50ºFs. This morning its 40ºF (also the low for the past 24 hours) and the sap is flying in. No freezing for 4 days.

So far my season totals are
1) Buckets = 1/2 gal per tap.
2) 3/16 = 8 gallons per tap.

So I'm so happy I installed this 3/16 otherwise I'd have nearly nothing.

So my question is; does it have to freeze for trees to flow well on Vac (my observations say no)? Or is it just taking my trees a week to thaw? Do trees tapped on Vac for the 1st time flow exceptionally better in their 1st year?

I'm thankful for this community for showing me 3/16!!!

[wiam]

You are seeing what vacuum will do for sap flow. Cool ain't it?

[ronintank]

John
I am seeing the same thing here in Michigan, this is my first year with some trees on 3/16 tube and gravity collection. Monday the trees started flowing Tuesday I collected sap 7 gallons from 52 taps on buckets and 65 gallons from 52 taps on 3/16 with gravity working for them 16-18 in of vac.

[pennslytucky]

ive been getting almost nothing from my gravity line. but the sap sucker has been running well for 3 days now. twice as many trees on the gravity line and all of them are bigger. just 8-10" little trees on the vac line. turned off the pump to see what would happen yesterday. everything just stopped. without the vac, i would have next to nothing so far. ill be re-doing the whole woods this summer for vacuum. looks like it turns a bad year into a decent year, and a good year into a river of sap

[DrTimPerkins]

So my question is; does it have to freeze for trees to flow well on Vac (my observations say no)? Or is it just taking my trees a week to thaw? Do trees tapped on Vac for the 1st time flow exceptionally better in their 1st year?

There are different types and different phases to sap flow depending upon whether you're gravity or vacuum and how long it has been since a freeze (and how quickly it froze up). In general though, even vacuum trees will flow better with a freeze. The freeze results in water uptake from the soil to recharge the entire tree. After a long time without a freeze, sap will still flow with vacuum, but the flow rate will be lower, and the sap sugar content will drop as well.

[dave douglass]

we have a test line of 17 taps with 30'+ drop; started @26", dropped to 241/2, and now @ 25". The run is great but the 11/4% is not what we want. Still have 3' snow cover.

[Paul VT]

Not sure how we are getting as much vacuum as we are. Three lines and the most drop we have is about 14ft after the last tap. This isn't making sense from reading the study. But I'm not complaining!110241102511026
And the least drop is about 5 ft.

[sugarsand]

Your vacuum gauge only tells you vacuum at that point. As you lose elevation the vacuum drops.

sugarsand

[Paul VT]

Your vacuum gauge only tells you vacuum at that point. As you lose elevation the vacuum drops.

sugarsand
This is true. But my taps have very little elevation change from top to bottom. The elevation deference is from the tank up to the first tap. From that tap to the end is fairly flat.

[psparr]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/12/367aa09bc5b9a66a097351b5b0c56e7c.jpg
Isn't free vac a hoot!


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[jwalters]

Can someone post a video of there 3/16 line flowing that would be great thanks!

[Sandersyrup]

This is a video from a particularly gassy tree:

http://mapletrader.com/community/showpost.php?p=270716

This is a video for the sap entering my barrel. I built this clear part so I could see the sap stream from my house as I was tire of going out and looking under the lid.

https://vimeo.com/122094085


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[Sandersyrup]

https://vimeo.com/122117737

Excellent run today. This is 25 sugar maples.

Even the buckets are running finally.


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[1arch]

Nice video!
I have a few 5/16 lines directly into 5 gallon pails that flow with the little bubbles like that. I'm going to put a vacuum gauge on to see what's happening and start logging the production on those lines.
It seems the 5/16 line flowing into a main line don't have the same opportunity to pull similar vacuum because the mainline fitting reduces down at the saddle slowing the final descent of the sap.
I have a steep area I installed 22 taps on a single 5/16 line into a 5 gallon bucket. Although I understand this is more than the recommended quantity of taps for a line it is fun watching bubbles flowing.

[psparr]

Nice video!
I have a few 5/16 lines directly into 5 gallon pails that flow with the little bubbles like that. I'm going to put a vacuum gauge on to see what's happening and start logging the production on those lines.
It seems the 5/16 line flowing into a main line don't have the same opportunity to pull similar vacuum because the mainline fitting reduces down at the saddle slowing the final descent of the sap.
I have a steep area I installed 22 taps on a single 5/16 line into a 5 gallon bucket. Although I understand this is more than the recommended quantity of taps for a line it is fun watching bubbles flowing.

If your on gravity that's a good number. Only with vac do you want 5.

[Sandersyrup]

Honestly at this point I'd think it would be worth it for anybody without slope to dig a 30' hole somewhere in there sugarbush with a barrel at the bottom. Pump it out when it gets full! It WILL get full!


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[jwalters]

I have about 80 trees with the 30 foot drop the last run we got over 2 gallons per tap thanks for the video's I needed to compare!