Take tubing down yearly?

[11-Nick]

I know nothing about tubing. I have a patch of woods I could tap a couple miles from home. The only way I could logistically do it is if I put it on tubing and have a a couple collection tanks as opposed to buckets at each tree. However I don't think the property owner would allow the tubing to stay up year round. How impractical is it to put up/take down tubing each year? Probably looking at 100-200 trees.
I'm new to tapping trees. This is my first year. I'm interested in the tubing idea for the trees I already tap and others that I have access to around the house. Some of the terminology is foreign to me, though. Is there a resource you can point me to that can bring me up to speed?
Back to my original question... I'm certain there are other variables in play. Again, having no background in tubing, I don't know what those variables are.
Thanks

[Maplesapper]

We have 304 taps; buckets and tubing on a neighbors property.
It goes up and down every year.
We buy new tubing every year. Use the old long tubings runs to cut in as drops; and run the laterals with new tubing; seems the fastest way.
Once you get a system in place it takes less and less time every year.
Initial setup in the deep snow is the biggest time vampire.

[Dave Puhl]

Don't know if you mean 3/16,5/16 gravity lines? I take 6 up and down each year ..I use green paint and make a line on the tree which side the tubing goes on and a dot or x at the top..I number them and have a map...

[PerryW]

I leave most of my tubinge up but I have about 120 taps worth of lines I take down. The tubing I take down is all 5/16 lines (no mainline) and is four separate runs. I break each section up into 2-3 sections and leave a piece of survey flagging in the woods to mark where the breakpoints are. I also label the top and bottom of each piece with duct tape and mark it with a sharpie.

[DaveB]

I have a property that I have to take the tubing down each year but I put the lines up in the fall. If I wait, trying to install the lines in the snow can be a pain. That being said, it can also be a pain to figure out where different lines go. I usually take pictures with my phone and do a fairly good job but there's always question of where the lines go and it takes the better part of a day.

[motowbrowne]

I've got 120 on tubing at the neighbor's. It all comes down after the season. I walked each line with my cell phone and took video of the route for each line. Regarding a tubing resource, the North American Maple Syrup Producer's Manual is decent, though it's really aimed at vacuum producers. Best thing to do would be to visit someone using gravity tubing. In a nutshell, though, it runs from tree to tree down the hill. At each tree you tee into the line (called a lateral line) with a short line (called a drop line) which has a tap at the end. You can run up to 25(some people do many more) on each line and then run the end into a tank at the bottom of the hill. Or you can run them into a mainline, but with gravity that's usually unnecessary.

[asknupp]

Go to YouTube and search maple syrup tubing install. You'll be amazed.

[11-Nick]

I'm imagining the work of planning how to run a line across a given piece of woods, the work of running the tubing and adding drops, and the time it would take to get it done. Then I imagine the work of installing an already-constructed line onto the exact same trees it was connected to last year, and not having the work of making all new drops, etc. Seems like the time investment each year would be nearly the same either way. Am I right?

[pipeline]

I know nothing about tubing. I have a patch of woods I could tap a couple miles from home. The only way I could logistically do it is if I put it on tubing and have a a couple collection tanks as opposed to buckets at each tree. However I don't think the property owner would allow the tubing to stay up year round. How impractical is it to put up/take down tubing each year? Probably looking at 100-200 trees.
I'm new to tapping trees. This is my first year. I'm interested in the tubing idea for the trees I already tap and others that I have access to around the house. Some of the terminology is foreign to me, though. Is there a resource you can point me to that can bring me up to speed?
Back to my original question... I'm certain there are other variables in play. Again, having no background in tubing, I don't know what those variables are.
Thanks


we used to role up miles of tubing and main lines:o wouldnt even consider it today but back in the day wasnt that bad i guess :confused:
we used to number top tree and 1st tap on line and painted a line on side of tree that tubing went going down hill to main line changed color of paint every other line 3 different colors worked good last we did we bought discounted paint at lowes hardware store returns or wrong colors.
probably with todays tubing it would work ok. 30 years ago the tubing wasnt that great of stuff.GOOD LUKE!!

[Twist Hill Maples]

I started three years ago, I never apprentice with someone else and had no idea what I was doing. Turns out that taking the lines out of the woods is not all that bad work and probably a good idea in the long run. I loop my last drop to an "anchor" tree so that part is easy to figure out. I spend a few minutes figuring out where I route the line but I don't think you have much to worry about. make your drops long though.

[RIFoster]

I'm imagining the work of planning how to run a line across a given piece of woods, the work of running the tubing and adding drops, and the time it would take to get it done. Then I imagine the work of installing an already-constructed line onto the exact same trees it was connected to last year, and not having the work of making all new drops, etc. Seems like the time investment each year would be nearly the same either way. Am I right?

Or just do buckets, and only invest the time it takes to gather the sap.

[11-Nick]

No experience, but thinking out loud...
Assuming I get 100 trees out of this patch of woods, it seems I'd be further ahead taking an entire day putting out tubing than spending the necessary time every single day dumping 100 buckets.

[Loch Muller]

I've got a spot that had 80 buckets on it last year. This year I've put up 125 taps worth of tubing on 350' of mainline. It was a lot of work but was definitely worth it even if I have to do it every year. Taking me 1/3 the time to collect and check lines and I'm getting more sap, and I don't have to lift any of it since it flows right into my haul tank on when I open a couple valves. Good luck.