Cleaning 3/16ths

[Loch Muller]

How are people cleaning the 3/16th tubing? I'm thinking of ways I can pump water or water with vinegar into it from the top tap on each line. Shouldn't take much to fill each line. Right now I have 80 3/16th taps on 5 separate laterals. Is it even worth the effort to clean it?

[RiverValleySugarhouse]

I use a sprayer with a modified tip. I got a 2ga or 3 gal sprayer at tractor supply for 20 or 30 buck just took of metal wand and it fits onto the 5/16 fitting and I start at the top and work my way down. I also have a backpack sprayer that works good. I connected a piece of 5/16" to the end and it goes over the spout. Ps I didn't clean a 200 tap lot last season thinking I was going to run new line this past spring and I had crap coming out of my lines all season even flushed out more scum when I puled taps this season. I will continue to wash all my lines more time consuming but worth it to me.

[Loch Muller]

Thanks for the reply. I'll pick up a sprayer and figure it out from there.

[Sugarbush Ridge]

I actually use two 1 gal sprayer cans. Water in one and just air in other. I connect the ends with a "Y" and give it air and water together. I used hydrogen peroxide from the store 3% in my main lines and let it sit for a couple days. Cleaned out almost all the gunk.

[Meaford Maples]

i used a 5 gallon pail with a 5/16" hole drilled near the bottom. I fit a spile into the hole and attached a couple of feet of 5/16" tubing to the spile. There was another 5/16" hole at the top of the pail and I temporarily inserted the tubing into this hole so water and bleach wouldn't leak out. I started pulling taps at the top of each run and worked my way down. Before I pulled each spile from the tree, I clamped the drop with vice grips to maintain the vacuum. Next, I inserted the spile into the 5/16" tubing on my bucket and raised the bucket above the 3/16" line before releasing the vice grips. The liquid was easily sucked into the line and I let it run for a few seconds before lowering the pail and clamping off the drop once again. I then cut off the spile and attached the drop to the sprue (is that what the fourth leg of a tee is called?) and moved on to the next tree. I probably used 2-3 gal per line of 20 taps. Steve
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