bacteria question

[PATheron]

Been wondering about something that I wouldn't mind having some opinions on. Im making up drop extensions. They are 15 inches long with a regular new tap on one end and a hook connector on the other end. Im making 8000 of them. My drops are dirty and shorter because been cutting a piece off each year and just using checkvalves. Im not replacing whole drop just because its a lot of work for me and easier to do this. If I just started putting them on say end of this month and took my time it would be real easy for me and whole woods would be ready to tap to completion. Do you think the bacteria that gets on them just hanging in the air would mess me up much? Im thinking when I tap I would just glance at each to make sure mud dobber didn't fill up the hole and here and there if some are I would just replace that tap. Ill be tapping 11 or 12 thousand taps and I can tap 10 times faster with the taps on. Other thing is I don't care about making any mersh so Im not going to ask them to run real long like you would want them to if you were making that syrup. I just want them to run real hard until the good syrup is done. What think? Theron

[mountainvan]

I replace 500-1000 drops each fall, 24-30 inches though, and get great results the next year. No problem with wasps either just leaving the spile hang in the air.

[PATheron]

Thats what I was wondering if you really get enough bacteria on them letting them hang in the air to hurt. Its wouldn't be like the bacteria you get from a used spout seems to me. It would be super easy to do them all ahead of time rather than waiting till late fall or early winter to do that many. Theron

[murferd]

So, are you just cutting off the tubing above the tee & putting the union & new piece with the tap on it?

[buckeye gold]

One of the biggest factors in bacteria growth is moisture. Keep them dry and open to air flow and they should be ok. So if you hang them with care so the open end points down I think would be best. I would not wash them or use any disinfectant dry is best. I learned this from many years of fish culture, drying our tanks was as important as washing them. I always tried to find a way to get a tank in dry cycle for at least 30 days. I noticed it made a big difference. You could scrub disinfectant till you were blue, but drying afterwards made a lot of difference. so a spout that is new and never exposed to bacteria should do well if kept dry and clean. Maybe you could walk your bush in the winter and wipe off with a disinfectant just to clean and get a new dry cycle. Once cold temps hit bacteria growth is pretty close to null.

[PATheron]

Im making them 15 inches long and for the most part adding them to the existing drops as they are. A lot of them are short from cutting taps off year to year. Still makes a long drop but I like it like that for the most part. Theron

[unc23win]

I would agree with you Theron about replacing the drops in whatever method of choice before actual tapping time. For me I don't have nearly as many taps as you do so I am thinking maybe November or so while getting around in the woods is still easy, but the temperature is too cold for bacteria. I am not sure if bacteria is even really an issue anytime, but I figure colder weather is better. If tubing hanging from a tree with spout gets bacteria then I guess so does all the rolls sitting in storage right?

I for one like your idea of adding to the drops and I am all by myself so I like anything that saves labor I hope you see good results.