Sap Sacks

[Tater]

I'm planning to try using bags for collecting sap this year. My local supplier (only ~2.5hrs one way :o ) says he has Sap Saks, but they are thin and puncture easily in the wind. I am considering 6 mil uline bags. Is there a better or cheaper alternative?

[WI Sugarpop]

Here is a link for the ones that I use and are 5 mil.
http://www.shopmaplehollowsyrup.com/ecommerce/sap-sak-collection/sap-sacks/single-seal-blue-sap-saks-250-case.asp

[Jolly Acres Farm]

I am using the same ones as WI Sugarpop. I purchase them from my local dealer here in Michigan. I have not had any problems with them puncturing even in the spring wind storms.

[Tater]

Ok, thanks. I placed an order for those. Now I need to finish the holders.

[DougM]

Tater, assuming your season is over, how did your bags hold up?

We have used the bags since 2003, and up until last year we would need to replace about 10% of them over the course of the year. Last year we received an entire box that had a manufacturing flaw (replaced free by our vendor) but even after that our replacement rate was way up.

This year was the same, and we are not sure why. We rarely get holes in the back where the bags contact the trees, most are at the bottom. Some do look like squirrels or other animals have damaged them, but most don't. We're tapping the same woods we always have, so unless some new sap-drinking critter has moved in that knows how to put a small, neat hole in the bags we're pretty puzzled as to why they are getting so many holes.

[Tater]

With temps 70 to 80 degrees, our season is indeed over, and we have pulled our taps.

The bags seemed to hold up reasonably well, although we did need to replace about 10-15% of them. Ours got holes generally near the corners close to the bottom. I don't know if it was from critters or wind blowing them against the trees with ice in the bags, but they did hold up reasonably well (albeit they were definitely flimsier after 5 weeks in the weather than the new bags we hung on some late taps). I will definitely be using them again next year, although I may try to use some 3/16 tubing as well as buckets if I can source some from a local bakery or something.

[DougM]

Thanks for the update. We're trying to avoid going back to buckets, too much time spent cleaning, and too much space needed for storage.

[maplefarmer]

We have been using sap bags for a few years and have been getting small holes in the bottom corners, thinking squirrels, this year we sprayed our bags with some old perfume we had around and it seemed to stop the chewing

[adk1]

use duct tape. I take a piece of duct tape the width of bag and alittle extra. half goes on one side half on the other of the bottomw of bag (seam). seems to help with the squirrels

[SmellsLikeSyrupNH]

I use the sacks, 160 of them this year, and I seemed to have a ton of leaking bags and damaged from the trees. Im not sure why but it always seemed to be about 2 inches above the bottoms in the middle of the bags, so im attributing it to tree rubbing. Its my 3rd year using them and its the most I have had get damaged, I bet I had 20-25 I had to replace. SUCKED......a few were dripping at the bottom meaning a bad heat seal on the bottom. I still love them when it comes to ease of end of season clean up.

1372713728

[DougM]

We may try the duct tape idea...it can't be any worse.

What diameter pipe are you using for your bag holders? We own 200 taps, but only around 180 holders so I've been considering options for making some more.

[Tater]

I am using 2" pipe for my holders. Definitely do not go smaller than that, because the plastic bunches up around the pipe and drastically slows your emptying rate. With 2" pipe, a few of our saks empty really quickly, some rather slow, and most somewhere in the middle. 2.5" or 3" would be nicer, but more expensive, more time cutting in the groove, and I dunno if caps are readily available for sizes larger than 2".

[DocsMapleSyrup]

I made a hundred and fifty 2" PVC sap sack holders, but they are a pain to empty. I rolled the sack on the PVC starting on one edge of the sack and rolling it onto the PVC. Should I have put them on differently or am I doing something wrong when emptying? Please help!

[TomorrowRiverMapler]

First time with 2" PVC bag holders this year too and wow I agree on what a pain to poor. I too carefully wrapped the plastic around the PVC pipe for a good look and easy zip tying on the groove but I looks like that tight wrapping twists the bag so much it can't drain. A friend of mine told me to just open the bag fully, put the PVC pipe into the top and collapse the bag around the pipe and zip tie. It won't look pretty but he says they poor great and he is only using 1.5" PVC!

[Tater]

I tested one before we made all of ours, and I was glad I did! The first time I put one edge of the bag on the pipe and wrapped it tight. That bag would have taken 5 minutes to empty. I then tried holding the pipe in the center of the bag and wrapping both sides of the bag around the pipe. That was less convenient to make, but it emptied a lot faster. That's how we did all of them. Some of them emptied great, most acceptably, and some a tad on the slow side, but all much better than wrapping from one side all the way to the other.

The bunching method described above would likely work best, but I think it'd be a pain to make. Might have to do some experimentation for next year.

[jmayerl]

I make and sell PVC sack kits. There is a very easy way to put them together and they drain out completely but for about 1/2 cup in less time than a bucket almost. I ran over 1000 of these for a few years and they work great.

http://youtu.be/mMqKn7Jj9q0

[TomorrowRiverMapler]

I make and sell PVC sack kits. There is a very easy way to put them together and they drain out completely but for about 1/2 cup in less time than a bucket almost. I ran over 1000 of these for a few years and they work great.

http://youtu.be/mMqKn7Jj9q0

Great instructional video and makes perfect sense. Thanks for sharing the correct way. Of course being a guy even if I had directions for putting these on I would not have read them. LOL