Not sure I've seen this addressed before

[Andrew Franklin]

I live an hour and a half from my woods, so I have to time my trips down to collect and boil. Usually I can get down to the property often enough to boil before the sap goes bad, but my other job (the one that pays for this) keeps me busy during the week. Pondering the next week's forecast of nearly 50 degree days for 5 straight days it got me wondering... if there is going to be too much sap running for me to get to, what would happen if I just capped the end of my line (30 taps on 3/16 tubing with 290 feet of fall from start to collection point, and another couple of 30 tap lines run but not tapped) at the collection tank? Would the sap leak out around the taps? Would the bacteria in the lines from sitting in the warm weather be able to be "washed out" once I removed the cap? Could it infiltrate the tree through the taps? Would the tree be better off by this or better by just letting it flow out?

Wouldn't think about doing this without feedback, but it was an interesting train of thought on my drive home tonight. BTW, I got about 14 gallons today in about 2 hours off of 30 taps...from 5:00 to 7:00 at night...unbelievable!

[maple flats]

You would be better off just running it on the ground. If you cap the outlet, sap will fill the lines and then when it freezes it will pull spoiled sap back into the tap hole, and thus start the tap hole closure response in the tree. Id just let it run into the tank, then when you can get there, decide if the sap is still good. It will still make syrup, but will likely be much darker syrup, maybe DARK or Very DARK.

[DrTimPerkins]

Would the tree be better off by this or better by just letting it flow out?

Ah....one of the banes of sugar making......overthinking a problem.

Besides the good advice Dave (maple flats) provided, there would be no additional benefit to the trees in capping the line off. The amount of sap that comes out of a tree during the season is not fixed. The liquid in the tree is replenished from soil moisture when a tree freezes up. Trying to keep in in there so you can collect it later will not help, and will probably do more harm through spoilage and microbe entry into the taphole than anything else. Just let it run on the ground or overflow the tank.

[Sugarmaker]

Ok I will help over think this. You have 90 taps with 3/16 and some slope so you might get 100 gallons of sap in a 24 hour period?
Set up three 100 gallon tanks with a float valve in the first two that shuts off the flow and diverts the next sap to the next empty tank. When you get there you will have the oldest sap in the first tank. and the freshest in the last tank. At that point you can decide what you want to boil.
No I don't have the valve design to do this but I am sure some smart folks on here will tell you how to set this up.
The key is that it has to shut off the flow and divert it.
Another option would be to get a working 250 gallon milk tank and run it to keep the sap cold all week?
Regards,
Chris

[Sugarmaker]

Ok I will help over think this. You have 90 taps with 3/16 and some slope so you might get 100 gallons of sap in a 24 hour period?
Set up three 100 gallon tanks with a float valve in the first two that shuts off the flow and diverts the next sap to the next empty tank. When you get there you will have the oldest sap in the first tank. and the freshest in the last tank. At that point you can decide what you want to boil.
No I don't have the valve design to do this but I am sure some smart folks on here will tell you how to set this up.
The key is that it has to shut off the flow and divert it.
Another option would be to get a working 250 gallon milk tank and run it to keep the sap cold all week?
Regards,
Chris

[1arch]

Ok I will help over think this. You have 90 taps with 3/16 and some slope so you might get 100 gallons of sap in a 24 hour period?
Set up three 100 gallon tanks with a float valve in the first two that shuts off the flow and diverts the next sap to the next empty tank. When you get there you will have the oldest sap in the first tank. and the freshest in the last tank. At that point you can decide what you want to boil.
No I don't have the valve design to do this but I am sure some smart folks on here will tell you how to set this up.
The key is that it has to shut off the flow and divert it.
Another option would be to get a working 250 gallon milk tank and run it to keep the sap cold all week?
Regards,
Chris
Ok diddo this thought. Sounds wild but.... I had a family issue last year that prevented me from cooking for 3 days during the height of the season. The days were warm rendering the sap questionable. Well I ran it through the evaporator and set that volume aside with the intent on scrutinizing its quality at a later date. Mid 2015 I pulled a quart of this questionable syrup aside and put it in my own kitchen. Well I suspect any family member of a sugar maker has a developed sense of syrup quality beyond most consumers. This questionable syrup passed the test with more demand for similar quality syrup! Those days of tending to family priorities and grieving over not being able to cook the days collected sap have resulted in an over all success story.
Have a great year!

[Moser's Maple]

i'd just take 2 vacations day(or sick days) to keep up with the collection.
dad always said, unless it's a death (your own)no reason for spoiled sap.

[Andrew Franklin]

This is why I have considered this forum the best resource available since I started as a hobby a few years ago! What a great blend of science, ingenuity and folk wisdom in the comments! Best wishes to all!

[lpakiz]

I, too, have cooked some very questionable, late-season sap. It was almost skim-milk white, looked like whey, with floating clumps and a bunch of settlings on the bottom of the tank. Kept it separate, but it tasted as good or better than any of the rest.
I'm not advocating letting sap sit around and spoil, but if you simply cannot get to it to boil promptly,boil it anyway.