cleaning lines

[samhell]

I usually leave my lines hanging in the woods and spray a clorine/water solution into each tap from an old windex bottle. I would like to come up with a better system without taking down the lines. I would like to use some sort of dc powered vacume at the bottom of the hill and walk to each tap with a 5 gallon pail of solution. Then untap a tree and stick the tap in the bucket and have the solution sucked through to the tank.
What I need is some advise on how to accomplish this idea, if y'all even think it would work.
Thanks for your help
Dan

[Mike]

If you dont have vacuum you can take a water pump and pump your water solution thru the lines....Make sure your drops are empty before you cap them....

[Maple Rat]

What I am using to clean my lines is a home made pressure washer that is portable enough to carry into the woods.

You take a new ( clean ) garden sprayer, fit the end with a IPL 5/16” Quick Disconnect Union or other tubing connector.

Fill the sprayer with your cleaning solution, go to the highest tap in the line and work your way down hill ( with the botton of the line open ).

I usually follow back up with a tank of clean water to make sure all the solution is out of the lines and to minimize and salt residue that may be left over ( the squirrels love the salt and will chew your lines up ).

[royalmaple]

Maplehillsugarhouse (kevin) can sell you one of his tubing washers he makes up. Great item and even better price. If you have a water supply and air, the rest is in the tubing washer. You'll get a great wash for your tubing. Definately something to consider when you are going to wash tubing.

[maple flats]

I clean mine with my sap pump and air compressor. I made up an assembly that is 1" in and out with a 1/4" teed into the side for air with a swing check valve and each has a ball valve to regulate. I put this on the sap pump sucking cleaning solution from my sap transfer tank on the tractor and run the compressor at the sugarhouse. I have each of my mini collection tanks end with a 1" quick disconnect fitting that I hook this to. I have about 400' of air hose that reaches all but 2 of my systems. For these I mount my generator and compressor on the tractor along with the tank and travel to then, and for my remote sites I haul it with the truck. MY compressor is just a 2hp elec but it works good to keep the lines jumping around, I run the air in full flow from the compressor and run the water/peroxide solution in regulated down to where i get good action with tubing drops jumping around. I only open about 4-5 taps at a time. I have my grandson help and with 2 way radios he open and closes the valves as needed, I cap the taps and keep working up to the far end. For cleaner I use 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide at a rate of 1 qt/120 gal water. I do not rinse. Any residue quickly breaks down into water and oxygen, no salts to smell and I only had 1 chew mark this year for 250 taps done this way from last year. I have used this for just one season with great results. Before that I used clorox and water then rinse+ lots of chewed lines, then 1 year pool chlorine and double rinse= still lots of chewed lines. I like this peroxide method. I leared it from a presentation at the winter conference in Verona NY and haven't had any chewing problems since trying this method.

[The Sappy Steamer]

Where do you get the food grade peroxide? I've called every local medical supply company, as well as resturant and hotel supply places I could find. I can only find it on-line, but it wouldn't be here for this coming weekend, which is when I wanted to clean my tubing. Do you have any suggestions?
Dan

[maple flats]

The first I got from online, 1 gal with shipping @ about $55-60. I am now buying it from a water conditioner supplier at much less and I can pick it up only about 2 miles from the sugarhouse. The catch is that they only have 15 gal containers. This will last me many years as I will use about 1.5-2 gal/yr. The first 2 years will essentially pay for the next 5 -6 years. I only need to keep it in a cool dark location because both heat and light reduce it's effective life. If stored in a location where the sun gets to it it would be almost useless after a few months. If anyone needs some I can also get you the same deal but I could not break it down and ship it, I could sell some of mine into your jugs marked appropriatly if you want. I still am a dealer for this manufacturer of water conditioners.

[The Sappy Steamer]

That's one source I didn't think of. Thanks for the post!

[The Sappy Steamer]

Great tip Maple Flats! I found the food grade peroxide(7%) at a water conditioner supplier like you had said. It was $29.00 for a five gallon pail (plus a $10.00 deposit on the pail that is refunded when you return it)Thanks again!
Dan