Maybe I have a silly question

[nick271717]

I'm new to tapping this year and have 30 taps running to 5 gallon buckets. I love this new hobby but collecting is beginning to be a pain in the neck so I want to do tubing next year and have it run into a collection tank. I have read all this info about how to do it and have the lateral lines run into the main line and then the main line goes into the collection tank but i have a question. Could you skip the "main line" all together and just have your lateral be your main line? I plan on having 30 taps on tubing and the rest i'll do with the collection bags but could i was wondering if i could have 30 3/16 drop lines connect from the tree to a 5/16 lateral line that i would use as a main and have it run into the collection tank? Would this work and why or why not? Would the line get overloaded? Might be a silly question because i really don't know was just wondering if it would work and if it would it would save me a lot of time and money buying and setting up big main line next year. Thanks!

[3GoatHill]

I have 47 taps on tubing. I love buckets, but it got kinda dangerous lugging them down the icy hill. I have it all on 3/16. I use 3/16 as the mainline. I had to upgrade to a bigger evaporator after installing the tubing. The slope give me a pretty good natural vacuum.

[Sugarmaker]

No such thing as silly question. We use 35 tubing systems as you describe. We have approx 25 taps on each system. Gravity short run tubing systems. Tight and down hill will make syrup with less labor. Prior to this we had 400 buckets. Try that for a few years!:) Although some folks are still running way more buckets than that. Just need folks to service them. I am doing the 650 taps by myself.
Regards,
Chris

[nick271717]

thanks guys will definitely do the tubing next year then!

[Cedar Eater]

You didn't mention what you had for slope. If you don't have enough slope to get a gravity assistance in pulling the sap from the trees, you may want to add mechanical vacuum to your line. If you are able to run 3/16" lines downhill from at least 20' of elevation, that might be all that you need.