1% mainline slope

[Alex Davies]

Last season, I installed a long mainline through a fairly flat section of bush in order to get sap to the sugarshack where in past years I had to collect and haul with the tractor.

I tried to maintain a 1-2% grade through these flats, and overall, I'd say it worked fairly well. However, if there was a quick freeze, then the mainline would fill up and freeze, and the next day, the sap wouldn't start running until hours after other sections of bush had started to flow. I'd go up and check, and the lateral lines would be full of pressurized sap, but unable to pass through the frozen mainline until it thawed enough to let the sap through. But honestly, the amount of work I saved by not having to go and collect this section of bush with the tractor made this probably worthwhile...

Now, as I'm setting up for this coming season, I'm considering doing the same thing with another section of bush.

What are people's thoughts? Are there any tricks out there to avoid freezing mainlines?

[maplemas]

Lots of post to keep any and all sags out of the mainline!

[maple flats]

Keep the sags positively at zero or make it a wet/dry system. On a wet/dry system, if the wet line freezes, the sap is pulled up into the dry line and that carries the sap until the wet line thaws. Even then there should be no sags.
Use posts as often as necessary to eliminate sags.

[VT_K9]

Another aid is to go with a larger mainline. That would require more sap to fill the line and freeze. But if it does then that is more time thawing. We noticed a big difference when we changed from 1/2" and 3/4" up to 3/4" and 1". Now we have a new mainline run which will be 1 1/4" and will be avoiding the 3/4" lines all together. The cost is not a whole lot to step up one size.

Mike

[Chris_In_Vermont]

Also a smaller pipe (3\4" mainline) will be easier to support. Either via posts, or tiebacks\side ties. If you're running at 1%, mark your grade with paint or flagging and support it very well. Very tight tubing helps also.
We run all 3\4" mainlines, often they're at 2% sometimes 1% and we don't use very many posts or even side ties. We rely on a very tight wire and very tight tubing to support it.
Got 9000' out today, installing more until the sap starts.

[Alex Davies]

Also a smaller pipe (3\4" mainline) will be easier to support. Either via posts, or tiebacks\side ties. If you're running at 1%, mark your grade with paint or flagging and support it very well. Very tight tubing helps also.
We run all 3\4" mainlines, often they're at 2% sometimes 1% and we don't use very many posts or even side ties. We rely on a very tight wire and very tight tubing to support it.
Got 9000' out today, installing more until the sap starts.


Re: tightening tubing... Just tightening with those wire Chinese finger trap looking things? And a come along?

Thanks

[Russell Lampron]

A wet/dry set up would be best using a 1" line for the dry line. Also you can raise the end that is away from the releaser higher in the end tree to gain more slope. A couple of reverse slope laterals at the high end will still produce sap and you get the benefit of having more mainline slope.

[VT_K9]

Re: tightening tubing... Just tightening with those wire Chinese finger trap looking things? And a come along?

Thanks

You can do that. We have. This year we are going to give Prusik a try. It seems to be very simple to install, move, and remove compared to the wire puller (finger trap). You can buy prusiks and make them. Check google.

Mike

[S Maple P]

I would recommend a wet/dry system. I have a 2500 tap bush that is almost as flat as a pancake. when i installed the tubing I oversized all my mainlines plus did wet/dry system. All wet dry lines are running on a .75% slope supported with t stakes or rebar stakes every 8 feet and i leveled all the lines with a 8 foot level the whole way. This is not easy and it takes some time but I am glad i did all that i did. I still will have the wet line freeze up. sometimes but the sap just runs down the dry line. i dont think i have a piece of tubing in my woods that is on more than 2% and most of it is around 1%

[Chris_In_Vermont]

Re: tightening tubing... Just tightening with those wire Chinese finger trap looking things? And a come along?

Thanks
I assume you're referring to pipe/mainline not lateral line tubing.
Yup that's what we do. We call them pipe grips and we use them for all sizes of pipe from 3\4" to 3". A 3" pipe grip is about 3 feet long if anybody was wondering. Don't get your arm stuck in one!
We use spring bail wire tensioners that tighten the high tensile wire with a ratchet and 8pt socket. We tension mainlines by having one or two guys pull on the pipe while one guy runs the pipe grip (lets it slide through).
We tend to set up our conductor systems so mainlines are not over 1000ft long. If they're spaced properly and under 1000ft long you typically don't go over 250 taps so 3\4" is fine. Plus checking vacuum on a 1000ft plus mainline stinks. Harder to pull, harder to tension, harder to get tubing, droplines along them, etc. etc. Huge time saver.