Interesting clog on 3/16

[mol1jb]

So I was leak checking my lines on Sunday and came upon a section that had some unique flow. It was a 50ft section of line that was slowing down and speeding up over amd over. We were quite puzzled by it until we found a union fitting that has an 1/8 in clog of wood chips. It must have only partially clogged the line as the vacuum built up and pulled through, built up and pulled through. Never seen that before.

[ryebrye]

So I was leak checking my lines on Sunday and came upon a section that had some unique flow. It was a 50ft section of line that was slowing down and speeding up over amd over. We were quite puzzled by it until we found a union fitting that has an 1/8 in clog of wood chips. It must have only partially clogged the line as the vacuum built up and pulled through, built up and pulled through. Never seen that before.

That's a good pattern to look for. I haven't seen any clogs in my setup yet - on year #4 of this 3/16 tubing so maybe I haven't been looking hard enough. I'll head out into the woods and be on the lookout some more for that.

Another interesting sap flow pattern I've seen a few times is where the bubbles start going back uphill, then back downhill, then back uphill, then back downhill - a bit of a see saw pattern... that was tied to a very small pinhole leak on a section of tubing next to a tree that I think maybe was almost "breathing" closed if that makes any sense - it was like it would leak then not leak, leak then not leak... weird stuff. I didn't get any video of it before putting a union in that section and making the problem go away entirely though.