Off smelling mainline

[doop]

So it's been a slow start to the season and I've only probably ran 250 gallons of sap through my mainline (300 taps)to clean it out before collecting it. The problem is that I smell an off smell in the line and slight after taste in sap. This is my second year with this mainline as I lengthened and replaced previous one. Anybody have any solutions to get the smell out.

[motowbrowne]

What kind of smell? Plasticy? I've noticed a little smell of plastic tubing from early sap, but I think it leaves with the steam. I've got the same number of taps on 3/16 and while I certainly do sacrifice a little sap to rinse things out at the beginning, I'm not gonna dump 250 gallons of sap! More like 25-30.

[doop]

Old sap smell

[Russell Lampron]

Try boiling some of it and see if the syrup tastes good. I know that I boil in some questionable sap at the beginning of the season and it always makes good tasting and smelling syrup.

[tcross]

I'd boil some and see how it comes out. mine always smells a little funky the first time or two, but the syrup always comes out good. by the way, love the avatar! is he a gsp or a lab?

[doop]

Thanks for the replies. It's not as bad as it was the first run. I just didn't want to waste time and firewood to make bad tasting syrup. I'll keep the next run and try it. Tcross he's a lab who would much rather find birds than retrieve them. Lol he will retrieve them, but needs to be reminded to or he'll just keep hunting.

[DrTimPerkins]

Is it new mainline only or new laterals/drops too? How are you cleaning lines (if you clean lines)?

[doop]

This is my second year with the mainline. Third year with the lateral and drops. I haven't used any cleaning methods previously, but will be in the future.

[DrTimPerkins]

Either old sap/snot rotting in the lines from last year, or perhaps metabolism. Either way, it should lessen with more sap runs.