plugged 3/16?

[peteinvermont]

I have a 3/16 run of 23 taps, and its around 700ft. The line and drops are 3yrs old. I snipped off the old taps and put on brand new CV's this year, but due to a miscommunication last season, the taps I took off were non-CV and had been used for 2yrs in a row. Early in the season, it ran great. The first 12hrs it ran, I had over 1gpt. It continued to run well until recently, when it stopped. I don't mean it slowed down, I mean, stopped. I was talking to my father about it and he said "Oh yeah, that line did that last year too". I get pretty busy at the end of the season when youth baseball fires up, so didn't know that happened last year. I did not wash this line after last season.

Saturday afternoon, when I knew the sap was running, I walked the line several times. It was filthy. I could see black sludge in some drop lines, I could see lighter colored sludge in the lateral, and when I pulled a couple taps, I could see yellowish sludge around the ball.

First thing first, yes, I'll be replacing the entire line next year.

For discussion sake, here are a couple thoughts I'd love to hear from the peanut gallery on -

1. Did that line quit from microbial build up, or do I have a plug in a T?
2. If its a plug in a T, which is my assumption, how do you figure out what T its in? I pulled a few apart, and they had the lighter colored sludge built up in them, but they weren't blocked. Should I have pulled them all apart to find it or is there a good method to use? I could see good bubbles, moving very slowly in a couple spots after I fiddled around with the line. But when I went back Sunday morning, there wasn't anything in the tank.
3. I tapped the line myself, and I am fairly confident the drops did NOT have the black sludge in them when I started. Did I miss it, or can it actually build that fast? I've never seen it develop that quickly, but we've always used 5/16 until about 3yrs ago.
4. I was using a bit that was new this season, and probably only had 400 taps on it.

[GeneralStark]

I have seen 3/16 lines plug from slime growth towards the end of the season. Sometimes at Ts and sometimes between trees. If you pull the drop off the CV2 spout and the spout is dripping, then the tubing is plugged.

The black slime grows every year and does build up in tubing. 5/16" will generally handle it better that 3/16. An major challenge with 3/16 IMO and a good reason to rinse the tubing at the end of the season if you can.

[mol1jb]

I have had some clogs this season on 3/16. It is our second season on 3/16 and I have found that T and union fittings are the most problematic for plugs. I have found the biggest culprit that starts a plug is wood shavings from not getting a tap hole cleaned out enough before setting the tap. Not just the wood shavings themselves but they provide a good surface for things to start growing and eventually plug up the fittings.

I also feel that with 3/16 T's having plugging issues after multiple years of use it is advantageous to replace drop lines including the T's every season. The cost is more expensive but research has shown that is it well worth the cost.

Also as 3/16 is further researched there may be new revisions as to max amount of taps per line. If sap flow is restricted in 3/16 fittings due to buildup over a few years then we may be better off putting less taps per line to combat sap restriction per 3/16 line.

Myself personally will be revamping my 3/16 lines in the off season to reduce the amount of taps per run to reduce loss due to squirrel damage which is heavy in my woods. The 2018 season my 3/16 lines ran around 25 taps per line. I will be reducing each line by 50% (average 12 taps per line) as well as some other measures to reduce my losses from squirrel damage.

[wishlist]

This is my 4th year with 3/16 on some roadsides, all taken down at end of season . First and second year I was pleased with the results .
This year it was terrible , plugs ! Last year I replaced most of the drops because the single barb fittings pull apart . Needless to say my helper ( father in law) convinced me to rip it out. Don’t have time to constantly drive and check to see if it plugged again .

[mol1jb]

This is my 4th year with 3/16 on some roadsides, all taken down at end of season . First and second year I was pleased with the results .
This year it was terrible , plugs ! Last year I replaced most of the drops because the single barb fittings pull apart . Needless to say my helper ( father in law) convinced me to rip it out. Don’t have time to constantly drive and check to see if it plugged again .

How many taps were you running per line?

[Ivyacres]

This is my 3rd year on 3/16 and I couldn't be happier. Last year half of mine was 5/16 and they ran half as good as the 3/16. Changed all to 3,/16 with 5/16 drops as research showed this setup seemed to have less line sap get sucked back into the tree and cause contamination. I have 60-70 feet of drop and ran this setup six weeks without any gunk forming. I would have kept it going but my processors high vac woods all shut down, so he quit boiling. 284 taps and 7860 gallons of sap. I think that's over 28 gallons per tap. I am very meticulous when drilling to make sure the holes are clean before putting the tap in and my stuff all comes down at the end of the season. I don't use any chemicals to clean, only boiling hot water pumped through the lines and then blown out with air and left to dry in my woodburner room. New taps each year as is best practice, 5 of my runs are 1000 ft with 31 taps each. I think that was too many and will cut them to 24-26, seemed like sap backed up a little in those lines. I've never had any lines pop off and I use CDL.

[peteinvermont]

Any strategies on locating a plugged T? I'm thinking if its late in the season, I can check each one in a run, since I try to keep it 20 taps to a lateral, and that wouldn't take me long.

But if its early in the season, pulling them ALL apart looking for a plug is begging for a vacuum leak. In this particular situation, there is ZERO sap running into my tank, so the plug must be at the bottom of the run. But I pulled them apart, and didn't see a thing.

[Cedar Eater]

I have found that once the lines get fairly full of sap upstream of a blockage, it builds up enough pressure that I can usually clear the blockage by rapping hard on the tee with a small metal object such as a pocket knife or pair of pliers. I can then see the blockage blow through the tee, usually in multiple chunks which sometimes pass easily through the next tees and on down to the collection point. Drill shavings are more likely to get hung up at subsequent tees than black gunk, but if I am there to rap on them, they don't plug.

[doop]

Wishlist, what kind of tubing were you running that was popping off fittings? I have been having terrible luck with that as well. The tubing is coming off my ts constantly. I've got lapierre tubing and fittings.

[wishlist]

How many taps were you running per line?
26 is the most I have on a run . I’m not in hilly country by no means , I did have 17” of vacuum at the top tap but of course less on the way down . Since this is takedown tubing , 3/16 is much easier to roll up but when it plugs it’s nothing but fustraiting .
I also run 700 taps on high vacuum on flat , flat land . No 3/16 in the those bushes !

[wishlist]

Wishlist, what kind of tubing were you running that was popping off fittings? I have been having terrible luck with that as well. The tubing is coming off my ts constantly. I've got lapierre tubing and fittings.
DnG and Leader . I believe those single barb T’s are DnG . I have replaced those with 2 barb CDL and have not had one come apart .

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

first year with 3/16, we average 25 to 30 taps a lateral. the most we have is 39 on one, and sap goes so fast you cant keep your eyes on the bubbles.last week we did 150 gal on 139 taps.

our drop is probably 40 ft and our runs are a good 500 ft long

[drewlamb]

Any strategies on locating a plugged T? I'm thinking if its late in the season, I can check each one in a run, since I try to keep it 20 taps to a lateral, and that wouldn't take me long.

But if its early in the season, pulling them ALL apart looking for a plug is begging for a vacuum leak. In this particular situation, there is ZERO sap running into my tank, so the plug must be at the bottom of the run. But I pulled them apart, and didn't see a thing.

All my lines are 3/16 and run the gamut of length and tap #. Think I have as many as 40 on a long line, but generally around 20/line. The oldest laterals are on their 5th year and the oldest drops are 3 yrs old. About half the drops are new this year and I replace any drop that's been used 3 seasons. In the winter before tapping time, all lines are checked and repaired. Any section that held sap over the summer and gets mildewy gets replaced. Those sections are always where lateral runs are pretty flat and the sap doesn't drain well after spouts are pulled. I do not clean or flush my lines and as long as they're dry, I do not have problems with lines getting gunky.

Line plugs are gonna happen, and not just with old lines and fittings. I've fixed several plugs this season on brand new, never been tapped woods. I don't have much experience with 5/16 but suspect 3/16 clogs are far more common. Finding plugs is pretty simple. When the sap is running, start at the bottom of a run where you suspect a plug and pull the lowest spout. If sap pours out, there is no plug upstream of that point. If sap doesn't come out, head up-line, skipping a few spouts and check again. You'll quickly be able to narrow in on the clogged T or connector, then replace. Last weekend I found about 10 partially or totally clogged spots that blocked between 150-200 taps. What a great feeling to open that clog up and see sap rush through again.