Tap placement

[goose52]

So i guess i've been sugaring for 15 years now if memory serves (and it doesn't so much anymore) and every year i move the new hole over 4-6" and 2-3" lower or higher. well, after all this time, i've pretty much ringed all my trees. so, where is the best place to tap now? thanks.
mark

[MN Jake]

Sapwood should be plenty thick at a 15 year cycle.

[DrTimPerkins]

Go up or down a foot or so and start again.

[Abattoir]

Why do the taps need to be replaced each year? Sanitary reasons? Do they clog up? I was going to reuse mine from last year, but if they won't function properly I'll get an order in for new one's. Thanks in advance.

[goose52]

Thanks for the feedback guys!
Abbattoir- i wash mine at season's end, let them dry really well, store them in a plastic coffee can, and use them again next year.
mark

[Cjadamec]

Why do the taps need to be replaced each year? Sanitary reasons? Do they clog up? I was going to reuse mine from last year, but if they won't function properly I'll get an order in for new one's. Thanks in advance.

It depends on the taps you are using and how many taps you have to deal with.

If you are using metal taps and take the time to clean and sanitize them after each season you can reuse them many many times.

If you are using the cheap plastic taps they are very hard to actually get clean and sanitized to a point where reusing them won't effect your production. Not that it can't be done but doing it on any sort of scale is very time consuming.

Keeping the taps very dry during the off season also helps to reduce the transfer of bacteria from one year to the next.

Typically for the cost of the cheap plastic taps its just much easier and cheaper to replace them yearly to get the best results.