Line Filling Up, then Stopping

[wisnoskij]

I just put out a bunch of buckets. A few of the trees have 2 taps with 5/16 tubing and a T. All of the spiles only and spiles with a few inches of tubing extensions are running. But the lines that are a few feet and with a T fill up and just stop. You can whip the sap out and it just happens over again.

Never used tubing before. Does anyone have any suggestions.

Spiles (https://www.bascommaple.com/item/sphlats/spout_bucket/)

[Bricklayer]

It’s because your watching it. If the tap isn’t leaking and both drops are teed into the line then all that is happening is the line is filling up and maybe being held by a little ice block in the line or tee or possibly you used an end tee by mistake and the sap has nowhere to go. Or a wood chip is blocking it.
Are your drops just going from the tree to a bucket on the ground?

[blissville maples]

So what's happening is the tubing is filling up completely after it exits the spile, which is fine, and creating surface tension which puts a small vacuum between the spile and the bottom of the column of sap. Eventually the tubing will fill completely, at that point everything that comes in from the spile can be see exiting the end of tubing Into your bucket.

You would think the sap and air would separate giving a constant trickle with no sap In the tubing but it won't. When I first started sugaring I thought the thing to do was to make vents near the spile and this made the sap move and made me feel like I was getting more sap however you eliminate any chance of natural vacuum in your tubing by doing this...... I guess now I just realize that the tree will do the work just have to give it enough time and the right conditions

[maple flats]

In my first year I ran exactly that. It worked well. I guess maybe you might have one difference that may not make a difference but maybe. On mine I ran from one spile thru the T straight to the bucket and the second spile tubing flowed in thru the center (the side) of the T. Is that how yours is or do you have it with the T such that the two spiles (taps) enter the T ends and then the drop tube to the bucket is out the center, with the long part of the T level? That might make surface tension affect it, maybe no. At any rate, a tree on a good flow day will build up to and over 30 PSI in the tree, that will break any surface tension that might be an issue.

[wisnoskij]

Thanks for all the replys.

@maple flats: That is exactly what I came to post. I was using the Tees wrong. Flipped them over (like you described) and it started running.