3/16 into 3/4 mainline or straight 3/16?

[Beerclouds]

Ive read 3/16 laterals going into a 3/4 mainline wont produce a vacuum...am i better off going 3/16 from first tap to collection tankon vacuum pump? Mainline has approx 2ft drop over 500ft...

[Beerclouds]

There is going to be approx 200 to 250 taps in total

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

If each 3/16 lateral has approx. 3o ft of fall from lowest tap to the 3/4 inch, you will have max vacuum on all taps. You will gain no additional vacuum once the sap enters the 3/4 inch mainline. Are you using a vacuum pump as well as seeking natural vacuum? Is there a significant amount of fall on each lateral? How far would the taps be from the tank? Your mainline will have less than 1/2% slope if there is only 2 ft of fall in 500 ft. Is there a way to get more fall? Lower the tank? Raise the upper end of the mainline? If your laterals are not much steeper than your mainline will be, you should reconsider using 3/16 tubing.

[Super Sapper]

With so little slope I personally would go with 3/16 all the way to the pump with no more than 30 taps per line. It will be difficult to keep the 3/4 main line from having any dips and that will kill your vacuum from there out. There are other considerations to look at like plugging fittings in later years if you leave it up. I have to take mine down every year and it works best for me to use new stuff each year. The less labor and increased yield more than make up for the extra cost. I started with all gravity into a 3/4 mainline and went to a shurflo pump. Since switching to all 3/16 lines it is much easier and I get a better yield.

[minehart gap]

If I am understanding correctly that you will have a vacuum pump, I believe that you may want to consider starting at your pump with 3/4" mainline at 2% minimum slope (10' rise over the 500' run) to a 8' sap ladder or lifter then bringing your laterals in after that. It would possibly be more beneficial to you to use 5/16" laterals if you can create a situation where you have a maximum of 7 taps per lateral assuming that your woods is the same 0.4% slope as your mainline.

Your post creates a lot of questions. How much slope will your laterals have? How much elevation drop from lowest tap to where laterals connect to mainline?

[Beerclouds]

I have appox. 40 to 50 ft from top tap to bottom tap and where the mainline is situated. My taps are about anywhere from 100 ft to 900ft away from my collection tank.i was told i would have natural vacuum on my laterals but soon as it entered the 3/4 mainline i would lose the vacuum and the 3/4 would basically act as a trough.

[DrTimPerkins]

Assuming you aren't using a vacuum pump, and are relying solely upon natural vacuum:

1. Use 3/16" line from the top of the slope to the bottom where you have your 3/4" mainline. These lines should go pretty much up/down the slope.
2. Try to increase the slope on your mainline to at least 1%. Make sure it is on wire, very tight, NO sags, sloping downhill.

The vacuum at each tap will be proportional to the amount of fall (height or elevation difference) from where each tap is to where it exits into the mainline. So the trees lower down will experience less vacuum than the trees higher on the hill.

If you DO use a vacuum pump hooked to your mainline, the vacuum from the pump is ADDITIVE to the natural vacuum developed in the lateral lines.

In all cases with vacuum, whether natural or pumped, you must keep the system tight (leak-free) for it to operate properly.

Do NOT use 3/16" on ground with less than 2% slope. On flat ground, friction can create backpressure, reducing yield.

Be sure to flush the system with sanitizer (bleach solution or calcium bleach) at the end of the season, then rinse.

More info at: https://mapleresearch.org/pub/m1017asktubingsize/

[Beerclouds]

With the minimal slope i have for my mainlin...would it be an option to install a sap ladder and if so what type of pump would i need and how big...hp wise?