Cleaning tubing Mid Season

[bryan.22]

Does anyone have a method for cleaning tubing Mid-Season?

I had a few lateral lines get scuzzy from the pump not running for a few days while the engine got serviced. The days were warmer ones at the end of January. (I'm located on the West Coast, Canada)

I've Done a complete replacement of most of these lateral lines and will continue for the last couple dirty lines.

I was wondering if there was any other ways to do this without completely changing the tubing.

I didn't want to use bleach water because soon after the tubing became dirty....the weather froze and Ice would block the bleach water/vacuum pump.

Any Suggestions?

[Arctic Fox]

Were the lateral lines that got scuzzy used prior years without cleaning, before the beginning of the season? If so my only suggestion would be to clean the lines prior to the beginning of the season, but that's probably not really the answer you're looking for.

[minehart gap]

I asked a question about mid-season tubing cleaning to Joel Bouton (sorry if I spelled his name incorrect) and his reply was to not do it. You would need to flush the lines completely after cleaning so not to have any off flavor and mid-season no one wants to dump sap on the ground so his advice was not to do it.

[bryan.22]

Were the lateral lines that got scuzzy used prior years without cleaning, before the beginning of the season? If so my only suggestion would be to clean the lines prior to the beginning of the season, but that's probably not really the answer you're looking for.

Its was all brand new tubing, I'm on the west coast, temperatures are more varied and warmer here.

[DrTimPerkins]

I guess the first question is "what is the purpose of cleaning in the mid-season?"

There was some research done in Ontario on mid-season tubing cleaning back in the late-1990s. I think the conclusion was that it was difficult to accomplish and didn't amount to much improvement in sap quality or yield.