How best to sanitize drill bit, spiles, and (possibly) taphole?

[stimyg]

I've read older posts on this subject, but what's the latest thinking on the best way to sanitize the drill bit, spiles, and - if advised - the taphole?

My best guess plan is to sanitize spiles at home with hydrogen peroxide, then carry them with me in a clean ziploc. Bring some peroxide to sanitize the drill bit between taps. And to skip sanitizing the taphole.

Last year I had my taps slow production too quickly, and if contamination was a cause I'd like to try to eliminate it this year.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[Pdiamond]

Are you using stainless steel taps? all you have to do is boil those at the end of the season and put them in a baggie until next spring. the tapping bit doesn't need anything done to it nor do you need to clean out the tap holes. I will say there may be an exception on the hole if you are not using a tapping bit and shavings are in the hole, use a small stick from the ground to clean the shavings out or a small piece of wire. No matter what you will contaminate the hole.

[stimyg]

All plastic taps. Half are bucket spouts, the other half are zap bac

I've never done any sanitizing of the drill bit before. But after least year, wondering if there's anything more I can do...

[ecolbeck]

I suggest bleaching and rinsing plastic spiles. Or you could just replace them like the pros do.

[ir3333]

don't lose too much sleep over it.. a bit of water and bleach at seasons' end as suggested.Your going
to boil your sap for hours and hours.

[ecolbeck]

don't lose too much sleep over it.. a bit of water and bleach at seasons' end as suggested.Your going
to boil your sap for hours and hours.

True, but the OP is concerned about tap hole sanitation, not syrup sanitation

[DrTimPerkins]

don't lose too much sleep over it.. a bit of water and bleach at seasons' end as suggested.

Just do NOT soak your metal spouts in bleach solution (a strong oxidizer) for a long period of time, or you risk them ending up a rusted pile of fused metal in the bottom of the bucket. Yes...I've seen it several times before.

[DrTimPerkins]

True, but the OP is concerned about tap hole sanitation...

Some sanitary strategy for use of spouts/drops is recommended...sanitizing tapholes is NOT.

[ecolbeck]

Some sanitary strategy for use of spouts/drops is recommended...sanitizing tapholes is NOT.

Oops. That’s was my intended meaning.

[stimyg]

These are all new spiles, if that helps answer the question.

So, ok, do nothing to the tap hole itself. What do people think of peroxide as a sanitizing agent? My thought is that would leave the least residue. And, is it helpful to sanitize the drill bit between trees or no?

[DrTimPerkins]

If the spouts are now, they don't need to be sanitized. The drill bit is not typically sanitized between holes, unless you hit rotted wood. What is your tubing, how long has it been in place, and how have you cleaned it in the past?

In a moderate-large scale setting, hydrogen peroxide is one of the more costly and least effective approaches to sanitizing tubing/spouts. A dilute bleach solution is among the best, although it can attract squirrels. In the case of any sanitizing chemical, a 5-10 min contact time is required, and most require a follow up rinse.

[stimyg]

I'm tiny scale - 50 taps - so expense of peroxide isn't an issue. But if it's less effective, then that answers that. However, I'm mostly on buckets, and just some short tubes to larger buckets, all the tubes are new, so it sounds like sanitizing isn't really something I need to worry about...? At the end of the season I do clean and sanitize everything for storage, using hot water and scrubbing and finish with star san.

Thanks for the input!

[maple flats]

If using plastic taps of any design, just use new taps, don't bother sanitizing them. For the drill bit, use an official tapping bit. Then I boil them in potable water after the tapping is done, let them dry completely then seal them in a zip lock bag. Save them for next year. At 50 taps, you should be good to use that bit at that rate for several years, normally a tapping bit will be good for 2000-2500 holes. Don't use it for any other use, use a regular hardware store bit for other uses.

[Pdiamond]

Boy did I learn that the hard way Dr. Tim. when I first started out and someone gave me a whole lot of 7/16 old spiles I thought I would try to clean some of them, glad I only did a few, what a mess.

[stimyg]

Got it, thanks!