Need help - tubing system for my sugarbush

[GWebb]

Need some suggestions on what tubing to use for my small sugarbush. Last year I had 14 taps on 3/16" line all merging to a ditchline collection point (7 along a 200' long x 30' drop, 4 from a 40' long x 12' drop and 4 from a 30' long x 8' drop). This worked out pretty good last year, but had to pump sap up a 200 ft hill to get it out of the woods. This year, I want to extend this ditch line collection point to a road about 300 ft away on about a 3 degree downward slope (300' x 15' elevation drop). I am also wanting to tap another 15 trees along the way.

Any recommendations on what tubing to use for the extension: continue with all 3/16" tubing? switch to 5/16" for the 300 ft mainline extension, with 3/16" for the 15 new trees along the 300 ft extension? Any other way? I don't have electric for vacuum so need to rely on elevation drop. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Gwebb

[DaveB]

I'd be concerned about capacity of the 3/16" line to carry sap from the 29 taps. Maybe you could run 2 3/16" lines down the ditch to maintain vacuum in the line?

[VT_K9]

You can extend your lines a bit and then step up to a 3/4" mainline (if you cannot keep it very level look at 1") for a long run in the ditch area. Keep it tight (use wire). Take a moment and look into a shurflo 12v pump or a 12v sap puller. They can run off a battery. Look at a solar panel to charge one or two batteries and maybe carry a spare when you check on the lines. We did something similar, but were in a more secure area and used a 110v sap puller and a Honda EU2000 generator. You'll be surprised at the results a little vacuum can add. The shurflo seems pretty popular and the price for that and a couple swappable batteries may be worth it and then add solar.

Mike