Main line

[VT maple maker]

I have a mainline wire i put up today that is about 8 or 9 hundred feet long. I have to have it pretty long becouse its to wet to get to this bush with the tractor. Its 3/4 inch line. ill have between 50 and 100 taps on it. The grade is slightly sloping but flat in some spots. How much drop should this line have. I cant have it way in the air so anyone who has had sucess with minimal slope please give me some insight.

Thanks,
Kyle

[markcasper]

Kyle, I run a 3/4 inch mainline 650 ft across about a 1-2% slope, some spots it is level. Are you going to have taps coming in along this main, or is it just a transfer main across a wet area?

In my situation, all of the mains that come to the edge of the woods dump into a "stepsaver" via the releaser. The dumping resivior acts as one big relief valve, therefore preventing an airlock. An airlock would happen on such a flat run of line, so there must be some kind of vent on the up end to allow the shallow slope to drain it.

Also note: This is only a transfer line across a field, there are no taps/laterals on this span. This line just lays flat on the ground and must go up 2 feet to clear the stock tank on the end. Theres always sap sitting in this line at the far end prior to the tank, which is bad, but have no other way of doing it as its not my land. It is on the southside of a hill, so freezing is not usually a problem. I have to pull it up from heavy snows that we sometimes get during the season. The quality goes down hill as soon as the snow diappears, thats the downside. I do flush this part 2-3 times after the snow disappears which helps some.

Mark

[brookledge]

As Mark said if you keep atleast some slope on it like1-2% you will be ok especially with only 50-100taps. You can get a site level pretty cheap or if you have acsess to a laser level you can mark the trees with paint and then put the mainline on the marks. A site level works good and is easy to keep in your pocket as you go.
Keith

[steve J]

I have a small main line currently and for various reason it has not worked well. But having read a fair amount here I think I like to run a new line in a different area so that I can shorten some of the runs. I would guess the new line would be about 150 feet not real long. When you use cable and then attach your main line to the cable do you leave this up year round. I am a tad concerned with safety during warmer months when ATV's are ridden etc?

[Dave Y]

VT maple maker, you do not need to go high to get a cross your flat spots. unless 6' is to high. you could start a shoulder height and end knee high. that would give you enough slope to drain the line. just make sure it is tight. and I mean tight. no sags, use a fence tightener to tighten your wire and a come-along or ratchet strap to tighten your main line . you will be glad you did.

Steve J, You can put you main line up so it can be taken down each year But if it is no much more than 150. Why not use tubing? It would be easier to handle.

[steve J]

When you say tubing do you mean using the same tubing that my lateral lines are made of? I thought that would cause to many taps for the tube diameter.

Also couple more questions I have two types of tubeing one sky blue one light blue is one better then the other?

And I am trying some stainless steel taps what do you use to plug the ends during the off season?

[Dave Y]

Yes the same tubing you use for laterals. How many are you planning on putting on this line? Some on here have as many as 30 or 40 taps on 5/16 tubing and claim it runs very well.

[steve J]

Well part of my problem is that the trees that are on lines are all on stepp ledgey knoll behind the cabin. When I originally ran these lines four years ago I ended up with four lines that zig and zag down this knoll to a short Main line that runs to a 65 gallon holding tank. These 4 lines total about 45 taps but one of them might actually be150 to 175 feet in length. I like to rework that line to come more stright down the knoll as well as one of the other lines . It would cross my logging road were I could then have a main line leading back to were I boil. I would guess there would be about 25 taps but I also would have the potential of picking up another 20 to 25 taps that are currently on bucket or are tress that I am not tapping . I am leary of giving up buckets since them seem to greatly our produce my lines. And I thought my line production might be limited by the lengths that i have?

[Dave Y]

Itf that is the case, where you will add more taps then by all means hang 3/4" mainline and run laterals to it. Remember the time you spend collecting is time you are not boiling.