Bucket Blowout Syndrome

[maple marc]

My fellow dinosaurs still on buckets:

I'm frustrated by Bucket Blowout Syndrome (BBS). It's not uncommon for the spile to tear through the sidewall of my plastic bucket, spilling a good amount of sap. Bucket quality and age probably factor in. I've tried different spiles. Several years ago I used the cast aluminum "shark fin" spiles that easily tore through the bucket above the hole. I tried inserting a washer between the fin and the bucket wall but that was cumbersome. I'm currently using Sap Meister spiles that have a built-in washer but they tear through also.

Any ideas on how to prevent? I've tried running tubing to a bucket on the ground but that takes time to setup with different lengths of tubing each year.

Thanks for ideas.
Marc

[Pdiamond]

When you say bucket are you referring to 5 gallon buckets?

[maple marc]

Yes, the usual 5 gallon buckets. Some of my trees can fill a 5 gallon bucket in 24 hours during a good run. Bags don't seem like a good fit.

[SeanD]

Age definitely plays a part. UV breaks down the plastic significantly in a few seasons. The plastic gets brittle and will crumble under force. I think you just have to collect more frequently during the big runs. I used the shark fins with mostly 2-gallon buckets with a handful of 5-gallon buckets on the best producing trees. A full 2-gal bucket will weigh around 16 lbs before it overflows. With a 5-gallon bucket, you are looking at 40 lbs. That's a lot of weight for any bucket and spile combo.

[Pdiamond]

Well put Sean, that is what I was going to point out.

[Michael Greer]

Plastic buckets aren't designed to hang by the rim. I have metal sap buckets that have been in continuous use since 1950, and no, they are not lead soldered.

[DrTimPerkins]

Plastic buckets aren't designed to hang by the rim. I have metal sap buckets that have been in continuous use since 1950, and no, they are not lead soldered.

Unfortunately, even if crimped and not lead soldered, if they are 1950s vintage, the galvanizing material contains lead.

Frequent collection of sap will minimize the issue.

[berkshires]

I'm all on buckets, but I would never hang anything bigger than a three-gallon bucket from a tree. For those I use those blue ones with the lids, and they do occasionally fall off or even break the spiles. But it's rare. On most trees I use the five gallon plastic buckets, but I put them on the ground with a drop line through the lid. Put a rock or something on the lid to keep it from blowing off. Works perfectly.

Gabe

[maple marc]

In going down a bucket rabbit hole I have learned that all buckets are not created equal. The wall thickness differs. Better buckets have a wall thickness of 90 mil. That's .090" ie 90 thousandths of an inch. Lower quality buckets have a wall thickness of 70 mil. Shop accordingly. I also find that yellow buckets seem to be more durable than white. Could be UV protection built into the coloring. Check the bottom of the bucket for wall thickness.

[CTguy923]

Unfortunately, even if crimped and not lead soldered, if they are 1950s vintage, the galvanizing material contains lead.

Frequent collection of sap will minimize the issue.

Dr Tim, by frequent is that every day or every other day ??
i have mostly aluminum buckets that i use but i do have quite a few glavanized ones that i havent been using

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr Tim, by frequent is that every day or every other day ??
i have mostly aluminum buckets that i use but i do have quite a few glavanized ones that i havent been using

At least daily.

Lead will accumulate whenever sap (or partially boiled sap) is in contact with materials containing lead. The rate is dependent upon the lead levels in the material, the surface area, and the acidity of the sap. As sap sits in any container, the acidity will go up due to microbial activity. If there is lead in the container, this increases the solubility of the lead in the sap and increases the rate of lead going into solution.

The "fixes" are to:
1. Reduce or eliminate lead in your operation, especially in sap collection and storage containers and in the evaporator (especially the backpan).
2. Reduce the amount of time sap (or sweet in the pan) is in contact with lead-containing equipment.

[argohauler]

Could grommets be installed in the plastic pails? I have pails from 10 liter up to 22 liter. I just drilled a 5/16 hole in the side. I have blue plastic ecospiles, old school wire hooks, and old aluminum hooks. They all tear if you don't get to them in a timely manner. Some are 30 year old holes, still fine. I just move over and drill another hole. My aluminum buckets have grommets

[Pdiamond]

As was mentioned before, plastic pails are really not designed to hang on the tree. They are to heavy when filled with sap and will either break or pull the spile out of the tree. You can use a 5/16 spile and 5/16 piece of tubing and set the pail on the ground with something heavy on the lid to keep it in place. I have done this many times and it works. I just always carry 2 pails with me because I don't want to carry full pails of sap to dump.

[Galena]

I stick with my sharkfin spiles and aluminum pails, which are either 1.5 or 2 gallons. Wouldn't go plastic even if you paid me.

And if anyone wants to sell sharkfins - still in good condition, not too beat up - please let me know!

ETA: I see many hobbyist setups around here with a lidded 5g foodsafe container sitting on the ground and spiles running tubing down into them.

[Pdiamond]

On the mapletrader facebook page there are some for sale, it looks like in the ad there is a bucket or two full of them.

[Galena]

On the mapletrader facebook page there are some for sale, it looks like in the ad there is a bucket or two full of them.


Great, thank you! Always forget about the FB page!