Washing Tubing

[Sweber]

I am stumped. I use my little Honda (40 gpm)pump to pump H2O through my lines and this works great. Until now. Now I have a new sugarbush with 215 taps going up a sharp slope and can't generate enogh pressure to blow out the tubing. I get pressure just fine near the main line but go 3 or so taps up frome that and no pressure. I can't easily start from the top of the line so I am forced to start at the bottom. The rise may be 70 feet or so from bottom to top. Any ideas?
sweber

[colt454]

you need to add compressed air to get the water to the top

[mountainvan]

If there's not water coming out of the springs above my bushes, when I lay out the tubing I always find a spring at the top before I go too high, I carry a 50gal. rubbermaid container up as high as the water goes and fill it with my pump down low. Make sure to put a shut-off valve on the mainline below the unwashed tubing/ above the washed tubing, or the head pressure from the water up high will blow apart fitting down low, then it's up and down the hill like Jack and Jill. Good luck.

[Sweber]

I guessed people might suggest the compressed air. Short of shelling out ANOTHER $200+, how do I get compressed air into the system? I have a portable compressor but hey, I'm out in the woods farrrrrr from an outlet. And no generator for power.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Hey you could do what some of the big guys do and dont wash your lines just tap the next year and let it run on the ground till all the snot runs out. Hear tell a guy that is so lazy that he leaves his taps in all year and pull and taps the same spring

[jrthe3]

i use a gas powered pressure washer it is 2200 psi i fill my gathering tank full of the water bleach mix the tank is in the back of my truck i hook a hose to the tank set my pressure washer on the ground take the wand off and hook the line to main line and start it up the water feeds the washer with no prob. one off my main line is over 1000 feet long and from highest tap to collection tank is around 150 feet and it will spray water out the last tap

[Sweber]

jrthe3, what kind of fitting do you use to hook up the pressure washer to your mainline? What size is your mainline tubing? Since I already have the pressure washer this may work!

[mountainvan]

Watch putting bleach through a pressure washer. It has the potential to damage the gaskets. I killed one that way.

[jrthe3]

i use one gallon of bleach to 300 galons of water but i my not now after reading that i have 1/2 and 3/4 inch main line i use a plasic fitting that clamps in the end of my main lines that is 1/2 pipe threads on the other end then built a addaptor that goes from my pressure washer hose wich i think is a # 6 jic fitting i tread it onto my main line first then hook the hose to it work great this is the forth year with this set up with no prob the pressure washer is alot cheeper then a tubing washer and can be used year round for all kinda of stuff

[Justin Turco]

Danno put a link to a picture of the device he uses to introduce air into the water for tubing cleaning. check it out in the thread titled tubing washer rental. His post was dated 4/708 @ 8:13 pm. would a good inverter run your compressor? How big of a compressor is needed to wash tubing? Would a "pancake" compressor work or are they too small?

[maple flats]

I use a little 2 HP twin tank compressor. BUT if I have leaks I can not get a lot of lift. I do spend time fixing leaks that I did not know were there on my gravity system. I started thinking last week that I may start using a diff type of fitting to go into the mainline. Now i use one called a record multi fitting which has a built in clamp that worked OK for gravity but not when I add pressure to get to the top with my water, peroxide, air mixture. I think I may go to the saddle type that uses ss clamps and each fitting gives you 2 connections for 5/16" lines in. Has anyone had experience with this type fitting, good or bad. I am adding another 400-500 taps this year on gravity but will design for vac and add vac next year if I get an RO to keep up.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Sweber]

I like this idea of the pressure washer. What is a "#6 jic" fitting? Any chance you could send me a picture of what you have?? Send a pm with a picture.
Thanks

[maple flats]

I used a hole cutter (not sure of make) sold by dealer, has a tapered cutter, center pin and I twist it while pushing and after the hole is in I pull the punch out and pull it longer to eject the cutout piece. Then I install the multi fitting align the built in clamp so the teeth are getting full grip and squeeze with channel lock pliers. The ones that leaked are new but I had left a tooth or 2 worth of additional tightening and thoes were the ones that leaked. I had to go back and tighten them so there was no more overlap available and a few still leaked but most quit.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Haynes Forest Products]

I have some of the quick saddles in my main line and with Vacuum they started to give me trouble. They were designed for pressure and not vacuum so Ill be replacing them. Thats what happens when you start getting fancy with the sprinkler parts. But I do love my stainless fitting crimps. Anyone want to buy some used screw clamps?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Haynes Forest Products]

Governor
Did you put it all on red and let it ride??????

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[maplecrest]

you have two things you can do shim the saddles by putting a small piece of 5/16 tubing cut in half between the ratchet and main line or cut off some of the ratchet to tighten down to stop the leaks. new black plastic pipe is smaller in outside diameter and needs to be shimmed

[maple flats]

I think maybe maplecrest has the answer. Where mine leak was new black 3/4" pipe this year and they have been tightened as far as possible (ran out of room) I may try cutting off a few teeth to give more room to tighten or might add a shim on the opposite side as the fitting inserts into the line. I will experiment, a simple thing like this will not defeat me.

[Brian Ryther]

The black main line that maple suppliers sell vs the black 100 psi that you can get from the plumbing store, are they the same?

[royalmaple]

The black mainline you get from the dealers has some magic in it, that is why it costs 2x as much as you can get it anywhere else.

I have opted for the non magical tubing, and so far it seems to be working fine.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

the non magic works for me also

RICH

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[brookledge]

I have always carried a tube of silicone with me when putting in my manifolds and give it a squirt around it before clicking the straps. I use channel locks and keep clicking it until I get the silicone to squeeze out and have never had any leak and I been using them for about 10 years.
Keith

[mapleack]

Cut a piece of 3/4 mainline a couple inches long, then slit it lengthways into 3 pieces, use these as shims on the underside to make the fitting clamp down tighter.

[sapman]

What's everyone's opinion on the blue mainline? I assume most don't think it's worth the extra cost. But has anyone had any side by side to compare? I do like the way it seems a little "softer" to unroll and perhaps has less memory.

Thanks,
Tim

[ennismaple]

What's everyone's opinion on the blue mainline? I assume most don't think it's worth the extra cost. But has anyone had any side by side to compare? I do like the way it seems a little "softer" to unroll and perhaps has less memory.

Thanks,
Tim

We've put up the better part of a mile of it over the past few years and I prefer it. Easier to work with and doesn't attract as much heat from the sun as the black.