Cleaning Tubing left in Sugarbush

[Tubetamer]

Made 8 gals of dark grade B last night. Sap was very cloudy. Sap that was in storage was UV disinfected. My partner and I decided that was it. The 75 degree day Wednesday killed it. Small buds starting. With all that said now comes time to clean. This being our first year with tubing wahat is the best way to clean tubing which will be left in place. What detergents or bleach or special cleaners? What is the process? Backflush solution and go tap by tap with cleaner and then a rinse for each tap or do you flood the entire system with cleaner and then rinse and then cap each spout. Looking for advice. Thanks guys.

[syrupmaker]

tubetamer.....what i have done is plumbed a presure washer into the lowest line mixed up a solution of hot water and bleach in a 55 gal drum pumped it to the preasure washer and pushed the solution up hill or up slope.as the lines fill,cork of the taps as the water squirts out. when you get to the last one go back down the hill or slope uncork and drain them out.this year i added vacum so i am gonna try just the opposite start at the top and let the vacuum do the work,it all looks good on paper. then when its all drained remove your side pull wire and release your hooks to let the lines droop.



Rick

[syrupmaker]

oops forgot to say that i do a flush with clear water after the bleach. Then let every thing drain and release

[Brian]

I run my gardening hose down and use a tee. Then I made an adaptor on the tee in which I hook on my air compressor. Before I start it up, I go out to the furthest line and pull out the spout so the water will have a place to go so I won"t blow a line anywhere. Then turn on the water and air, LET THE WATER FLOW!! Leaving the last spout down, I then start following the main line to the first tubing line and go to the end, pull that spout then wait for that line to fill with water. Once the line is spitting water and air I go back to the beginning of that line leaving that spout hanging. I then pull the first spout and let the water run until it is clean then hook it to the tee. Then the next, ect. Once I reach the last spout on that line, I hook it to the tee. I keep going like this until I reach the last spout. Or the first spout I pulled. I leave that spout hanging. After I shut the water and air off I pull all the end spouts so the water can drain. The next week I close the end spouts and drain the rest of the drop lines. I also rinse my lines in the fall after I fix them in hopes they will be perfect in the spring.

Brian