BME stubby stainless spouts

[tuckermtn]

was passing a tubing set up today down by bascoms and noticed they had the 5/16 short BME stainless spouts in the trees - looked like slightly longer drop to accomidate the different angle going straight into the tree. guess you take them off each season and boil/sanitize the tap then put them back up. how do they hold on vacuum?

Anyone on the trader have expereince with these? Looks like they sell a tool with it as well- do you need the tool also?

for $1.00 each it would take 5 seasons to be cheaper than a plastic tap with 4 sanitary extensions...

[Flat47]

Do you mean Clark's? They use them, too. I talked with David a couple of years ago when they were transitioning to them and he didn't mention a special tool for them. I understood that you could just use pull out/push them in with your hands. They were swapping them at tapping time with clean ones.
They're great people if you ever get to stop in.

[ROBIEZ]

I tried a dozen or so on a short run on gravity.They ran as good or maybe a little better than my stubby spouts and spout extentions. I like the idea of being able to use them every year,by sterilizing them,instead of buying new spout extentions every year. I am switching all my tubing taps to the BME spouts.I did buy the tool to install the spouts,I figured after several year of setting these spouts, the end for the tubing might get beat up.I also bought the new Lapierre tee with tubing plug,that way I can pull the spout at the end of the year and plug the dropline on the tee plug.Also got the new Lapierre dropline ring with tubing plug to retrofit my old tee with spout plugs.These fitting are in the new Bascoms catalog under NEW ITEMS FOR 2009.

[mapleack]

I really like the BME spouts, this is the third season that I've used some of them, I've got about 400 or so in the woods and will be replacing the rest of my plastic with these next year. The driving tool for them works well and probably is a necessity, unless you used a rubber hammer to prevent damaging the tip that the tubing plugs onto. I'm sold on putting sanitary taps into the trees, so it's either spend money on replacable tips every year or buy stainless, boil them each year. I think the stainless should last long enough to be a good investment!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Why don't you post a link to the stainless extensions you are talking about. I am sure I have seen them, but post a link so everyone can see them if you don't mind.

[gearpump]

Does anybody know how these spouts hold up on water and air pressure cleaning at the end of the season? I was going to use the clear Laperrie spouts(same concept) but was afraid of blowing the tubes off.

[maplekid]

here is a pic of them http://www.berkshiremaple.com/images/equipment/spout_inserttool_018.jpg

(A) is a spout (B) is the insert tool

there is also a guy on youtube that uses them and shows how the spout hooks on to it. its about 10 seconds into the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfZtgBHFomo

[ROBIEZ]

Went to Bacsom's this morning to pickup some more supplies,and they only had 85 BME spouts left.I took what they had, and they did not know when they would be getting any more.Now when I was down there about a month ago they had a whole bin full,and now nothing.Sound like these spouts are getting popular.On another subject,most of Bascom's sugarbushes were not tapped yet.

[tuckermtn]

point of clarification- it was my impression that the BME are to be used without a plastic spout...i.e. the drop goes directly onto the stainless spout...in the video he is putting a tap into what looks like a BME spout...

could someone clarify this for me...?

-Eric

[ROBIEZ]

Your drop line goes directly on the BME spout,no plastic spout needed.The BME spout can be sterlized and used again year after year.Plastic spouts should be replaced every year to achieve maximin yield.

[mfchef54]

It seem to me that he was using the BME like you would a disposable insert. I'm not on vaccum so this may be a stupid question, but I thought that you plug in your taps and then turned on the vaccum. The video sounded like the vaccum was on while he was inserting the tap.

[Flat47]

I thought that you plug in your taps and then turned on the vaccum. The video sounded like the vaccum was on while he was inserting the tap.

You're correct - get everything tapped, then turn on the vaccum and head back out to find leaks. I asume the video was a demo.

My experience with the stainless stubbys is very limited, but I was told to eliminate the plastic spout and plumb them right into the tubing. Some people pull the stubbys off right after the season ends and plug the line into the tee at the bottom of the drop. Others don't pull the taps out of the tree until the next season's tapping and then swap out the dirty stubby for a clean one.

[Jim Brown]

We use the 7/16 to 5/16 adapter We take the adapter out at the end of the season and put the 7/16 tap on the stub attached to the tee and leave it in the woods. We then bring the adapters in and wash with a 2% bleach solution,rinse about three times and then let dry throughly under a fan and then package in a sealed contianer until the next year. This has worked for us over the last 3 years. We have not had any experince with the SS adapters a bit pricey for us.

Jim

[dano2840]

Jim- stainless adapters? or plastic? and arent the 7/16 spouts plastic that your using?

[Jim Brown]

We us the plastic D& G adapters and yes the taps are also plastic

Jim