buckets flowing well, tubing not

[markct]

i have 300 taps roughly, all on tubing, well none have flowed well, only got anywheres near a gallon a day from them about 2 times this season. and lately they been even worst, off 300 taps i been lucky to get 50 gal maybe 75 somedays, on days that is seemed like it should run. a few days ago i decided just for the heck of it i would take out my 5 buckets that were in the corner of the sugarhouse and 5 health spouts and tap some trees that were where i hadnt run tubing since it woulda had to cross the driveway, well off these taps on a few days it ran they averaged about a half gallon per tap, on the same days my line with 150 taps had about 35 gallons in the tank, so about less than a quart each tap, is there something wrong with my gravity tubing system, i went all over it looking for a restriction and everywheres that i pull a tap out there was no restriction the sap sucked right away and ya could usualy feel a slight vacum for a second if ya put your finger over the tap so it apears it all flowing. is it just that my buckets have fresh tap holes as opposed to the tubing which was tapped middle of feb? would driling the holes a little deeper help to refreshen them? its been a bad year it seems here for me

[Dill]

I got the same thing here saturday and today. The buckets ran well and the tubing didn't.

[The Maple Men]

same here buckets ran a gallon per tap lines ran 1/4 if that per tap.toady is 3 weeks on the lines and just under 2 on the buckets? what is going on. am i just getting to anxious. i did walk the lines today and pulled a few taps along the wa to chek things some holes were damp some were dripping about a drip every 2-3 sec and a few were copletly dry temp today was 36 from 9-12 then 38 till 1 then 42 till about 4 when it dropped back to 37 with moderate sun . is there something i should be doing or just wait a little longer?

[markct]

well im a bit relieved its not just something dumb i did aparently! but also puzzled as a few others seem to be as to why this would happen

[PerryW]

I think your taps that you tapped in Mid-Feb have started drying up.

In some years, my gravity tubing will only run 4-5 weeks and then dry up.

You can test the theory by reeming out the holes using the same size bit. You don't have to go any deeper, just hit the bottom of the old hole, then yank the bit out.

[KenWP]

My tubeing is only a week old and it seems to hang up in the line. I am hopeing that when the trees really start to push that they can push the sap down. I have good bucket trees and poor ones. Found a few the last few days that really pour the sap out.

[PerryW]

I'm not sure where you are in Quebec, but only my warmer sap lines have run good here in northern NH so far. Took off the first 7 gallons of syrup today.

Picked up 325 gallons of sap yesterday and 325 gallons today where an average run should be around 500 gallons each day.

My colder tubing has not really started running yet, but I expect thing to pick up in the next few weeks.

We usually make more syrup in April than march anyway.

[KenWP]

Ayer's Cliff is 8 miles north of the Vermont border just north east of Newport.

[TapME]

I had trees in years past that would give a bucket full every day the sap ran. Trees the same size and not 10 feet away would give me a quart. The trees are like people everyone is different even in the same house. Just my opinion.

[NedL]

I'm glad you posted this. This is my first year using tubing and I'm noticing the same thing. I'm hoping it's because the weather has been a little weird, but on days where I'm getting almost 2 gallons from a 7/16 tap into a bucket, I'm getting almost nothing from the tubing.

[Dill]

Ayer's Cliff is 8 miles north of the Vermont border just north east of Newport.

Really? My grandfather lives in Newport and my Aunt and Uncle milk cows in Derby Line. I don't know why but Ayer's Cliff sounds way farther north.

My guess what why the tubing hasn't been running as well for me is that we have had hard freezes down to at least 20 on days it hasn't run well. I'm guessing that it takes a while for the ice to get cleared on the tubing. Yesterday while it hit 40, there was a strong east/sea breeze that kept it feeling chilly.