Washing tubing

[mountainvan]

My springs are dry this year so I have to pump water 1/2+ mile long and 1,000ft+ elevation change. Would one of the tubing washers, water pump with compressor, get the wash water all the way to the top?

[tuckermtn]

I think the elevation change is the killer- can you put the vac on and do it tap by tap?

how big a pump and compressor do you have available? I made my own manifold for running a pump and compressor together- works well- but I have only 1500 ft of mainline and only 100-150 ft of elevation gain.



If it were me I would think about waiting till the springs are running again and do your wash then...

[WF MASON]

I know one guy from Vermont who runs 4000 taps ,says he'd tryed every way of washing possible, now he sucks it dry with the vacum and calls it good. Next seasons first runs will go on the ground to clean them.

[dano2840]

martin von trapp right here in town has 1800 taps that go an easy mile up into the woods from where he pointed to up on the hill from where we were at his tank hes got an easy 1000 ft of verticle he has a like 8hp honda pump and a 60 gallon compressor and it just gets it to the top and he uses that tubing washer pump to so i think if you did the same it would work,
did you have springs at the top of your bush?
how did you get the water from them? pumped it from the spring into the line?

[caseyssugarshack93]

I have a 1" honda pump, and was wondering if i could clean my tubing by hooking it to my mainline my longes main is 700ft and not much elevation change, would it work or would i just burn up the pump? last year i used a subpump and it worked on my other bushes but they were longer mains, maybe ill just suck it dry with the vac i dont kno...

[maple flats]

I use my 1" sap pump and a compressor. The mix of air and water (with peroxide) goes a lot higher than just water and the air gives the turbulance needed for good cleaning action. You will now find some leaks at connections that should have been fixed before the season too.

[mountainvan]

Unless I get a gas powered compressor airs out of the question. Guess I'll bring some 50 gal totes up as high as the pumps will go and move the 1" pumps up from there. I know if I don't clean the tubing the animals will chew the heck out of it. Carrying sap from tree to tree and using vacuum is not an option. The mountain is too steep. Some guys have looked at the sugarbush from the valley and thought I'm nuts for tapping on such a steep slope. You work with what you got though.

[caseyssugarshack93]

I hurd of people keeping there vac system on and start to go pull taps to get all the sap out of the lines and suck the line dry , im sure its not the best thing but better than leaving sap in the lines? i dont know im still trying to figure out a way to get mine i was thinking of a genorator and a small air compressor and my 1inch pump and making a manifold, and go that way since i wont get that good of cleaning if i just pump water without air

[PerryW]

I use a 3 gallon sprayer with a hand pump and put it in a backpack and just pull each tap and give each tap a good squirt of just water. I have a spring about 3/4 of the way up my hill that I refill the sprayer with water. I leave the highest tap on each lateral unplugged so the laterals will drain by gravity.

One the natural vacuum starts sucking you can adjust the flow of the nozzle to introduce air bubbles into the lines which help dislodge the junk in the lines.

I can do my 650 tap bush in about 10 hours.

[sapman]

I like the "run the vacuum while pulling and leave on for several hours" option.

Tim

[mountainvan]

My three pump setup worked well today, until the middle pump ran out of gas. I did get the cleaning water to the top of tubing in my bush up the road. Still have to get my big bush though. I think I may start looking for a cheap gas powered compressor for next year.