Best brand of spouts?

[dano2840]

i used the lapierre "ecolo" spouts this year because i had good luck with them last year, but they seemed flimsy this year and bent and rounded easily, im not sure i like them for a few other reasons but i was wondering
Which spout company do you guys like and why? ( 5/16 spouts )

[KenWP]

The spouts from D&G seem to be okay. I found they are a lot tougher then they look. You can hang a 2 gallon jug off them no problem. Prefer the pot metal bucket spouts to the rolled sheet metal spouts as they do not rust and are a lot easyier to take a full bucket off of. The rolled aluminium ones are useless as they bend when pounding them in and closes up the hole they lid wire goes through.

[sapman]

Of the three brands of spouts in my woods, I actually like those Lapierre Ecolos the best, I think. They seemed the least flexible, and had the greatest inside diameter, which translated into more "suck", which probably doesn't really mean more sap.

Tim

[Russell Lampron]

For tubing spouts I like the Lapierre stubbies and adapters. They have a nice fit and finish to them.

For buckets I like the Leader 5/16" hookless aluminum spouts. They seem to run much later into the season than all of the 7/16" spouts that I have tried. The people that help with the gathering like them better too.

[Hurdhaven Farm]

I had good luck with the blue plastic 5/16 bucket spouts. They held up well. No wear or damage that I could see. They were new this year so will be interesting to see how they hold up over time, but hopefully I'll be on pipeline long before they wear out!

[JohnsSugarShack]

I've been using the 7/16 hookless soule taps with plastic pails and have had good results with them. But I'm thinking that if I change to a 5/16 that I'll prolong the life of my trees. Originally I was going to just go to the 5/16 soules but am now looking at the IPL Stainless Health Spout compared to the 5/16 plastic health spout, also does anyone use the BME ss taps? I don't plan on using a vacuum system but may use some tubing and 5 gal pails, my trees aren't close together but I have about 75 that I tap. Any suggestions appreciated.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

For tubing, I like the Lapierre 5/16" spouts the best. The inside diamater makes them easier to wash also.

[Groves]

Anyone else chiming in on the stainless health spouts?

Do I have it correct that anything plastic you pretty much need to trash at the end of the season because of the bacteria that you'll not be able to get out?

Is this true for the metal ones, too? Aluminum and stainless?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I bought 25 of the stainless health spouts a few years ago and didn't care for them at all. Guess that is why they are all still l aying in the building. I might give them a try again sometime in same bush as I have plastic taps to compare them. They didn't seal as good as plastic spouts and split the tree worse too. Also, much harder to get out of the tree in the spring. I don't mind paying 5 times as much for them if they lasted forever and worked good, I just wasn't happy with them at all the first time I used them several years ago but will give them another chance maybe next year.

[3rdgen.maple]

Ken you need to get a spout driver for the rolled aluminum ones. It goes right inside the tap and hit that instead of the tap itself. Only cost a few bucks. I yet to find a tap that Iam excited over still experimenting. But I like the soule 5/16 tap just wish they had hooks on them.

[mapleack]

I have 500 of the BME straight stainless spiles and like them alot.

[stoweski]

Do I have it correct that anything plastic you pretty much need to trash at the end of the season because of the bacteria that you'll not be able to get out?

Is this true for the metal ones, too? Aluminum and stainless?


I'd like to know if this is true as well. I'm looking to buy new spouts tomorrow and I'd rather spend the extra $$ on metal than to have to throw away the plastic at the end of a season. What's the life expectancy of the plastic spouts?

Also, seems to me that in a 'natural' business/hobby such as this they would make the spouts out of recyclable plastic. The few that I have seen don't have a number on them. Anyone have spouts with the recycle symbol on them?

Keith

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Keith,
The recycling ag plastics program (RAPP) is now recycling used tubing. The newer stuff at least. You don't have to remove the fittings when you recycle it so I assume the newer spouts and t's are recyclable.

[rob1640]

I think the Lapierre seasonal spouts are recyclable.

[Wanabe1972]

I know this is a little off subject but what is the differance between the 5/16 and 7/16 taps. They say in the leader catalog they have comparible results. This year Im tapping a new bush that has my tanks in the middle. I decided to run one half 5/16 and the other 7/16 because thats what I had left over from the other bush. There will be about 10 extra 5/16 on one side. i didnt really plan on this being an experiment I just did not want to have to change bits every other tree. It will be interesting to see if there is a differance. By the way the 5/16 are from leader and the 7/16 say maple power on them. Ive never had a problem with either but its much more difficult to install line on the leaders big barbs.

Jeff;)

[stoweski]

Hey Wanabe,

Not an answer to your question but I had 7/16" taps that I got rid of and replaced with the 5/16". I liked the idea of the smaller tap size but wanted to see if the reduction in size would mean a reduction in sap collected. As it turns out most of the info I found says that there is no reduction in the amount of sap collected by going with the smaller tap.

I'd be interested in your results after this season... and possibly next season in comparison if you were to use the same taps in the same trees.

Small world, I grew up just north of you in Lake Luzerne. Moved down to Altamont for work. Sure wish I was back up there as I love the mtns and the snow... something that we are lacking down here!

Keith

[KenWP]

I'd like to know if this is true as well. I'm looking to buy new spouts tomorrow and I'd rather spend the extra $$ on metal than to have to throw away the plastic at the end of a season. What's the life expectancy of the plastic spouts?

Also, seems to me that in a 'natural' business/hobby such as this they would make the spouts out of recyclable plastic. The few that I have seen don't have a number on them. Anyone have spouts with the recycle symbol on them?

Keith

I am looking at a stubbie right now and it has a 3 stamped on the side. All it has for a maker is a maple leaf. I would have to say they are PCV most likley.

[DrTimPerkins]

Anyone have spouts with the recycle symbol on them?

Colored spouts are food grade nylon....very recyclable.

Most current 5/16" tubing formulations are some type of polyethylene and therefore is also easy to recycle. If it is very old tubing, it is probably PVC, and thus less desirable for recycling. You should NOT mix the two types of tubing when you bring it for recycling.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I think with gravity, you are probably going to get at least 20% more syrup with 7/16. I have another producer close to me that has high tap counts on laterals, sagging laterals, etc and he always gets significantly more sap than I do and he uses all 7/16" spouts on gravity and I have all my laterals stretched tight, use mainlines which he doesn't and etc and he still gets a lot more sap.

Vacuum, I don't think it will make much of a difference.

[Goggleeye]

I used the BME stainless spouts this year on gravity tubing, and they worked awesome. I can't compare them to 7/16 tubing spouts, but compared to 7/16 traditional ss bucket spouts, I got more sap from the 5/16 BME spouts on tubing. Most of my mature trees produced at least 20 gallons of sap/tap. But then I had ideal weather this year also. But I'm hooked on the BME stainless spouts.