how deep to drill for tapping

[homefarm]

how deep do you drill for installing taps......also i herd that you drill above were the roots come up what do you think?

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

I usually drill about 1 and 1/2" deep into the wood. Remember that the bark is of differing thicknesses and you need to take that into account. As long as you drill into healthy wood, it makes no difference where you drill. There is no more sap flowing above a big root (or below a big branch) than any where else on the trunk.

[mtnmeadowmplfarm]

I take a piece of 5/16 tubing and slide it over the drill bit so only 1 1/2" of the bit is protruding. Avoid drilling through large, thick flakes of bark and there is no need to adjust for bark thickness. I read that 90% of sap flow occurs in the outer 2" of the xylem, and 1 1/2" tap depth is recommended to maintain tree health.