mainline cleanout

[homefarm]

Does anyone add a ball valve at the end the mainline for clean out? gonna run some new mainline this week and gonna try this.....Chris.....

[brookledge]

I have ball valves on the ends of some of my mains and before I begin taping I pump water from the ends to the releaser with the vac on. It helps flush the mains out even though I clean them after I pull the taps
Keith

[Haynes Forest Products]

Brookledge Not to be a nit picker For the people that get confussed like I did when I started. Sucking liquid into the system using vacuum to clean the lines is not the same as PUMPING it. If all you want cleaned is the mainline the answer is yes that will work but for the entire system you want to Pump cleaner out to all areas OR suck liquid thru all the latterals thru the taps a lot of labor and carring of buckets

[brookledge]

I have some of my mainlines that are about 2500 ft long that are easy to pump water in at the ends. So I pump water down hill plus run the vacuum.
I do it to only flush the mains prior to tapping. As I said I clean my lines in the spring after pulling the taps but since it is so easy for me to do it I do it.
Keith

[jason grossman]

I install ball valves on all of the ends of mains in every installation i do!. I believe it is the only way to go.

[Amber Gold]

I install ball valves at both ends. They're handy for checking vacuum and for cleaning. I pump water/compressed air through my vacuum line, to where my releaser is, and then back up my mainline/laterals. It's not the most direct way, but I can do everything from the sugarhouse.

[ennismaple]

We used to put in insert plugs at the ends of our mainlines but when we removed them to suck water through at the end of each season they would start to leak after a few years. The ball valves solve this problem - bring along a short piece of mainline, a thread to insert adapter, open the valve and suck water through to clean it. We suck 10 gallons of hot water through each section of mainline and they come good and clean.

[danno]

We put a ball valve in followed by banjo quick disconnect fittings about two feet from the releaser - they are sweet!

http://www.banjocorp.com/products/selcat.asp?ProdCatId=003&MainCat=3

Use the ball valve to check vacuum and also to stop sap flow for a few minutes if you need to make releaser adjustments. With the banjo fitting it's real EZ to disconnect the mainline from releaser and connect a water hose for mainline cleaning.

[homefarm]

thanks for all the replies im gonna use the ball valves.....Chris......

[Amber Gold]

Those are called camlock fittings and Grainger and McMaster Carr carries them. I use them a lot.

For my mainline/releaser connection, I use a PVC ball valve that has unions on both ends. They work great and allow things to be easily disconnected/reconnected.