Mainline saddles....

[Beans Maple]

I have retightened and changed a few things with some of the mainlines in my sugarbush. The problem now is that some of the saddle inserts are on the bottom of the mains. It's mostly 1" black line and is vacuum. Is this a problem??? Should I plug them and put in new ones?

[maplwrks]

The quick thing to do would be to plug them. This MIGHT get you through the year, but removing them and cutting a connector in the pipe would be a long term fix.

[ennismaple]

Don't cut the mainline and insert a connector. I've got cut-in mainline manifolds throughout our bush (not my idea!) and they reduce the vacuum upstream a lot. Spend a bit of time and figure out how to twist the mainline so they're back on top. Replacing some tie wire will be cheaper than replacing manifolds.

[maplecrest]

i had a tree come down a wipe out a line in return after the tree cutting all the multi fittings were on the bottom. i clamped them tight and never had a problem the last 2 seasons. so i am leaving it alone works fine as it is

[jason grossman]

if you ever have to take out a saddle, the best i have found are the little plastic/rubber dots. that's what they are made for. they go right over the hole then you put on a hose clamp and tighten it down. good as new.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Beans I say leave it. You do know you openend a can of worms. OK lets get going:) 1) What can it hurt to have it up side down as long as the sap enters the mainline. 2) If you planned on running 3/4 mainline but used 1" with insert fitting whats the harm? Other than turbulance in the line. 3) If you dont cut in a connecter how do you guys run branch lines?????

[bison1973]

Jason, what are the plastic/ rubber dots you mentioned? And where do you get them? I've had to remove saddles. What you mentioned sounds like a good fix.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Good quality electrical tape would be a quick fix and should last a while unless you use junk electrical tape.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Dont buy the Plymouth brand from Home Depot. Absolute junk in the cold it unrolls like teflon tape or a YO YO Had a pimpled face kid at returns ask me whats wrong with it seamed OK to him:mad:

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Duct brand at Walmart is about as good as I have found and 57 cents per roll.

[jason grossman]

the "dots" come in a sheet 25 per. it is a round disc about the size of a penny that is about 3/64ths thick then it has thinner edges around it that make it the shape of a square so it sits under the hose clamp just right. i have to get a sheet from the shop to get the name off of it. i can't remember who makes them. there is a hardware store in lac megantic que. i goto everytime i am up that way. the hardwares up there carry more syrup stuff than most dealers in the states!!! not to mention hard to find items like the dots!!

[Z/MAN]

I find 3M brand tape to be the best. I use nothing else on electrical connections.:)

[ennismaple]

3) If you dont cut in a connecter how do you guys run branch lines?????

Stainless steel Y's. They don't constrict the flow and won't break in cold weather like plastic fittings.

The way my granfather and father did things was to cut in a combination tee that would take a screw in star fitting everywhere they wanted to connect a lateral line to the mainline. This meant planning all your laterals out before running the mainline and resulted in many restrictions in the pipe and the laterals being longer than necessary because you'd try to bring a whole area to the same spot. They also used plastic T's when joining mainlines which not only reduced the cross-sectional area but meant the sap had to turn 90° - another flow reduction. I'll be a while getting these past sins ironed out! Hindsight is 20-20, right?