How many taps before wet / dry helps

[Brent]

This year's count on trees on our pipeline keeps going up as I work on it. Now looks like close to 600.

So how many taps do you guys think is the point that a wet / dry system starts to be worth the extra work ?

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Brent,
How big is that mainline? What is the slope? Any areas that may be prone to "slugging"? If it is inch line, I would definitely be looking at the extra air.
Doug

[Russell Lampron]

The best way to tell is to check the vacuum level at the ends of the mainlines during a good run. If it is at or near the vacuum level at the releaser you don't need the dry line. Unfortunately you have to have sap flow to test this way.

[Brent]

The layout will be:
-900 ft straight run to the first releaser that will serve about 200 taps
then fork out
-over a hill about 500 ft. to pick up about 75 taps on the second releaser
-the other fork over a hill about 800 ft to a third releaser.

all the slopes are pretty good with an average of 5 degrees down.

all the mainline is 3/4 and I was planning on 1" vac line

[Ridgeland Farm]

how many taps on that 3rd line? that line with 200 taps is going to be mighty full durring those big runs I would think.

[caseyssugarshack93]

myself i dont think taps really have to do with it, i think its how Deep or how far your woods is, and if you sized your pipe correct, yes how many taps are a factor but i think its how far back your woods is and how much pipe so vac can trasfer, if you woods is real far and your not getting the vac then you would had to add a dry line, just what i think

NATE

[Brian Ryther]

Brent,
I run a similar set up. Three releasers, 2,000' of 1" dry line total to get to the releasers. Everything worked great except..... when a releaser would suck sap it would get stuck in low spots and shut the vac off. Also the air that the vac is sucking is moisture laden. This also might cause pools of moisture in low spots. To remedy this I have re sloped the vac supply line to have two low spots. Each will be serviced by a moisture trap and isolation valves and drain valves. So with a good tight system I had good vac transfer with this set up.