Sap Ladder Height??

[VTFarmer]

I've got a very low section in one corner of the bush that I'd like to add on. Averages about 10' below the releaser. I've been messing around with a small sap ladder in one other spot and I think it'll work well in this case. The only thing I'm unsure of is that it seems like an awful long pull to get it high enough and there are probably 500 taps in that corner of the woods. Will a ladder keep up with all this sap and will it lift it that far on 25 inches? I don't really want to put a booster in down there because it's a long ways off and we just don't have time to go and collect the sap between the dairy, chasing leaks, and boiling...not to mention the cost of running a dry line to it

Thanks in advance!

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

25 inches would lift the sap 20 feet in a single lift without much problem. Lifting 500 taps worth will take about 9 six way stars. Big ladder but it should work.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I lift about 500 taps on 4 six way stars 12ft up and it works great. Thompsons has me thinking I need to double up the amount of stars. My ladders are at the end of the run so that might help me. All the mainlines run down to the ladders and lift from there.

[VTFarmer]

Would the extra stars be to make sure you're still getting vacuum on the upstream side of the ladder? Also, are you using 4 at the bottom and 4 at the top or 4 total?

[mapleack]

Probably alot simpler to use a two pipe lift instead of all those stars. Ask Ennismaple how many taps he has on his 3/4" two pipe.

[Russell Lampron]

I have about 400 taps on a 1" 2 pipe ladder. I have good vacuum transfer through it and it handles the number of taps well. As a rule of thumb an inch of vacuum will lift a column of sap 1 foot. The height of your lift is the distance between the 2 mainlines. Mine is a nine foot lift even though the upper mainline is 14' off of the ground.

The size of a star ladder is determined by figuring 10 taps per 5/16" line. If you use 6 way stars that would be 60 taps per pair of stars, upper and lower. Most producers use 50 as the number of taps per pair of 6 way stars. For 500 taps you need 10 pairs of 6 way stars.

The 2 pipe ladder is much easier to build and will handle the capacity of the mainline. I have a 1" mainline coming into the ladder, 2 1" pipes as the ladder and a 1" mainline at the top of the ladder going to the releaser.

[VTFarmer]

How does a 2 pipe lift work? I've just been testing out a small "star" type one. Also, I've had to introduce a tiny amount of air into the small one I've been messing with to get it to work. Is this a common practice with these?

[Gary R]

Check out this research.

http://www.ontariomaple.com/index.php?action=display&cat=38&doc=2004_summary_sap_ladder_project-Final_Rep_June_2304.pdf

On the Trader under maple information on the web there are some informational links.

[ennismaple]

My 3/4" 2-pipe ladder has 170 taps and lifts 8'. I haven't put a vacuum gauge on it but you can definitely hear leaks and the sap surges up the pipes quickly.

[markct]

so its hard to tell from that article but it appears that a single pipe sap ladder is just a elbow in the mainline to go straight up, and then an elbow at the top to go back to horizontal for the mainline? same size as the mainline pipe? seems so simple why would anyone play with all the stars or am i missing something. i was planning an 8ft lift with stars for about 60 taps but might go with just the straight pipe if that works too

[Russell Lampron]

I read the article that Gary R posted the link to. That is where I got the idea to build the 2 pipe ladder. It works the same way that the star ladder works. A very small vacuum leak at the bottom keeps the sap climbing. I have 2 of them in my woods and they both work flawlessly. I only lose 2" of vacuum on the end of the mainline that is 1300' away from the ladder and 1900' away from the releaser.

[sapman]

This year I've got 7 two pipers, and several stars also. I use the stars where it only takes 1 or 2 of them. All seemed to work pretty well, though sometimes I have to coax them to get them going. In all I have about 25 ladders going this year (trying to catch Doug!). More next year. A necessary evil.

[Russell Lampron]

Tim which ones do you like better? The 2 pipe or the stars?

[sapman]

I'm still on the fence. They both have pros and cons for me. I did the 2 pipers where I have hundreds of taps to lift. Don't like using up 1-2 rolls of 5/16ths for one ladder. But I also used them for 100 or so. For under 100, I find it easier to just do stars. Getting better at making them all the time.

[green4310]

This is my first year on vac. I installed a two pipe (one inch) ladder to raise 270 taps fifteen feet. It is approx 700 feet from the releaser. I have been amazed at how well it works. It is so nice not to have to carry a pump down in that valley, to retrieve the sap. Next year I plan on using ladders to get all the way to my sugar house, about another 900 feet. Thanks to all on here for your good ideas.
KM.