3/4" or 1"

[jmattice]

I am going to install some new tubing piped directly to the sugar house. It will probably be around 200 taps. Will 3/4" handle this ok or should I go to 1".
I'll probably have around 300 taps in this bush eventually. The slope is 20% or greater the whole way. Thanks for any input!
John

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

The recommended number of taps for 3/4" on vaccum is 300 and 600 for 1" lines. If you are not running vaccum and with a 20% slope, you should be able to easily run 500 or 600 on a 3/4" line.

Check with Lowes if you have one close. Down here they sell 3/4" 100psi potable black water line for $ 10.88 for 100'. This is the cheapest I have seen it anywhere!

Brandon

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Kevin,

I am glad someone here besides me thinks you can run more than 5 to 10 taps on 5/16" lateral. A 5/16" running full capacity will move a lot of liquid in an hour. I think some of the people promoting this 5 to 10 taps are getting paid by the tubing companies to sell more tubing. I don't mean anything bad about anyone on this sight as you are only repeating what you hear. I run up to 20 taps on a 5/16" line and always have and I can't see any difference in the amount of sap than if I had split it into two lines of 10 taps. I have ran a lot more than 20 on a line and gotten a ton of sap. I am not recommending it, but it can be done especially if you have a lot of slope as it creates a lot of natural vaccum and the sap will really move fast :? :?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited

[mapleman3]

Kevin sounds like a fun experiment but unfortunately this is my busiest time with kid stuff.. soccer mostly, but maybe at the begining of nov I might play with that, since then I will be getting the Vac and releaser ready to sit through the winter in their pump house. I do believe that the 5/16 could easily handle more, 20" of Vacuum is quite a force..and if you can maintain that throughout your bush, you'll be suckin sap no matter what.

[brookledge]

I have had vacuum on the majority of of my taps for over 20 years. I had 1/2" mainline that was about 600' away at the longest direction. I had some of the lateral 5/16 carrying 20-40 taps on the average with a few that had upwards to 50 on them. I used to get .25 gallons of syrup per tap on the average and thought that was good. Then about 5 years ago the push to have no more than 5-8 taps per lateral line came about. I decided to give it a try and began replacing main line to 3/4" and having about 5 taps per lateral. I did a little over each of the last three years also changing from 7/16 spouts to health spouts. Each year I have seen an increase in production. This past season I got .43 gallons of syrup per tap and by next season should have around 99% of my taps on vacuum and will look to get 1/2 gallon of syrup per tap. When the leader catalog says you can get 1 gallon for every 2 taps they are right. I know that changing everything for me has made a difference. I have almost doubled my production with out adding an more taps.
I know that Vacuum system aren't for everyone though, and if you don't have vacuum having only 5 taps on a lateral and larger mainlines will probably do you no good. If you have vacuum you can take a gauge and go out to the ends of your lines an see if you have atleast 15" of mercury. If you do, don't change anything if you don't, you may want to make improvements.

[mapleman3]

Guess it's time to invest in a vac gauge other than relying on the one at the releaser. I will see how we do this year but still have plans to change next year, could I run a 3/4 out one way to pick up some of the taps ,maybe split up the amount that goes on the 1/2", and leave the 1/2" up untill I change that one also?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Brookledge,

That is great info and interesting hear it from someone on the trader. One thing to consider would be the amount of taps you had on laterals. I run up to 20 taps and this is if I have good slope, but I like to keep it at 15 to 16 or less if possible. I would think that 20 to 40 taps or even more would be a big hindrance on the amount of sap since the trees only exert a certain amount of pressure and vaccuum can only pull so much and with trees running at full blast plus vaccum, there is no way you are getting as much sap as you could with 40 taps on a lateral.

Another thing was that last year seemed to be a better than normal year about everywhere but down south. Everyone I have talked to that has vaccum has the same opinion as you. With vaccum, I do think you would be wise to use 3/4" minimum unless you only had 50 or 60 taps. I would be curious to know if you had gotten as much syrup with 15 taps per lateral line and use 3/4" mainline. :?:

[Brian]

That is What it is all about,alot of sap and not much bacteria.I dont like to have more than 15 taps per lateral line and and no longer than 200 ft total length. I run my main 3/4 lines 150 a part. I run my main lines across the hill and the laterals as streight up and down as possible. The advantage to this is even with vac the lateral lines will make some nat vac. I run old milker pumps that can only handle 17hg because after that the oil that lubes the pump will not take the heat and burn up.Glen Goodrich runs those water cooled vac pumps and they pull 25hg and that is something to see. If I win the lottery I will buy 1 or2.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited