Sap Meister stainless steel spouts

[Jal-Bear]

Is anyone using or have tried the Sap Meister stainless steel spouts for buckets? I hang around 150 buckets with the flat/hinge type lids and I see on their site that they have spouts specifically for these style lids. I have been using the 5/16 plastic blue spouts and replacing them every year would be costly over time. I like the idea that with the stainless at the end of the season they can be properly cleaned and sanitized and used year after year.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Haven't used them, but I am going to place my order next week. Planning on sterilizing them with a pressure cooker at the end of next season because of the very high temps. Some of the research I read showed that polished stainless steel decreases the adhesion of biofilms. The biofilms contain bacteria and other microbes that can cause premature tap "drying" especially in subsequent seasons if proper cleaning is not done. At least this is my understanding. I'd love to compare notes after the next season if you go with these.

[sugarsand]

What is the price for the hinged bucket spout? We need new spouts and these look like they would work great.

Sugarsand

[Biz]

Just received some of these, paid 2.47 apiece from Nate at Devon Lane (in Mass), they are stainless 5/16 with hook, and tube welded on top for hinged cover. Quality looks great, and they should last forever. Or until the tube weld breaks trying to remove it I test fit in a 5/16 hole and it''s a much better fit than the plastic 5/16 spouts were. Nate can ship UPS, mine arrived the next day. I had a lot of problems with the 5/16 plastic spouts falling out so I'm switching to the stainless.

Dave

[Jal-Bear]

Thats good to hear. Thanks for the info!

[WI Sugarpop]

Is anyone using or have tried the Sap Meister stainless steel spouts for buckets? I hang around 150 buckets with the flat/hinge type lids and I see on their site that they have spouts specifically for these style lids. I have been using the 5/16 plastic blue spouts and replacing them every year would be costly over time. I like the idea that with the stainless at the end of the season they can be properly cleaned and sanitized and used year after year.

We tried 5 of these spouts with sap sack holders for the 2014 season and we liked them so we replaced all of our 7/16 aluminum spouts for this season. We paid $1.60 each from Andersons Maples Syrup.

[maple marc]

Tested them last year with plastic buckets. Shifted over to them completely this year. I think they are the best spouts for plastic buckets. Competing brand cast aluminum tap with "shark fin" on top cuts into wall of plastic bucket. Sap Meister has a nice "washer" holding the bucket on--doesn't cut. Sap Meister also has inside diameter significantly larger than other taps--better flow, less chance of debris blockage. Tip I received last year from member here was to cut round hole in bucket for tap (3/4" works), then at the top of the hole cut a "key hole" slot where the tap barrel fits (3/8"). This allows the washer hook to hold the bucket on securely so it is less prone to wind removal. Stainless steel will not corrode like aluminum. They can even be cleaned with vinegar or acid--also boiled, of course. Bottom line: 5 stars.
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2/24/2016 Please note: after more experience with these spouts I am revising my rating of these spouts downward. They have many good attributes but one fatal flaw: they develop a back flow and the sap flows toward the tree and onto the ground. This happens because the drip edge on the end is not effective. Even with a standard angle on the spout it can back drip. This usually occurs when there is high humidity and a cold spout can cause condensation to form. Eventually the drips will run uphill toward the tree and out of the bucket. I tried several fixes including o-rings and polishing. The only fix that really works is to attach a plastic wire tie around the barrel of the spout at the drip edge. It can be trimmed quite short. This will cause the drips to follow the wire tie and fall into the bucket.

I also am wondering if these spouts collect as much sap as the old cast aluminum spouts with less contact inside the hole bored into the tree. These Sap Meister spouts have little taper on them, making more contact with the tree tissue. Is it possible this could interfere with sap flow into the hole? I would have to do a scientific study, but it seems I might not be collecting as much sap now as I did with the old aluminum spouts. Any other users out there with ideas?

Bottom line: you can make them work, but why should have have to retrofit them with a wire tie? New rating: 3 stars.

[maple marc]

Anyone using Sap Meister spouts this year? I'm curious about your experience with them.

Marc

[Michael Greer]

I invested in 100 Sapmeister spouts with the bucket hook. They are so much nicer than my old 7/16 spouts that I'll probably buy 400 more before next year. The very slight taper makes the spout super easy to set. I have had no leaks at all with these spouts, no pull outs, and no buckets blown off. The simple design, and perfect material gives me a spout that will last forever.That pleases me. Throwing all that plastic away is a crime.
I have had one small problem. On trees that have a strong taper, or lean away from the tap location, the bucket pulls the hook forward just enough to cause the falling drop to strike the tip of the hook. This drop then follows the shape of the hook and falls outside the bucket. This only happened on a dozen trees and it was easy to remedy by pushing a short piece of tubing onto the tap. I suggested to the company that the spout needed to be about 1/4" longer, and got a quick and friendly response. I hope these guys are here to stay.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

2/24/2016 Please note: after more experience with these spouts I am revising my rating of these spouts downward. They have many good attributes but one fatal flaw: they develop a back flow and the sap flows toward the tree and onto the ground. This happens because the drip edge on the end is not effective. Even with a standard angle on the spout it can back drip. This usually occurs when there is high humidity and a cold spout can cause condensation to form. Eventually the drips will run uphill toward the tree and out of the bucket. I tried several fixes including o-rings and polishing. The only fix that really works is to attach a plastic wire tie around the barrel of the spout at the drip edge. It can be trimmed quite short. This will cause the drips to follow the wire tie and fall into the bucket.

I also am wondering if these spouts collect as much sap as the old cast aluminum spouts with less contact inside the hole bored into the tree. These Sap Meister spouts have little taper on them, making more contact with the tree tissue. Is it possible this could interfere with sap flow into the hole? I would have to do a scientific study, but it seems I might not be collecting as much sap now as I did with the old aluminum spouts. Any other users out there with ideas?

Bottom line: you can make them work, but why should have have to retrofit them with a wire tie? New rating: 3 stars.

I agree with your review. The first year with these I had a terrible time with back flow and with sap drops hitting the bucket hook and then it followed the path of the hook, promptly dropping to the ground. The sap loss was significant. If you have buckets that have a large enough hole to hang them behind the flange/washer fitting, then they work great. The zip-tie solution works great too but you have to make sure the tie is back in the bucket when you re-hang it. Sometimes people helping me wouldn't know to do that. Overall, I would not buy anymore of these spouts. The design needs some work for the metal bucket application.

This year I bought 40 of the aluminum shark fin taps and I really like them. No issues. I think the sap-meister taps are great for sacks but I don't use sacks. Another option to try is the SS spouts available at Next Gen Maple. They are $3 each but have a better spout design. They are the only ones I found that have the benefit of SS and the simplicity of the shark fin style. I may try them in 2017.