Help setting up gravity line, 50 taps at top of hill.

[DrTimPerkins]

Are you saying that the difference is the drop line coming in the top works better than in the side in regard to sap merge? Would a branch line dropping in the top the same as drop line does, work the same way?

There has not been much research into the whys of why the Y in lateral lines don't work well (hopefully you can follow that ), but it has been observed in both 3/16" and 5/16" systems that the yields are lower. A great deal of industry practice also seems to show that it just doesn't work terribly well. Every now and then somebody crops up who says it can be made to work if you do it some special quasi-magical way.

You could certainly try dropping one side of the branch line into the other side from the top like the way a drop line works if you like, but at that point you are experimenting, and I can't tell you whether it'll work or not. It is probably better to just go with what actually does work, which is to not use Ys in 3/16" or 5/16" lateral lines.

[psparr]

Why Y Why?

[Tornado]

Do the Y's have the same problems if you use them to connect two drop lines together and then T them into the lateral line? The only time we use them is with a large tree with two taps, we come from the taps to a Y and then into a T at the lateral line.

Our set-up is similar to the OP's in that we do not use a true main line. We have about 125 taps on about 8 lines with between 10 and 20 taps on each line. Another question I had was, should the drop lines all be the same length, or does it matter in this kind of (or any) set-up.

Sorry for kind of highjacking your thread, but I think the answers would benefit the OP as well.

[SeanD]

Do the Y's have the same problems if you use them to connect two drop lines together and then T them into the lateral line? The only time we use them is with a large tree with two taps, we come from the taps to a Y and then into a T at the lateral line.

Our set-up is similar to the OP's in that we do not use a true main line. We have about 125 taps on about 8 lines with between 10 and 20 taps on each line. Another question I had was, should the drop lines all be the same length, or does it matter in this kind of (or any) set-up.

Sorry for kind of highjacking your thread, but I think the answers would benefit the OP as well.

Those questions will benefit a lot of people, myself included. I think most of us started out with tubing with some rolls of 5/16" and a bunch of fittings. This has been a great thread - especially those pics Dr. Tim posted.

I'm going to add a couple more questions:

Dr. Tim, are there other diagrams like that for other situations or did you make that one yourself?

I have two new bushes I'm setting up this year and they are both relatively long and narrow about 60' wide and 275' long with a few areas where it widens out if I grab some big trees in the open off to the side. I'll get 30-40 taps on each one. I can get most of the taps on each line in a single zig-zag like the YES diagram, but is that too long and too many taps for a 5/16" lateral?

In existing set-ups that have Ts and Ys branching 5/16" laterals to the central 5/16" lateral, does it make sense to vent the central lateral at the end to reduce conflicts at the Ys? You would lose vacuum on the central line, but would that loss be made up for by by the improved flow at the Ys?

Sean

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Do not vent!

[Sandersyrup]

One more quick question. I have to run about 1000' of tubing down the hill across an open meadow with no trees. Do I lay the line on the ground and pull it tight Or would it be better to suspend I off the ground a bit?


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[DrTimPerkins]

One more quick question. I have to run about 1000' of tubing down the hill across an open meadow with no trees. Do I lay the line on the ground and pull it tight Or would it be better to suspend I off the ground a bit?

Off the ground (the sap won't run if the tubing is under the snow and frozen), with a slight downhill grade all the way. Suspend on posts with no sagging in between (pull it tight). If you have several 5/16" or 3/16" lines that have to go across the meadow, you'd be better off using 1/2" or 3/4" mainline for that section, also off the ground....best suspended off wire.

[DrTimPerkins]

I would love to visit a 3/16" tubing installation ideally either in Vermont's Chittenden County or Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. I expect others would like to visit such installations in their area. Can a list of 3/16" sugar bush sites be compiled?

You could call Tim Wilmot, UVM Maple Extension, at 802-899-9926. He could probably let you know of an installation near you, or schedule a time for you to visit the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center (although once we hit the sugaring season such a visit becomes terribly difficult as we're all too busy).

[daverobitaille]

I have email Tim myself with a few questions on 3/16 gravity tubing. He responded on the weekend and was very helpful!

Dave

[Sandersyrup]

I finally set up my system. Yesterday during a very weepy run I was getting 13" vac which I'm not sure is good or not. It was working I guess so that's good. I really want to see high vac though. Do you think the length of my system could be a Hangup? My elevation drop at the top of the hill is only about 15' after 700' of line then it all runs downhill for about 800' with 200' of drop. Is friction an issue? Any tip on tightening up a 3/16 setup and spotting issues?


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