lesson learned about [clean] taps

[Hkb82]

You answered your own question in a semi-oblique way. It is not so much that you can't get them cleaner and thus improve the yield from used spouts which have been cleaned. You can get cleaned spouts close to the performance (in terms of sap yield) of new spouts, however it depends on how you do it and the sanitizing approach used. People who use the "suck in solution through droplines" under vacuum, although it is relatively quick and easy, get poor results due to low contact residence time of the sanitizer. Those who do it by removing the spouts or spouts/drops use a lot of time and sanitizing solutions. Therefore doing it that way (remove and soak) is not cost effective if you have a lot of spouts, but might be "good enough" if you only have a few dozen or so. For most producers, it turns out the approach that produces the highest net profit is simple annual spout replacement combined with drop replacement every 3 yrs (or so) OR using CV spouts/adapters and not replacing drops

enough said thanks for all your info on this site.

[Russell Lampron]

When I was using buckets I used the Leader 5/16" cast aluminum spouts. I washed them at the end of the sesson and boiled them just before I tapped each season. I would get decent production out of them for 6 weeks with only 1 or 2 drying up. One season I didn't boil them and it turned out to be a mistake. Most of them dryed up after only 3 weeks.

As of this season I no longer tap any buckets. I started using the cv adapters when they first came out and switched over to the cv2's replacing them every year. The cost for replacing 700 of them is less than 6 gallons of syrup retail. A small price to pay for the much better sap flows and length of time that the holes stay open. I got a full 8 weeks out of them this season with no decrease in sap flow right up until I called it a season yesterday. Before I started using seasonal spouts the holes would dry up about 4 weeks into the season. Before check valves but using a new adapters every year I could get about 6 weeks out of a season and with cv2's I haven't had a season long enough to find out when they will dry up yet.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Has anyone had any success in cleaning and reusing stainless steel taps?

I used 5/16 plastic check valve spouts this year. I was going to boil them and re-use next year. But have seen from many on this forum that research shows reusing plastic taps even after cleaning reduces production.

Wondering if the same applies to stainless steel?

Mark

We pulled 5300 stainless taps out of a bush 2 years ago that had been used for too many years. We won't go back due to the size of the operation......it Is not economicalto try and clean them all. However, for a small producer, if you could buy 2 sets and alternate annually, cleaning them good by soaking and scrubbing they may be a good option. With that said, those old stainless taps are still sitting in a box which is where I suspect they will stay.

[sugarsand]

Every year I think of trying something different. Up to this point, I have cut off the spouts, boiled, cleaned with special pipe cleaners, boiled again and then left soaking in a closed container with Hypochlor most of the winter. I would change them out every other year with new ones, but it is a big pain in the butt since we keep expanding. Am torn between cleaning the spouts and lines and leaving them on, or replacing all spouts every year. Just seems a waste to throw all those spouts away. Has anyone tried a rotation of spouts where you soak them in sanitizer for 2 years, then use them again every third year? I'm thinking any microbes would be eliminated after soaking that long.

[DrTimPerkins]

Brushing them in sanitizer, then a one-hour soak in the proper strength solution (preferably with some occasional agitation) is enough, followed by a thorough rinse, then a good drying. Store them in a dry, non-humid, preferably cold location (freezer?). This will get them close to new, but is really only cost effective if you don't include your time spent doing it.

[sugarsand]

Dr. Tim
If I considered my sugarin time and labor as valuable, I probably would have sold all my equipement 40 yeasrs ago.

[wmick]

Hi Guys - Newbie here....
Is there a way to identify this potential problem in the spring, prior to re-using the taps, visually.???
At this point, replacing them, wouldn't be a huge investment,... but I am trying to be conservative.
I ran a clorox solution through my 3/16" spouts using vacuum, as I pulled them... and my bucket spiles, I agitated in clorox solution and rinsed....

They look pretty clean to me, but what am I looking for in the spring as a potential production inhibitor??

Thanks

[eustis22]

Don't reuse them. You won't be able to get them clean enough and you will impact your tapping next year.

[DrTimPerkins]

Is there a way to identify this potential problem in the spring, prior to re-using the taps, visually.???

No, there is no way to know whether a spout/dropline is clean by looking at it.

At this point, replacing them, wouldn't be a huge investment,... but I am trying to be conservative.
I ran a clorox solution through my 3/16" spouts using vacuum, as I pulled them... and my bucket spiles, I agitated in clorox solution and rinsed....
They look pretty clean to me, but what am I looking for in the spring as a potential production inhibitor??

A chlorine solution is one of the better sanitizers since it kills both the vegetative and spore forms of microbes (unlike some others, including IPA, which does not kill spores and is illegal in the U.S. anyhow). Unfortunately it also attracts squirrels -- with bad results for your tubing. Pulling it in through the spout under vacuum however does not provide adequate contact time to achieve effective microbial kill. You want at least 15 seconds to 5 min (depending upon your dilution) to fully sanitize the spouts. Moreover, with chlorine you are supposed to either allow the first run of sap to run on the ground to wash out the residual chlorine salts, or rinse the tubing with water. Both of those represent losses of sap, and thus loses of potential revenue. Most producers find it far more cost effective, especially if your time has any value, to simply replace spouts annually and drops every 3rd year OR to use CV spouts/adapters.

[wmick]

Excellent feedback folks...
"Learn something new every day"
Thanks a lot...