number of taps on 3/16 with steep slope

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I think 5 taps would be minimum and shoot for 25 taps as a maximum.

[Maplewalnut]

I think 5 taps would be minimum and shoot for 25 taps as a maximum.

New to the 3/16ths game...basic question unless I am overthinking it...wouldn't the minimum number of taps directly correspond with the length of the lateral? For optimal vacuum doesn't the line have to be full of sap? so a shorter lateral will fill faster with more taps and achieve vacuum sooner than say a lateral with half the taps and the same distance. Theoretically the minimum taps for a 500ft line may be different than a 250ft line.

[DrTimPerkins]

New to the 3/16ths game...basic question unless I am overthinking it...wouldn't the minimum number of taps directly correspond with the length of the lateral?

Natural vacuum in a 3/16" line is generated by the WEIGHT of the sap pulling on air/liquid in the tubing to create a vacuum. This is created by a difference in height (elevation) between the bottom of the line (where it empties into a tank or a mainline) and the top of the line (at the taps). Length is not critical except for the need to achieve maximum amount of drop. A 30' tubing line straight down will generate the same vacuum as a 500' length of tubing on a slope that has the bottom 30' lower than the top. Actually, the 500' line might be a tad less vacuum due to line friction, but that is typically ignored. This only happens because of the cohesive (stickiness) of water molecules and the capillarity of the tubing (attraction of water to tubing) at small diameters. Those are necessary conditions for the phenomenon to happen, but aren't the real driving force.

[dbeitz1891]

Where are you getting your “multiple studies “ showing 50+/- taps on 3/16”?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...4dsaL0Ak8fc2hp

Having trouble getting the link because it's a PDF but it's on pages 1 and 4. I've had several conversations with Steve on the subject. Notice it says 35 foot of drop at a 13% slope, and that if you have more slope or drop than the numbers are subject to change. One could infer if you had a steeper slope and more drop it would accept more flow. My apologies for the number 52, the number reported is 45. This is also at a .2 gph flow from each tap.

I'm not saying to run above on every single lateral but if you can grab a few more taps with running another 1,000 foot lateral I would go ahead. The amount of sap gained throughout the year, I would think, out weighs the amount possibly lost on maximum flow days.

Note: We walk our lines daily for leaks and maintenance.

[Road's End]

We had 320 taps last year on gravity, 3/16" line. I think 35 was the highest tap count for one line? (+/-1) Later this fall we are expanding to around 600 taps and we are also planning to split the lines with more than 20-25 taps. We can continue expanding uphill on most of the lines so we will end the first run at about 20ish taps then run a new line to hook the upper half to the mainline. We feel we could get a better flow if we stayed closer to 20-25 taps per line rather than 30-35+. Just personal opinion though, I guess next spring will be the test.

[WhistlePig]

It probably goes without saying but a line like that would have to be on a pretty good slope and it would absolutely have to have the required amount of drop after the last tap.

I have wondered about this a lot. Does it hurt the overall performance of a line of taps, to tap a tree right above or next to the collection line? I can understand that the tree right next to the line wont have great vacuum, but what about the rest of the line? I don't want to ignore that band of trees right above the collection line. In my case, I have several roughly parallel collection lines running at an upwards slope across the face of the mountain. What I have started doing is extending the 3/16" lines from a lower parallel up over the next collection line up, to tap the first 50'-75' of trees above the next collection line up. It makes it even a bit more fun to traverse the collection lines on those steep slopes!

[ender]

Just quick question what would happen if you were to pump your tubing full of permeate and cap it till fall frost when done with your spring season?

[WhistlePig]

Hello, another quick question, How do I estimate the elevation above the collection line. What is a simple in the field method for finding out when i am a certain feet of elevation higher than the line.