Good advice. From the Dec 2017 "Ask Proctor" article in the Maple Digest about leaking tapholes....Originally Posted by markgm
When tapping a tree, producers are creating a wound. During subsequent thaws, the natural process of sap exudation results in pressure building up in the wood tissue around the wound, and sap flows out. Typically, such flow will occur through a spout that has been inserted in the taphole because it is the path of least resistance. However, for a brief period of time after tapping producers may notice a disconcerting wetness on the bark around the wound and sap running down the stem of trees from the area around the outside of the taphole. While producers may feel the desire to take immediate corrective action, it is actually a very normal wound response. The injured area of wood on the outside of the spout barrel will naturally weep sap. Since this sap cannot move into the taphole due to the blockage of the spout body, it migrates to the wounded surface of the taphole along the wound edge and comes out. If the temperature is cold or windy, the wetness might dry out quickly and go unnoticed. If the sap is running well during or soon after tapping, this wetness will be more prominent. Often if let alone, within a few days the wood tissue in this area along the outer edge of the spout/taphole interface will dry out and the seepage will cease.
In short, leave them alone for a few days. If they're still leaking after that, then look for other causes/solutions. Anything you do now has the potential to just make any problem (real or imagined) worse.
The two Maple Digest "Ask Proctor" articles about leaking tapholes can be found at: https://mapleresearch.org/search/?_s...ing%20tapholes
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