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Thread: Advice on sap puller- will it help

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Steubenville,Ohio
    Posts
    378

    Default Advice on sap puller- will it help

    Hey, been a while since I've posted anything and kind of dropped out of the Maple world last year. Didn't have a good wood pile and too much work got in the way of the important things in life, like making some syrup. Got a great wood pile this year because they cleared a gas line right by my house, tore down and moved the sugarhouse 200 ft from in front of our cabin to the back, adding electricity to it, and got a new splitfire log splitter that is just fantastic. this thing splits in both directions so really speeds up getting the wrist size pieces.

    so looking for advice on a sap puller to get some extra sap from my trees. I had in my best year 250 taps all the way up my steep hill and looking to cut back a bit to around 150. Need enough to fill the 2 x 8 pans and make it worth a boil. since my main lines were getting close to 10 years old and i wanted to clean up the woods I wont be using for now, I've taken down all of my mainline and going to re-run with all new to get a fresh start. will be tapping some virgin trees in a new section of woods too. Hers my scenario for the sap puller questions.
    - using 3/4 in mainline and 5/16 laterals because I've still got a lot of new taps and other line parts.
    - my hill is steep, sugarhouse right at the base, and a 400 ft climb at about 5: 1 slope (I think, could be closer to 10:1, it seems pretty steep climbing it) at any rate, a nice drop for sap to flow with natural vacuum in the past.
    - since i moved the sugar house, I need to run one main line about 100 ft up the hill, split a Y for a line across the hill to the right about 400 ft length(low drop ratio going sideways to the hill) and another to the left about 500 ft( steeper drop potential for the left wing)
    - I can run easily 15 or 20 laterals off of these combined, and pick up my 100-150 trees pretty easily, and have some bucket trees lower and off the main lines. These laterals can be up to 400 ft to get to the top of the hill.
    - looking at a guzzler type sap puller, plug in, easier to set up and affordable vs an expensive full on high vac system.

    so my question is, if I put a sap puller at the bottom on the one main line, do you think it will really help production in gallons of sap captured? with my steep natural slope i do get pretty good natural vacuum on a good sap run, but since i'm getting older and the hill isnt levelling out as I age i'm looking to increase production with fewer trees.

    any advice is appreciated, ready to get back at it with my upgraded setup.
    SevenCreeksSap
    About 80 taps and a sapsucker.
    A wife who doesn't shop and lets me buy Maple stuff

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Thetford, VT
    Posts
    450

    Default

    When we first went to a sap puller we just installed it into the bottom of our mainline. Most mainlines were 3/4" with a few laterals plumbed with 1/2". We used 5/16" sap line. We had about 275 taps. It took our average of 21-25 gallons to 35 gallons running it only during the day.

    The next year I had done some research. Re-plumbed many of the sap lines to achieve a strive for five and no more than seven taps per run. Plus no longer than 100 feet. I had a few 8-9 tap runs, but that is the way it worked. Also all the 1/2" mainline laterals were replaced with 3/4". The mainline was replaced with 1" mainline (still all black poly). That 1" mainline was extended in length also. I believe (It should be in one of my posts from '15 or so) we had about 2000 feet worth of 3/4"-1" mainline runs and had expanded to about 375 taps. The finale piece to expanding was running the sap puller any time the temps were reasonable (not dropping below 31 degrees over night for us). I think we increased our production to 50 or 60 gallons of syrup.

    We now have regular vacuum system. We have eliminated most of the 3/4" mainline pipe. We put a new run in with 1 1/4" mainline and will use mostly 1" mainline laterals. I believe the extra diameter helps on the nights sap may freeze in the lines.

    In looking at your thoughts I would strongly recommend a 1" mainline as often as you can. If you sight down your mainlines you can easily see where 3/4" does not allow for the dip error a 1" line will, plus a 1" line is a lot to fill and freeze.

    Simply put a sap puller will help 5/16" line.

    Mike
    Tapping since 1985 (four generations back to early to mid 1900s). 200-250 taps on buckets and then tubing in the mid 90s. 2013- 275 taps w/sap puller 25 gal. 2014-295 taps w/sap puller 55 ga. (re-tapped to vacuum theory) 2015-330 taps full vac. 65 gal, 2016-400 taps 105 gal, 2017-400 taps 95 gal. 2018-additional 800' mainline and maybe 400 new taps for a total near 800 taps. 2x6 Leader WSE (last year on it) supported by a 250 gph RO.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    634

    Default

    For each inch of vac you get 5% more sap from taps. With your estimation of 150 taps on vacuum, I would think a tight system with a sap puller should be able to maintain low to mid 20's inches of vac. That would equate to around 100% more sap.

    A lot of guys have had great success with shurflo RV pumps which do the same thing as a maple sap puller but at a fraction of the price.
    Camp Wokanda
    Peoria Park District

    2023 - 210 on 3/16 shurflo, sap storage shack w/ 1100 gallon tank - 123 gallons
    2022 - 210 on 3/16 shurflo, homemade vac filter & water jacket canner - 104 gallons
    2021 - 215 on 3/16 shurflo, added 2nd membrane to RO - 78 gallons
    2020 - 210 on 3/16 shurflo, upgraded hp pump on RO - 66 gallons
    2019 - 150 on 3/16 shurflo, Deer Run 125 dolly RO - 73 gallons
    2018 - 120 on 3/16 shurflo, 2x6 raised flue w/hood, homemade arch w/ AUF & AOF - 34.5 gallons

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Steubenville,Ohio
    Posts
    378

    Default

    ok, thanks for the info, 100% more sap would be a lot for me. good to know there are other options out there. i'll have to read up on how to plumb something in.
    SevenCreeksSap
    About 80 taps and a sapsucker.
    A wife who doesn't shop and lets me buy Maple stuff

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