Is 34 taps on one 3/16 line too many?

[Mike Hofer]

This is correct. You'll do fine with 34 taps, but the lines are overloaded at this point so will not perform optimally. You'll do better in terms of yield by splitting it into two lines, and if a squirrel chews into one line and stops the vacuum, the other will still be good.

Can you provide the data for your statement that "...but the lines are overloaded at this point..." ?

At what point do you overload 3/16" tubing in terms of volume per unit time (gal/hour or similar)? What does "overloading" mean in practical terms, i.e. maximum recommended Taps before sap volume starts decreasing. A plot of this as you add additional taps above the recommended maximum would be helpful. I'm not sure if a well-constructed study exists for this.

The reason I ask is that I've had great results over 5 seasons on 3/16" tubing from 25-30 taps per line, lines are ~800 feet long measuring 26" of vacuum at the end tap. The first 300' of tubing from the collection tank has 75' of drop. This past season, I added about 5 taps per line and noticed significantly less sap per run and over the course of the season. Next season I think I will conduct my own study.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Bucket Head]

Tim Wilmot, the original researcher/developer of 3/16 tubing, said he had a line with 37 taps on it and it performed well. But he did not recommend that many per line because it was, "a long line to have to check for leaks". This was early on with 3/16 tube use. By now most of us using it, myself included, can see a difference in flows between long runs and shorter ones. The small diameter tube can only carry just so much liquid "easily". This is true for any size hose or pipe. Frictional loss comes into play at some point with any fluid movement/transfer. And the steepness of slope is a big factor also. Gravity is a good thing! Well, up until you drop something heavy on your foot. Then, not so much.

Steve

[DrTimPerkins]

Tim Wilmot, the original researcher/developer of 3/16 tubing, said he had a line with 37 taps on it and it performed well. But he did not recommend that many per line because it was, "a long line to have to check for leaks". This was early on with 3/16 tube use. By now most of us using it, myself included, can see a difference in flows between long runs and shorter ones. The small diameter tube can only carry just so much liquid "easily"…

This is correct. More taps will work, but less will work better under peak flow. The”optimal“ number of taps will vary based upon the conditions.