Yield for buckets 5/16 vs 7/16
Maybe Dr. Tim can chime in here,might have done a study? This year we went to 5/16 metal spiles for our buckets,mostly for the health of the trees. Very poor year to make a comparison,but most of the larger trees didnt put out much sap this year,will trees produce as much sap through a 5/16 spile into a bucket as a 7/16 spile?
7th generation maple producer in sugarhouse built in 1892
2x World Champion Maple Syrup Producer
1250 taps on cv adapters
Leader Vortex 3x14 with Max Flue and Revolution Syrup Pan,Enhanced Steam Away
www.leggettmaplesyrup.com
I don't believe their is a significant difference in output between the two sizes. My understanding is that a quart of syrup per tap is average when using buckets, regardless of the tap size. Many producers have not had a great season and you may simply be among those for whom the weather was not cooperative this year.
60ish taps on buckets
D&G Sportsman 18x63
Turbo RB15 RO Bucket
Very little or no real difference in yield. Very much reduced staining with 5/16" spouts.
https://mapleresearch.org/pub/m1003s...outevaluation/
https://mapleresearch.org/pub/m0607s...ditionalspout/
spoutsizevsyield.jpg
Last edited by DrTimPerkins; 04-08-2021 at 06:37 AM.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
i used to use 7/16 spiles on buckets and now use 5/16 spiles. I haven't noticed any difference.
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
I used to make syrup 45 years ago with the 7/16 or even bigger metal taps.
6 years ago I started making syrup again using the 5/16 taps on tubing runs to barrels and drops to buckets.
In my little opinion the advent of the 5/16 tap is the best thing that ever happened to the maple sugaring industry.
Although I did bring a 4 membrane home built RO system into the equation for the first time this year and that was pretty mind blowing too.
But the 5/16 still trumps everything that I have seen, from big time high tech to little time steam pansy like me.
Anything bigger then 5/16 should now be considered for bonehead of the year award. And I will add that six years ago when I first saw and started using the 5/16 taps it was difficult for me to soften my head up.
Last edited by Sugar Bear; 04-10-2021 at 09:23 AM.
If you think it's easy to make good money in maple syrup .... then your obviously good at stealing somebody's Maple Syrup.
Favorite Tree: Sugar Maple
Most Hated Animal: Sap Sucker
Most Loved Animal: Devon Rex Cat
Favorite Kingpin: Bruce Bascom
40 Sugar Maple Taps ... 23 in CT and 17 in NY .... 29 on gravity tubing and 11 on 5G buckets ... 2019 Totals 508 gallons of sap, 7 boils, 11.4 gallons of syrup.
1 Girlfriend that gives away all my syrup to her friends.
Today I ran into two members of the mapletrader forum and I was asking rookie questions and telling them a little bit of what I was doing. One of them asked me about what size spiles I had ordered and I told them 7/16. Right away they advised me to drop down to 5/16 or even a 1/4 for the health of the tree. I will be getting the 5/16 ones.
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