Polycarbonate vs. nylon spiles
I have been using polycarbonate spiles for the past three years, but am considering to switching to a different spile that is made of nylon. Is there any disadvantage of using nylon spiles over polycarbonate? Is nylon more prone to breaking when installing or removing the spiles? Is one type better than the other for sealing in the tap hole?
Gary
16' X 24' Sugarhouse
2' X 6' Leader Inferno Arch with Revolution Raised-Flue Pans, Smoky Lake preheater and hood
Deer Run Maple gas-powered 250 RO
WesFab 7" filter press
Kubota 1100 RTV with tracks and 125 gallon tank for transporting sap
800 taps on gravity and vacuum
Very supportive wife who is the best coworker
http://mapletrader.com/community/sho...ing-Sugarhouse
In general, polycarbonate spouts tend to "stick" in the tree better than nylon, resulting in a lower tendency to heave and need to be reseated in the taphole. This is likely due to less moisture absorption from the air and the tree into polycarbonate compared to nylon. Polycarbonate can be a bit more brittle in terms of the substance, but a lot depends upon the particular spout design, so it is more variable than just the composition of the spout. Under certain conditions and designs, nylon can be brittle also.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
try a different polycarbonate spout. you will miss the ease of finding hollow trees/backed out spiles, and they seal much better. have had excellent luck with the 1st gen lapierre elbow spouts, none leaking down the tree and they hold tubing quite well.
7000 taps on vacuum, just trying to get a little better every year.
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