I know I have read this before and I know there have been studies. Should taps be changed every year and drops every 3rd? forgot best practice. These are on gravity, not vacuum.
Thanks
I know I have read this before and I know there have been studies. Should taps be changed every year and drops every 3rd? forgot best practice. These are on gravity, not vacuum.
Thanks
Last edited by Trapper2; 01-06-2022 at 02:23 PM.
1960 - 1970s 70 taps on galvanized buckets with Dad and Grandpa.
1970s - 1985 Acted crazy!
1986 - 2005 20-30 buckets.
2006- 2017 70 buckets and bags
2017-2019 100 bags and buckets
2020 Finally retired!!! 75 buckets, 50-75 on tubing. RO Bucket, New 12 X 16 Shack and a 42X42 flat pan.
2021-Adding another 125 taps along with a second RO bucket.
2022- Shooting for 350 taps, with 100 on lines.
Lots of Family and Friends and dogs named Skyy and Nessy!
more or less, you're correct, for vacuum. or you could use check valve taps and change taps yearly and the drops when they get too short or they turn to junk. i'm not 100% sure that's the case with gravity.
Awfully thankful for an understanding wife!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
- Vincent “Vince” Lombardi
Good luck to all!
Only if you want to make the most syrup! Cutting corners reduces yield by a lot.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
Just do the math. Say you have 250 taps and you average .25 gallons of syrup per tap that's 62.5 gallons of syrup. Studies show that sanitation is important and even more so on gravity. I'm not taking the time to look up the actual numbers but theoretically lets just use a small percentage like a 10% loss of syrup per tap. That will reduce your syrup by 6.25 gallons. Lets use $40.00 per gallon as a value. That's $250.00 in lost income. To replace taps on 250 drops will cost you approx. $60.00 for taps. Not a good trade in my book. I suspect the difference is even greater then that, but I'm too lazy to look up the data. I go one better and replace taps and tees every year, drops every other year and whole lines between 3 and 5 years (depends on damage). Sometiimes what seems like being frugal is actually costing us in the long run, look at the big picture.
125-150 taps
Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
Modified half pint arch
Air over fire
All 3/16 tubing
Southern Ohio
Ditto to the responses. Spouts every year, drops every three. The other thing I will add is that you can arrange it so that 1/3 of your drops are replaced this year, 1/3 in '23, and 1/3 in '24. Then you always have some new taps on line and it theoretically evens out the booms and busts from new to older tubing. It also evens out the costs and labor a bit.
Woodville Maples
www.woodvillemaples.com
www.facebook.com/woodvillemaples
Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
Deer Run 250 RO
Ford F350
6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.
I went back and re-watched the PMRC video on spot/drop sanitation practices. I had originally understood the best practice as check valves AND 3-year drop replacement, but it's actually presented as check valves OR 3-year drop replacement. I'm not sure if you are using CVs on gravity, but I thought I'd throw that in there. Of course, CVs AND 3-year replacement will provide higher results, but will add labor and cost to the decision.
Woodville Maples
www.woodvillemaples.com
www.facebook.com/woodvillemaples
Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
Deer Run 250 RO
Ford F350
6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.
1960 - 1970s 70 taps on galvanized buckets with Dad and Grandpa.
1970s - 1985 Acted crazy!
1986 - 2005 20-30 buckets.
2006- 2017 70 buckets and bags
2017-2019 100 bags and buckets
2020 Finally retired!!! 75 buckets, 50-75 on tubing. RO Bucket, New 12 X 16 Shack and a 42X42 flat pan.
2021-Adding another 125 taps along with a second RO bucket.
2022- Shooting for 350 taps, with 100 on lines.
Lots of Family and Friends and dogs named Skyy and Nessy!