Running longer laterals or mainline?
Hey all, I've upped my (3/16) tubing game a bit over this season and with that comes the need to transport the additional sap from the current collection point I have back in the woods. If I wanted to move my collection point downhill further and across a creek, would I be better served to run another 100 feet of 3/16 for each line and achieve the additional vacuum or put my lines into a star-fitting (or a saddle) on a mainline that runs that remaining 100 feet to the new collection point across the creek?
We're very fortunate to have some significant slope down from one of the main stands of sugar maples in our woods but my runs all end at a location currently that is also either a very long, winding drive through the woods by UTV or else directly across what is a very muddy bog / creek this time of year then immediately up a wet, slippery slope.
I came pretty **** close to tipping over my UTV on one trip down that slope last week and that was WITHOUT a load of sap...
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2015: 8 bucket taps (7 red, 1 sugar) on DIY barrel evaporator
2016: 13 taps (bucket and tube) on block arch and hotel pans
2017: SAME
2018: 25 taps on 2x3 flat pan and resurrected barrel arch
2019: 25 taps...same setup plus DIY 3x150gpd RO filter
2020: 50 taps, all buckets..."new" oil tank arch setup
2021: 100 taps (50/50 buckets/3-16 tubing) on 2x4 divided pan
2022: 150 taps (50/100 b/t) on 2x4 pan with sap warmer pan
2023: SAME
2024: 150 taps, added single-post 4x40 RO system