I’m a hobbyist. Been sugaring about 15 years. Run fifty taps nowadays. And I still, frequently, significantly, have leaking sap from my taps, often that weep all the way down to the ground. I usually just accept it. But I’ve had it. I want to solve this. Once and for all.
I use a 5/16 maple tapping bit. I use a cordless electric Milwaukee drill on high speed. I tap with only a slight angle. I drill in and out as quickly and cleanly as I can. I set the spiles gently using a maple tapping hammer. And still, they weep.
It’s possible my technique is off. Except for one thing:
I have 15 Zap Bac spiles with 5/16” drop lines that run into buckets. Those usually do NOT weep. A few, but not much.
The remaining 35 are on those clear blue plastic spiles, from which I hang 3 gallon maple buckets. Those are what leak. However, I recently tried some steel 5/16” spiles instead, and those leaked too.
My best thought as to why the Zap Bacs seat better is that they’re a touch softer material, and so can create a better seal than a harder plastic or steel, since they would ‘deform’ a little into each hole (if you can picture what im saying). But that’s just a guess.
I’ve also wondered if the weight of the bucket could be an issue. But it seems to happen even when the buckets are empty. At least I think it does.
I’ve wondered if maybe the spiles freezing and unfreezing might cause them to become unseated and thus leak. But by definition freezing and unfreezing must happen to everyone, since that’s when the sap runs, but nobody else seems to have that problem.
So, please, help me. I’m at my wit’s end.