NEED HELP! Are my Spiles no good?

[sniperdodo]

Hi sugar community.
This is my first year using lines and I also made a homemade sap puller that provides around 8" to 10" of vacuum. My question is in regards to the spiles I used. I bought and installed "Lapierre 7/16 spout with rib" ( its the only ones available to me around here). When I walked my lines yesterday I noticed that only 4 out of 62 spiles were sapping. I started pulling out the spiles at the end of my line to see if the lines were plugged but I still had good vacuum. What concerned me though, is that when I pulled the spile out, even though the line had no signs of sap, the holes were sapping. I checked every spile and at least 30 spiles had sap in the hole but not in the lines.
When the spiles were installed I used a 7/16" drill bit and lightly tapped the spiles in until the sound of the hammer changed, as I have seen on about 1,000 youtube videos. Did I do something wrong? Are my spiles no good? or am I just panicing over nothing?

[gmcooper]

Sounds like the trees are not really running yet for you. Sometimes sap will flow down drop line in a very small thin stream and be barely visable, under vacuum you usually don't get a lot of sap sitting in lines like gravity sytems. Don't worry they will start running.

[Jeff E]

If your taps are clear, meaning when you pull them the vacuum is sucking in air, they are good.

If you are tapped into a hollow tree, it will suck just air, no sap. That can effect all the taps on that line.

I would recommend you make sure you dont have any air leaks after you know your taps are clear and sucking. If that is the case, you just have to wait for the sap.

[500592]

i am very interested in your sap puller so if mabye you could post on how you did that would be awesome

[sniperdodo]

Hi 500592,
I will take some pictures and make a sketch tonight and start a new thread on the homemade equipment. With any luck I should be able to post it by tomorrow. Its really cool and works great.

[sniperdodo]

Thanks Jeff and gmcooper,
I finally started getting a little bit more action, 23 gallons yesterday so I guess i was panicing over nothing (typical beginner ). the local farm supply shop here told me that the spiles should only be hand tight and that you should be able to pull them out easily with 1 hand. Does the mapletrader community agree with that?

[Jeff E]

That would be true with gravity systems, or pails.
For Vacuum, the taps need to be tight enough to eliminate vacuum leaks.
I do think the tendency is to drive the taps in farther than needed though.