Offseason Expansion PLans - Input appreciated

[DrTimPerkins]

Sorry, on phone so only a short reply.

Building an optimal tubing system for that many taps and putting on a diaphragm pump is like building a muscle car and putting a lawnmower engine in it. You won’t be happy. The CFM is too low on a good day that isn’t hot. Add a warm day and 1-2 leaks and vacuum will be minimal. Diaphragm pumps require good and frequent leak-checking.

If you’re concerned about leaving sap in the woods, put in a good tubing system and a good pump.

If you’re more concerned about money, do a system more optimized for gravity. Short mainlines, less mainlines and smaller mains and mostly lateral lines with a diaphragm pump as supplement. That would be more efficient and provide reasonable results.

[M&M Maple Grove]

If you’re more concerned about money, do a system more optimized for gravity. Short mainlines, less mainlines and smaller mains and mostly lateral lines with a diaphragm pump as supplement. That would be more efficient and provide reasonable results.

I hope you enjoyed all your time with your grandchild and family.

I’m having the same conundrum. I have 12 acres shaped more or less like 3/4 of a soup bowl. Minimal slope up top, nice slope on the walls and then shallows out again with the sugarhouse at the bottom center of the bowl. There is only a 60 foot drop from the top of the lines down to the sugarhouse. I am currently running 3/16 with the largest shurflo pump which is four diaphragm/ 4 gallons per minute. I have been achieving around 25 inches+ at the top of the lines and at the pump itself. The lines run roughly between 500 and 800 feet. With the intentions of going with one tap per tree next year, I will be at roughly 200 taps with the potential of 500 across the entire property. Remote location, solar powered with potential micro Hydro system.

So the question is, can I run the mainlines up to where I start to get a good slope and continue up the hill with 3/16 or would I need to bring the mainline to the top of the hill for that shallow area at the top?

[motowbrowne]

I hope you enjoyed all your time with your grandchild and family.

I’m having the same conundrum. I have 12 acres shaped more or less like 3/4 of a soup bowl. Minimal slope up top, nice slope on the walls and then shallows out again with the sugarhouse at the bottom center of the bowl. There is only a 60 foot drop from the top of the lines down to the sugarhouse. I am currently running 3/16 with the largest shurflo pump which is four diaphragm/ 4 gallons per minute. I have been achieving around 25 inches+ at the top of the lines and at the pump itself. The lines run roughly between 500 and 800 feet. With the intentions of going with one tap per tree next year, I will be at roughly 200 taps with the potential of 500 across the entire property. Remote location, solar powered with potential micro Hydro system.

So the question is, can I run the mainlines up to where I start to get a good slope and continue up the hill with 3/16 or would I need to bring the mainline to the top of the hill for that shallow area at the top?

If you're going to continue using 3/16 that's what you'd want the sap to be in while it drops down the steep part of your hill. Once you reach the shallow slope below you could dump them into a mainline, but honestly with 3/16 I don't know that there'd be much of an advantage versus just continuing the 3/16 right to your pump.

[ADK_XJ]

If you're going to continue using 3/16 that's what you'd want the sap to be in while it drops down the steep part of your hill. Once you reach the shallow slope below you could dump them into a mainline, but honestly with 3/16 I don't know that there'd be much of an advantage versus just continuing the 3/16 right to your pump.

I just asked this very same question in another thread...just passing along the answer: consensus (including from DR. Tim) was that, if there was (good) slope on the remaining section that needs to be covered, stick with the 3/16" all the way to the collection point. If it is flat or only slightly sloped, switch to mainline so as not to have friction be an issue.

Hope this helps!

[M&M Maple Grove]

Thank you for the replies. My concerns at the top of the hill is I may not be hitting a continual 3% slope and might be causing friction before it hits the slope. My other thought was, would it be beneficial to run 5/16 laterals off of the mainline in the low areas near the collection point?

[Bellehollow]

The slope after your last tap is what you are looking for to create the natural vacuum w 3/16.

[Sap Raider]

Assuming you have no power on site with this response. I would not use a guzzler with that many taps and with what you have drawn you won't have enough cfm, which is what most all responses have been.
Here is what I did for about the same acreage with less taps than what you have (about 750). As far as conductor lines I did a wet dry system, the wet started out from the farthest distance with 1" and about have way went to 1 1/4", the dry line is 1 1/4" from the farthest distance and again about have way switched to 1 1/5". That works extremely well. All mains are 1" with stainless Y into the conductor with shutoff valves and loops off the dry line to the main with tees to the dry line. I built a gas powered vacuum pump 20 cfm which absolutely handles the vacuum need. Used a 1000 tap releaser and an H2O moisture trap. The releaser dumps into a 275 gallon tote with a twelve volt pump on contact switch and pumps to a separate tank.
The system works extremely well. The will be days that the dry line has lots of flow to the releaser. I had 28" throughout the whole season.
The must do with what you are thinking of is making sure you very few or no sags in the conductor or mains. Stake it every 10 feet wit correct pitch. Don't skimp on this step, it works very well. I hope I explained it so you could understand it, it was a lot of work but it works very well. Good luck..