Taps Not Pulled from Last Year

[vtgaryw]

So, at the end of the 2023 season, I injured an ankle pretty severely, and never got back out in the woods to pull the last of my taps out. So I've got may 10-12 trees that still have the taps in them.

My question is can I tap these trees without any problem? (the taps are 5/16" check valve spouts). I run a sap puller on them. Do I pull them out now and just tap another spot like normal? Will pulling them screw up the vacuum, or have they healed over enough even without the taps pulled? Of just leave them in and tap like normal then pull them all out at the end of the season?

Gary

[Swingpure]

So, at the end of the 2023 season, I injured an ankle pretty severely, and never got back out in the woods to pull the last of my taps out. So I've got may 10-12 trees that still have the taps in them.

My question is can I tap these trees without any problem? (the taps are 5/16" check valve spouts). I run a sap puller on them. Do I pull them out now and just tap another spot like normal? Will pulling them screw up the vacuum, or have they healed over enough even without the taps pulled? Of just leave them in and tap like normal then pull them all out at the end of the season?

Gary

You may find that your spouts are plugged with bacteria. I missed taking out one tap and the spout was full of bacteria.

[DRoseum]

I believe the recommendation would be to pull them, cut off and replace spiles, and possibly drops. You could tap again this year depending on size of the tree, or cap them for the season and tap next year.

If you are worried about loss of vacuum, clamp the line while you do the work. You can use vacuum tube clamps (like what's used in automotive industry) or something home made. I use small vice grips with a pvc pipe I split in half on each side of the jaws to create a nice smooth/round surface to clamp the line.

Like this---> )|(

[Brian]

It happens, if a spout don't get pulled and is a stubby pull it, place the new spout in tree and install the same old stubby and continue on.