Bucket Blowout Syndrome

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr Tim, by frequent is that every day or every other day ??
i have mostly aluminum buckets that i use but i do have quite a few glavanized ones that i havent been using

At least daily.

Lead will accumulate whenever sap (or partially boiled sap) is in contact with materials containing lead. The rate is dependent upon the lead levels in the material, the surface area, and the acidity of the sap. As sap sits in any container, the acidity will go up due to microbial activity. If there is lead in the container, this increases the solubility of the lead in the sap and increases the rate of lead going into solution.

The "fixes" are to:
1. Reduce or eliminate lead in your operation, especially in sap collection and storage containers and in the evaporator (especially the backpan).
2. Reduce the amount of time sap (or sweet in the pan) is in contact with lead-containing equipment.

[argohauler]

Could grommets be installed in the plastic pails? I have pails from 10 liter up to 22 liter. I just drilled a 5/16 hole in the side. I have blue plastic ecospiles, old school wire hooks, and old aluminum hooks. They all tear if you don't get to them in a timely manner. Some are 30 year old holes, still fine. I just move over and drill another hole. My aluminum buckets have grommets

[Pdiamond]

As was mentioned before, plastic pails are really not designed to hang on the tree. They are to heavy when filled with sap and will either break or pull the spile out of the tree. You can use a 5/16 spile and 5/16 piece of tubing and set the pail on the ground with something heavy on the lid to keep it in place. I have done this many times and it works. I just always carry 2 pails with me because I don't want to carry full pails of sap to dump.

[Galena]

I stick with my sharkfin spiles and aluminum pails, which are either 1.5 or 2 gallons. Wouldn't go plastic even if you paid me.

And if anyone wants to sell sharkfins - still in good condition, not too beat up - please let me know!

ETA: I see many hobbyist setups around here with a lidded 5g foodsafe container sitting on the ground and spiles running tubing down into them.

[Pdiamond]

On the mapletrader facebook page there are some for sale, it looks like in the ad there is a bucket or two full of them.

[Galena]

On the mapletrader facebook page there are some for sale, it looks like in the ad there is a bucket or two full of them.

Great, thank you! Always forget about the FB page!