Sap line improvement and the begging of the 2025 season

[@LukeSawyer-d2l]

Thanks for posting these. I'm interested in trying to make a 5/16 gravity system work. I have no power and poor aspects for solar so it would be strictly gravity. Are you still running 50 taps/line? Do you think additional taps would be beneficial? What % slopes are your lines?

[@natesworld814]

Research conducted by Cornell back in the 70's showed Natural vacuum worked best with 5/16 at 15% slope with 50 to 100 taps, 10% with 50 to 80 taps and 5% with 50 taps. They needed more than 10 taps before any natural vacuum developed. 3/16 will work with just one tap. Our tests were run at 13% slope where it maxed out capacity at 44 taps so at less slope use less taps, if steeper can take a few more. -Information provided by Stephen Childs

[@natesworld814]

I run as much slop as possible. The new system I set up in this video. I'm going to struggle to hold 2%. There is a ton of slope beings that it's on a hill. But I lose it all trying to get trees in the riven. I don't think I have a run with less than 50. Max is probably 70ish. I just put up one that will probably have 30ish. That one worries me a little. I want to put a shurflo on this new run, but it looks like that will be $400, so I might just see how it goes without it

[@LukeSawyer-d2l]

​@@natesworld814 Thank you. I might try a test run of 50 to see how it goes. I'm more worried about too much slope and the sap draining out without filling to create a vacuum.

[@johnboerema118]

What kinds of maples are you taping? Some of those look like red maples. How do you connect to laterals to the mainline?

[@natesworld814]

I tap all Maples. I do not discriminate. I only run 5/16 laterals and mainlines. I use a Y connector for laterals into the mainline. At the end of my runs, I have 3/4" that I connect with a saddle elbow. I run everything on 5/16 for gravity vacuum. And I have the 3/4 at the ends where the 5/16 is no longer needed, and it should get the sap to the tank faster

[@johnboerema118]

Thanks, I am considering during a 500’ mainline system with a 4008 shurflo pump and am looking at options. Not sure if I am going to do 5/16 or 3/4. Everything is 3/16 now. We have no slope in our sugar bush. How many taps are you running on the laterals?

[@natesworld814]

@johnboerema118 if you're flat. I would go with 3/4". That should give you enough room for your vacuum to get by the sap. Also, the sap will flow more freely because it won't have the restrictions of the 5/16. Also, if your laterals are flater, you will have much better luck on 5/16 than on 3/16. My laterals have anything from 1 tap to the high 20s. I would less on taps on the high number side. But I would need to move my 5/16 main line. To do that though I would have to run a new wire and the fence is already there.