Just wanted to thank you for this video. This is our first year doing tubing and I cannot even tell you how many times I have watched this video a piece at a time as I've needed direction along the way. I'm currently taking notes to take out with me tomorrow. 😆 I have scoured the Internet and have not found any other videos anywhere near as helpful. I'd love for you to make more highlighting different parts in detail. I don't think I would have been able to do tubing this year if I hadn't watched your video. AND it helped me not look like a total idiot when I went to the maple supply store to get supplies! 😆 I could actually understand the things he was telling me! So thank you for that! 🤣
Hay thanks a bunch. Me and my daughter ‘s have been doing maple for 9 to 10 years. So I just put a mainline in. We only have about 18 trees. I used a 3/4 inch line and we use 3/16 to tap the trees and just put a saddle in. So I may reach out to you in February if anything is not going correct. Thanks again for the video. Fred
went from 27 taps last year with boiling on the kitchen stove to 75 taps this year. built a simple reverse osmosis system and added a dedicated boiling pan and two burner propane heater. we'll see if I can keep up. most taps are still buckets but using tubing to a central collection point where I have small clusters of trees. I'm 73 so I have to keep things somewhat reasonable. just for home use but also bartering with a neighbor for starter plants for the hydroponic system I built last year. wish me luck! enjoy your videos.
I am adding 1500 taps to my 1000 existing. Second year doing it professionally. I learned a lot about vacuum, repaired my lines so that I can get as high of a vacuum as possible. Great job on the video. Thorough.
@@TheMapleDude1 Notre-Dame, New Brunswick, Canada. Oh, I was wondering, where do you purchase the Maple Syrup Shot supplies? How well do they sell? Do they come in boxes of 10 before you fill them?
I really loved this video, it was very well explained and you are using some fittings that I had no ideal existed. I am pretty small time for now, we, my wife and I, started a few years ago with about 30 or so tree taps with pails. the following year we added about 100 taps on 4 separate 5/16 lines emptying into individual 100 liter barrels. for spring 2021, we added 2 more 5/16 lines, again aprox 25 ish taps per line. Tomorrow we go and put in our drops into those 2 new lines, and if time permits we might just add a third 25 tap line. Either next year or the year after we will be looking into adding some 3/4 and 1 inch lines and bring what we have further down the mountain to a permanent sugar shack and of course adding many more tree taps. Thanks for putting this out there. Here's to keeping it real.
@@TheMapleDude1 We are in a small village in south western Quebec Canada called Matapedia, I am originally a city guy from a neighboring province, New Brunswick, But relocated here about 7 yrs ago. love being out in the woods, and love the maple collecting big time. again Thanks for the eye opening video.
How long do you keep the main lines and lateral lines in the woods before they need to be replaced? How do they get cleaned and stored for the off season
Great video. My question. Year 1 here. Do I need a main line if I have fall of over 35 %. Or can I run a line ride together from 3 trees 3 separate runs all to a tank?
We were using the single tabs to buckets before, but I’m getting older so walking with 5 gallons of sap was getting tough in the winter. That’s why I put a mainline in. Any suggestions ?
Thinking of buying a homestead in vermont with over 100+ acres and 44000 sugar maple trees. On decently steep mountians. Any advice for what we will and will not need to get started and grow to a large operation within the family? I would like to run tunes and set the sugar house down by the house at the base of the mountain and mainline runs.
Also what is your thought on what current wholesale prices for m.s. and whether its worth it if we are setting up a facility from scratch making it an organic setup . Thanks
Well the selling bulk syrup per LB model is a tough way to go in my opinion. Lots of gigantic costs to get it going. Then you have to do it on volume. Retailing it yourself is much more profitable. And you could make a living at a smaller scale. However developing a successful business marketing your own syrup is harder than making the syrup. It can be done but takes a lot of time and persistence.
Thanks so much for the great video! I'm looking into putting lines in this year for the first time for 250-300 taps and your video is going to be very helpful. My question is will 3/16" tubing running into a mainline create a natural vacuum or does this mainline get rid of the vacuum? There is plenty of slope in the bush so no problem there, but it is a long way from one corner to the other (500 ft) and want to minimize the amount of lateral lines used where possible. So having a mainline would minimize the amount of lateral lines but will this ruin the natural vacuum? If so would it be more efficient to get 5/16" instead? Also how many taps would you recommend for 3/16" per lateral line? You recommended 5 taps per 5/16" lateral line in the video with pumped vacuum. Would this change for natural vacuum? I've seen some recommendations from 10-25 taps per lateral line. Thanks so much
Thanks for the questions. No a mainline would not hurt the vacuum for 3/16 line. It just transfers the sap once out of the lateral line. Yes put more taps on the 3/16 line for natural vacuum. Try to keep the numbers up over 15 and around 25 if possible but only if you have that good slope.
How many taps are you running this line? I’m thinking of doing this next year with many 55 gallon collections spots with 25-30 taps each. My forest has lots of rolling hills so a main line will not work
Hey, I’m looking into getting into maple sugaring this year. I have no experience with this, but we have a sugar shack on the property from the previous owner, so… The sugar shack has an evaporator with a float box attached to a flue pan which runs into a continuous flow pan. We have a nice mountainous property which slopes downwards all the way to the sugar shack, so I’m thinking I should use gravity instead of spending money on a vacuum pump or something. Do I absolutely need the wiring in order to get the tubing to stay off the ground? I’m planning on using 3/16” tubing, is this suggested? Thanks so much for any replies!
Hi, the wire is to support the mainline tubing only. Not the 3/16 or 5/16. So if you want to run a mainline with the laterals you would need wire for it. It would be the best way to get a larger number of taps to end up at one collection point.
I have about 45 taps spread out across an acre of bush that I'd like to run tubing in. Would you recommend using main line with laterals or just have multiple 5/16 tubing runs to a single collection point? It would be gravity only.
without seeing it it's hard to say for sure but with only an acre and 45 taps i would think you could just do several lines to a few collection points.b
Black pipe is fine for sap.... i have switched to blue for a lot of my stuff, but used black for years with no issues, it’s usually more affordable, especially if starting up in this business, we all know it isn’t cheap. Ps cut the hand crank off your mainline tool and weld a nut on, then just use an impact 😀
is it possible to join two or three 3/16 lines into a 5/16 tubing for the purpose of running it into my mainline about 200 yards away? It's all downhill - probably about 75 drop.
I would say not to do that. The benefit of the natural vac is achieved by the friction and length of the 3/16 lines. You're better off keeping it 3/16 to the mainline.
Those slide fitting for your end of laterals and hooking to mainline are pretty slick. They eliminate a clog point for sap if anything gets into the tubing. I installed approx 10000' of tubing last year and there weren't any videos like this, so this is a nice video. I'm a first generation sugarer with roughly 400 taps currently and just trying to figure out this addiction. I have a hill so I was able to run 3/16 to my 1" mainline, do you know if they make those slide fittings for 3/16? Anything to lessen clogs in 3/16 I'd be game to try. As far as what we are improving this year, we added a S.L steam hood preheater and Crescendo Auto-draw off. I also just ordered a Short bank filter press from Smoky Lake as well. I also ran a 1350' 1" transfer line to my shack. Appreciate your video. I agree Smoky Lake equipment is great stuff and works great. Dale
@@TheMapleDude1 I'm actually in Ohio. 30 miles outside Cleveland. I'm not in need of them at this moment, but when I replace my laterals in a few years I will definitely keep you in mind. I just got done watching your bourbon barrel aging process in the 5gal barrel and just did the same thing with a 2.5 gal barrel I aged my own whiskey in. It came out fantastic, but not very effective to buy my own whiskey/bourbon to age a new barrel and then do my syrup in it. I was wondering if any distilleries did smaller barrels like that. Exactly was I was hoping. Guess I'll be making some phone calls. Keep up the good videos. I subscribed. Thanks again Dale
@@TheMapleDude1 5 gal would be perfect for me. We make 40-50 gal of sap a year. I will have to make some phone calls around my area to see if I can find any distilleries using 5gal barrels. Thanks again, keep up the great videos!
Thank you for one of the most detailed main line installation videos i've seen on youtube. Do you have any recommendations for how to purchase the tubing tools you were using online? I can't seem to find the insertion tools you mentioned in the video, starting around the 39 minute mark. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.
now for a real question - I have done a fair amount of plumbing with pex tubing. The process of connecting the various sections of your main line would seem to be simplified significantly by using pex fittings, crimps and the crimp tool. it would eliminate that unwieldy nameless clamping tool which you would probably love to hang in a corner and let grandchildren wonder what it is. Granted, this would change the union from stainless to copper, but we use copper for drinking water all the time. What is it I am missing? thanks
@@TheMapleDude1 that may be it, but since the main line support wire is already under high tension, it seems odd that the line would also need to be under tension. perhaps it shall remain a mystery.
So how long once the sap is in a bucket, do you have to process it? Can you do just a few trees and hold it for the weekend or does it only have a day or two? Obviously your setup is more than what I'm asking about but I'm sure you have a better idea of sap's shelf life then I do.
if it's cool out 40° you can keep storing it up for a while even several days. keep it out pf the sun, snow packed around it. but as temps warm later in the season youll want to cook it daily unless you have refrigeration or a way to freeze it.
@@TheMapleDude1 and I've heard if you freezer it the first stuff to freezer is pure water so if you keep an eye on it you could drop some before boiler... Is that true or lazy info that wastes sap
Just just went to order. unfortunately I do not put my credit cards online. I use PayPal for everything online. when and if you get PayPal please let me know and I would be very happy to order from you. Thanks Fred
Just wanted to thank you for this video. This is our first year doing tubing and I cannot even tell you how many times I have watched this video a piece at a time as I've needed direction along the way. I'm currently taking notes to take out with me tomorrow. 😆 I have scoured the Internet and have not found any other videos anywhere near as helpful. I'd love for you to make more highlighting different parts in detail. I don't think I would have been able to do tubing this year if I hadn't watched your video. AND it helped me not look like a total idiot when I went to the maple supply store to get supplies! 😆 I could actually understand the things he was telling me! So thank you for that! 🤣
Thanks for the great compliments. I really appreciate hearing that.
What different parts do you want to see in detail?
Hay thanks a bunch. Me and my daughter ‘s have been doing maple for 9 to 10 years. So I just put a mainline in. We only have about 18 trees. I used a 3/4 inch line and we use 3/16 to tap the trees and just put a saddle in. So I may reach out to you in February if anything is not going correct. Thanks again for the video. Fred
Let me know how it's going.
went from 27 taps last year with boiling on the kitchen stove to 75 taps this year. built a simple reverse osmosis system and added a dedicated boiling pan and two burner propane heater. we'll see if I can keep up. most taps are still buckets but using tubing to a central collection point where I have small clusters of trees. I'm 73 so I have to keep things somewhat reasonable. just for home use but also bartering with a neighbor for starter plants for the hydroponic system I built last year. wish me luck! enjoy your videos.
thanks it's a hobby that gets out of control! jeffery good luck this season!
@Javier Zakai after 5 days yes it worked so good
I am adding 1500 taps to my 1000 existing. Second year doing it professionally. I learned a lot about vacuum, repaired my lines so that I can get as high of a vacuum as possible.
Great job on the video. Thorough.
thanks Chris. where are you located?
@@TheMapleDude1 Notre-Dame, New Brunswick, Canada. Oh, I was wondering, where do you purchase the Maple Syrup Shot supplies? How well do they sell? Do they come in boxes of 10 before you fill them?
All right great. I will try to readjust my lines before winter really kicks in. Thanks again
No problem.
I really loved this video, it was very well explained and you are using some fittings that I had no ideal existed. I am pretty small time for now, we, my wife and I, started a few years ago with about 30 or so tree taps with pails. the following year we added about 100 taps on 4 separate 5/16 lines emptying into individual 100 liter barrels. for spring 2021, we added 2 more 5/16 lines, again aprox 25 ish taps per line. Tomorrow we go and put in our drops into those 2 new lines, and if time permits we might just add a third 25 tap line. Either next year or the year after we will be looking into adding some 3/4 and 1 inch lines and bring what we have further down the mountain to a permanent sugar shack and of course adding many more tree taps. Thanks for putting this out there. Here's to keeping it real.
hi mike thanks for watching. it sounds like you are figuring things out. where are you located? good luck in the future!
@@TheMapleDude1 We are in a small village in south western Quebec Canada called Matapedia, I am originally a city guy from a neighboring province, New Brunswick, But relocated here about 7 yrs ago. love being out in the woods, and love the maple collecting big time. again Thanks for the eye opening video.
That was an outstanding video thank you very much for the detail you took the time to show us I will be following you from now on
Ryan thank you for the review!
Do you have a video on how to set up a vacuum system? If you do, please provide a link. Thanks.
Yes just look under my videos. There's one for installing a vacuum line.
I love sap and I like how it’s made
me too.
How long do you keep the main lines and lateral lines in the woods before they need to be replaced? How do they get cleaned and stored for the off season
10 to 15 years. You leave it up all year. Just drain at end of season.
What about modification for that mainline tool?? Instead of hand crank use a battery drill?
You definitely could.
Great video. My question. Year 1 here. Do I need a main line if I have fall of over 35 %. Or can I run a line ride together from 3 trees 3 separate runs all to a tank?
How many taps and over what area?
@@TheMapleDude1 5-6 taps from top of the hill to the bottom 200 feet maybe very steep. Was thinking 2 taps per tree 5/16 tube with T junctions
@Tracy Laumann for that amount of taps no you do not need a mainline.
I have constructed a DIY evaporator using a 250 Gallon tank. I’m hoping it will be more efficient! 👍
is the inside insulated?
We were using the single tabs to buckets before, but I’m getting older so walking with 5 gallons of sap was getting tough in the winter. That’s why I put a mainline in. Any suggestions ?
Make sure it has slope.
Thinking of buying a homestead in vermont with over 100+ acres and 44000 sugar maple trees. On decently steep mountians. Any advice for what we will and will not need to get started and grow to a large operation within the family? I would like to run tunes and set the sugar house down by the house at the base of the mountain and mainline runs.
Also what is your thought on what current wholesale prices for m.s. and whether its worth it if we are setting up a facility from scratch making it an organic setup . Thanks
Well the selling bulk syrup per LB model is a tough way to go in my opinion. Lots of gigantic costs to get it going. Then you have to do it on volume. Retailing it yourself is much more profitable. And you could make a living at a smaller scale. However developing a successful business marketing your own syrup is harder than making the syrup. It can be done but takes a lot of time and persistence.
With 100 acres I'd say you'd be more around 10,000 taps on the upper end.
More questions message me
Tim@themapledude.com
Lol... yeah we realized the timber report said 44k board feet... so select timbering. Lol
What size gripple wire joiner do you use? Their is small, medium, large.
I've been using med for 12.5 ga wire.
Thanks so much for the great video! I'm looking into putting lines in this year for the first time for 250-300 taps and your video is going to be very helpful.
My question is will 3/16" tubing running into a mainline create a natural vacuum or does this mainline get rid of the vacuum? There is plenty of slope in the bush so no problem there, but it is a long way from one corner to the other (500 ft) and want to minimize the amount of lateral lines used where possible. So having a mainline would minimize the amount of lateral lines but will this ruin the natural vacuum? If so would it be more efficient to get 5/16" instead?
Also how many taps would you recommend for 3/16" per lateral line? You recommended 5 taps per 5/16" lateral line in the video with pumped vacuum. Would this change for natural vacuum? I've seen some recommendations from 10-25 taps per lateral line.
Thanks so much
Thanks for the questions.
No a mainline would not hurt the vacuum for 3/16 line. It just transfers the sap once out of the lateral line.
Yes put more taps on the 3/16 line for natural vacuum. Try to keep the numbers up over 15 and around 25 if possible but only if you have that good slope.
The wire twist tie you use where do you order them ? I can get them up here in Canada we get them for tying rebare is it the same.
I sell maple supplies so I get them thru my distributor D&G. they are like that but a galvanized.
First time tubing user, is it okay to have one or two taps on lateral?
They say go for 5 max, so if you go only up to 2 that is fine but you will of course use more materials overall.
Thanks for this video - I'm installing my first tubing system this year, and this helped a lot!
Thanks great to hear the feedback.
How many taps are you running this line? I’m thinking of doing this next year with many 55 gallon collections spots with 25-30 taps each. My forest has lots of rolling hills so a main line will not work
this is 630+ taps
Hey, I’m looking into getting into maple sugaring this year. I have no experience with this, but we have a sugar shack on the property from the previous owner, so…
The sugar shack has an evaporator with a float box attached to a flue pan which runs into a continuous flow pan.
We have a nice mountainous property which slopes downwards all the way to the sugar shack, so I’m thinking I should use gravity instead of spending money on a vacuum pump or something.
Do I absolutely need the wiring in order to get the tubing to stay off the ground? I’m planning on using 3/16” tubing, is this suggested?
Thanks so much for any replies!
Hi, the wire is to support the mainline tubing only. Not the 3/16 or 5/16. So if you want to run a mainline with the laterals you would need wire for it. It would be the best way to get a larger number of taps to end up at one collection point.
I have about 45 taps spread out across an acre of bush that I'd like to run tubing in. Would you recommend using main line with laterals or just have multiple 5/16 tubing runs to a single collection point? It would be gravity only.
without seeing it it's hard to say for sure but with only an acre and 45 taps i would think you could just do several lines to a few collection points.b
Appreciate the insight! I was thinking the same... Seems like overkill to run main line. Would you suggest 5/16 or 3/16 tubing?
@@kevingraves35 if you have adequate slope i would do 3/16 and put as many taps per line as you can.
@@TheMapleDude1 I'm guessing there's a 20ft drop over 300ft, so about 6-7%. Is that sufficient? Again, I appreciate the help!
@@kevingraves35 yes that will be better than nothing. but load it up with numerous taps.
But I just have a gravity feeding into a 55 gallon plastic sap bucket I do not have a vacuum pump do I need one?
You don't need it, but vacuum will at least double your yield.
Black pipe is fine for sap.... i have switched to blue for a lot of my stuff, but used black for years with no issues, it’s usually more affordable, especially if starting up in this business, we all know it isn’t cheap.
Ps cut the hand crank off your mainline tool and weld a nut on, then just use an impact 😀
i try to stay away from the black pipe now. i have used it in the past. i don't cut off the handle cause i don't want to carry more tools.😂
is it possible to join two or three 3/16 lines into a 5/16 tubing for the purpose of running it into my mainline about 200 yards away? It's all downhill - probably about 75 drop.
I would say not to do that. The benefit of the natural vac is achieved by the friction and length of the 3/16 lines. You're better off keeping it 3/16 to the mainline.
@@TheMapleDude1 ok - thanks!!
This would work
Those slide fitting for your end of laterals and hooking to mainline are pretty slick. They eliminate a clog point for sap if anything gets into the tubing. I installed approx 10000' of tubing last year and there weren't any videos like this, so this is a nice video. I'm a first generation sugarer with roughly 400 taps currently and just trying to figure out this addiction.
I have a hill so I was able to run 3/16 to my 1" mainline, do you know if they make those slide fittings for 3/16? Anything to lessen clogs in 3/16 I'd be game to try. As far as what we are improving this year, we added a S.L steam hood preheater and Crescendo Auto-draw off. I also just ordered a Short bank filter press from Smoky Lake as well. I also ran a 1350' 1" transfer line to my shack. Appreciate your video. I agree Smoky Lake equipment is great stuff and works great.
Dale
hi dale. nice improvements there yes those slide fittings work good. i have them in 3/16 in my shop if you need some. where are you located?
@@TheMapleDude1
I'm actually in Ohio. 30 miles outside Cleveland. I'm not in need of them at this moment, but when I replace my laterals in a few years I will definitely keep you in mind. I just got done watching your bourbon barrel aging process in the 5gal barrel and just did the same thing with a 2.5 gal barrel I aged my own whiskey in. It came out fantastic, but not very effective to buy my own whiskey/bourbon to age a new barrel and then do my syrup in it. I was wondering if any distilleries did smaller barrels like that. Exactly was I was hoping. Guess I'll be making some phone calls. Keep up the good videos. I subscribed. Thanks again
Dale
the smallest I've found are 5 gallon..
@@TheMapleDude1
5 gal would be perfect for me. We make 40-50 gal of sap a year. I will have to make some phone calls around my area to see if I can find any distilleries using 5gal barrels. Thanks again, keep up the great videos!
Thank you for one of the most detailed main line installation videos i've seen on youtube. Do you have any recommendations for how to purchase the tubing tools you were using online? I can't seem to find the insertion tools you mentioned in the video, starting around the 39 minute mark. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.
I appreciate it thanks. Email me or call me. Tim@themapledude.com
I sell the tools.
now for a real question - I have done a fair amount of plumbing with pex tubing. The process of connecting the various sections of your main line would seem to be simplified significantly by using pex fittings, crimps and the crimp tool. it would eliminate that unwieldy nameless clamping tool which you would probably love to hang in a corner and let grandchildren wonder what it is. Granted, this would change the union from stainless to copper, but we use copper for drinking water all the time. What is it I am missing? thanks
I'm thinking it's because you can't put lots of tension on pex?
@@TheMapleDude1 that may be it, but since the main line support wire is already under high tension, it seems odd that the line would also need to be under tension. perhaps it shall remain a mystery.
without some tension on mainline it with loosen up and get a little snake like in spots with contracting and expanding with temps.
Typically pex isn’t rated for outdoor use, not UV protected. Wouldn’t last the way commercial maple tubing does.
@@MrSheppardevan thank you - that helps...but my question was more about the fittings and connectors than the tubing itself. any thoughts on that?
Wouldn't a pex expansion tool eliminate all that work?
It doesn't work for this application .
Great video, lots of good information, appreciate your sharing your information.
Thanks Kim. I appreciate the feedback.
Will do thank you so much
Ok
Great video! Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
So how long once the sap is in a bucket, do you have to process it? Can you do just a few trees and hold it for the weekend or does it only have a day or two? Obviously your setup is more than what I'm asking about but I'm sure you have a better idea of sap's shelf life then I do.
if it's cool out 40° you can keep storing it up for a while even several days. keep it out pf the sun, snow packed around it. but as temps warm later in the season youll want to cook it daily unless you have refrigeration or a way to freeze it.
@@TheMapleDude1 and I've heard if you freezer it the first stuff to freezer is pure water so if you keep an eye on it you could drop some before boiler... Is that true or lazy info that wastes sap
@@TheMapleDude1 my 6yr old "wants to tap our 2 trees" so I figured it's easier to try than to push an idea that keeps him outside for a day away.
yes the water is the first to freeze so if you throw it out it'll save some time boiling, but it will still throw away some sugar too.
food way to get him to appreciate the great outdoors!
alot more work than i taught jerry
yes but it will pay off in the end.
Just just went to order. unfortunately I do not put my credit cards online. I use PayPal for everything online. when and if you get PayPal please let me know and I would be very happy to order from you. Thanks Fred
What do you want?
1ft at 100 feet
2 feet per 100 ft is better.
I think your cameraman has bronchitis
I think that's my 13 year old son. But thanks Dr.