Showing 11 – 18 of 18 matching resources

Salvaging your Sap: Checking Vacuum Lines for Leaks

A vacuum pump attached to a well-designed tubing system will significantly boost sap flow compared to gravity sap collection, by increasing the difference in pressure between the tree, the source of the sap, and the tubing, where we want the sap to flow. A vacuum pump, however, will not deliver much, if any, vacuum to the trees if the tubing system is not tight and leak-free. This article gives basic instructions on how to check for those leaks, and how to fix them.

Some quick tips to achieve higher sap yield

Increasing the yield of sap from maple trees is the goal of most maple producers. While getting there isn’t a matter of one simple thing, by
following best management practices and paying attention to detail it is possible to increase sap yields, often quite dramatically. Includes links to videos.

The 3/16 phenomenon

Using smaller-diameter tubing can create a natural vacuum which can increase sap production. This article details some research into this method of sap collection, and offers tips on some practical applications.

The Effect of Vacuum on Walnut Sap Flow

Our objective in this 2020 study was to revisit walnut tree sap flow and to determine whether vacuum applied to sap collection lines would substantially increase the production of walnut sap. Along the way, we made some somewhat startling and troublesome observations and formulated a next generation of questions that need to be answered to allow a viable walnut syrup industry to develop.

Vacuum Sap Collection: How High or Low Should You Go?

Questions of how vacuum affects maple sap, syrup and trees have existed for many years, and these issues are perhaps more important today than ever before due to the increasing use of collection systems that can achieve very high levels of vacuum. This article will describe recent research performed at the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center that was designed to answer questions about high vacuum.