MAPLE SIRUP PRODUCERS MANUAL 



31 



W ashing l.<itfr<ils 



Rubber gloves are worn. A coil of the tubing 

 is submerged in the tank of hypochlorite solu- 

 tion (fig. 57). The drain valve connecting the 

 tank and pump is opened, and the pump is 

 started. The stream delivered from the hose 

 nozzle is adjusted by means of the pump bypass 

 valve. The bundle of tubing is picked up by the 

 flush ends. The nozzle is inserted into one of 

 the tubes until the tube is completely filled with 

 the wash solution (fig. 58). Filling a tube com- 

 pletely usually requires less than a minute. 

 When air bubbles no longer emerge from the 

 discharge end, the tube is completely filled. As 

 each tube is flushed and filled with hypochlorite 

 solution, it is released so that only the un- 

 washed tubes are held. When all tubes in a 

 bundle have been flushed and filled with clean- 



PN-n54 



Figure 5S. — After soaking, the tied end of the bundle is 

 held and each tube is washed separately. 



ing solution, the coil is allowed to sink to the 

 bottom of the tank and another coil of tubing is 

 placed in the tank. Then the process of flushing 

 and filling each tube of the new coil is repeated. 

 This is continued until the tank is filled with 

 tubing. 



CAUTION 



Because of the eaiistie action of the 

 hypochlorite solution, ruhher gloves must 

 Im' Moi-n (luring the Mashing operation. 



PN-4753 



Figure 57. — Coils of lateral lines are submerged in hy- 

 pochlorite solution, and all the ties are cut except those 



at the end of the bundle. 



The tubing is soaked for 2 hours; then each 

 tube is flushed again, beginning with those in 

 the first coil put in the tank. As soon as all the 

 tubes in a bundle have been washed, the 

 strings holding the bundle in the coil are cut 

 but not the string holding the flush ends of the 

 tubes. Then, the bundle, held by the flush ends, 

 is pulled slowly from the tank (fig. 59). As the 

 coil unwinds, the solution in the tube drains 

 back into the tank. 



The bundle of tubing is then pulled to a slope 

 or laid over the roof of a building to drain (fig. 

 60). Thus, the hypochlorite solution is drained 

 from the tubing but not washed out. 



After 10 to 15 thousand feet of tubing has 

 been washed, the tank should be drained and 

 refilled with fresh hypochlorite solution. 



After the bundles have drained for about 2 

 weeks, they are taken down and coiled (fig. 61). 



