Dead End Tees

Anyone who’s spent time chasing leaks in a maple tubing system knows that the last tree on a lateral line is a favorite target for squirrels. With tubing wrapped all the way around the trunk, they have easy access to plenty of places to chew.

The first photo below shows how we used to finish our lateral lines. The entire loop around the tree was under vacuum, so even a small chew hole meant another leak to find and fix.

The second photo shows our new setup with dead-end tees. These fittings connect the last tree’s dropline directly to the lateral while keeping the anchor loop isolated from vacuum. Squirrels can still chew that loop, but damage there won’t cause a vacuum leak.

We’re looking forward to better vacuum at the taps and fewer hours spent tracking down leaks. It’s a small change we wish we’d made on day one!