What size feed tanks?

[briansickler]

I am setting up the sugarhouse and need some input as to what size feed/head tank to use. I have a 2 x 6 leader with pre heater. I was thinking maybe 100 gal. or so. Thanks.

Brian

[Brent]

I had a Phaneuf 2 x 6 with preheater and my overhead was 35 gallons. That rig needed 20 gallons in the tank when I stopped feeding the fire.

Biggest problem I had was that it was a plastic tank with only about a 6" hole in top and it was a bitch to clean.

[cncaboose]

I have a 3x8 and use a 65 gal feed tank. Works well for us and requires filling every 60-90 minutes, so I don't think you need anywhere near the 100 gallons.

[Ausable]

My rig is a home made 2' x 5' and for a feed tank - am using a 35 gallon plastic water tank from a camper trailer. To make cleaning easier cut 3 access holes in top of tank and made a cover for over the holes. Last year was a very slow sap year and it worked ok - however - if this is a good year for sap it might be different ----Still far better then what I had before..... Mike

[PARKER MAPLE]

my feed tank is my head tank/ storage tank(330gal). I have it elivated so that is gravity feeds right into float box, in the feed line coming in there is a filter and a sight tube. the sight tube tells you how much you have left in the tank. By only having one tank outside its out of the way and not inside taking up room. Just have to make sure it dosnt freeze.

[briansickler]

It sounds like the 100 gallon head tank would be plenty. The only advantage would be that I wouldn't have to fill it so often. Maybe every 2 1/2 hours. But would the 100 gallon tank give me too much pressure at the float valve?

Brian

[PARKER MAPLE]

mine was fine last year. the regulater opperated as expected and never flooded the rear pan. that was with my 2x6 so im expecting it will opperate the same this year with my 3x8

[Dave Y]

I have a100gal head tank feeding my force 5 .the pump kicks on when the reverse float swtich tells it to fill the tank, and shuts off when it is full. you can have a 5 gal head tank if you want .just as long as you can keep putting sap in it when you need to.

[TapME]

I have 330 gallons at the head tank. I also use it 4 storage and you could do that to. They all work just put a ball valve as to be able to shut it off or releive pressure your call. Have fun

[briansickler]

I have a100gal head tank feeding my force 5 .the pump kicks on when the reverse float swtich tells it to fill the tank, and shuts off when it is full. you can have a 5 gal head tank if you want .just as long as you can keep putting sap in it when you need to.

Good point Dave. What type reverse float switch set up do you use?

[PARKER MAPLE]

Never really understood the reason for the head tank. what is the benifet of it???

[BryanEx]

Simple really... head tank is raised above your evaporator so there's a constant supply of sap as you need it and without additional pumps.

[danno]

Here is an active thread regarding reverse float switches.

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=10579

They work great. I prefer the larger head tank, less frequent filling. The noise from the pump used to bother me. 100 gal. should work well for you.

Regarding head pressure on your floats, your floats will hold back the sap, but as your tank begins to run low and the head pressure lessens, you will have to adjust your flue pan float to increase the sap running into the the flue pan - or at least I have to. It's no big deal - as long as you have a sight tube on the flue pan so you can easily see when the flue pan starts getting low.

[collinsmapleman2012]

a sight tube is an amazing thing to have, especially when you are cramped for storage i would say that a larger head tank would be better for more storage

[dnap63]

The head pressure is not affected by the volume of the tank, the pressure increases with the height the tank is above the evaporator. you get roughly 5psi pressure for every 10' of drop.

[briansickler]

The bottom of my head tank will be 4 feet above the inlet to my evaporator float box.

Brian

[maple marc]

The absolute size of your tank doesn't determine the pressure. I could have a tank the size of the Atlantic Ocean feeding my evaporator, but it's the height above your evaporator that matters. As long as the top of that tank is no more than a few feet above, you're fine. I have a 125 gallon ss tank gravity feeding my 2x4. The tank is two feet deep, and the bottom of it is about a foot above my float tank. The pressure works out to be fine. The tank sits outside my shack on legs. I fill it with a sump pump from drums on the ground.This year my improvement will be a sight gauge inside the shack. I won't have to climb the ladder to see how much sap is remaining in the tank.

[3rdgen.maple]

It sounds like the 100 gallon head tank would be plenty. The only advantage would be that I wouldn't have to fill it so often. Maybe every 2 1/2 hours. But would the 100 gallon tank give me too much pressure at the float valve?

Brian

Well that would depend on how high your tank is, diameter of feed line and how good your float valve is. My head tank is almost 400 gallons and personally I wouldnt want it any smaller than that. Too much stuff going on to be thinking about how full my head tank is or have to constantly fill it while boiling. It gives me about 10 hours of boiling. Tank is about 16 inches higher than my float box and I have no problems with the float valve.

[maple flats]

My feed tank has been the same since I had a 2x6. I use a 415 gal tank, on a wooden platform outside the sugarhouse (North side). The bottom of the tank is only 6" above the evaporator float level and I have never had a problem. My feed line is only 3/4" and 11' long, but I am changing this year to 1", and am going thru a preheater, but I am putting a bypass line to the feed inlet too (just in case). I have a site level just inside the north wall. I stop feeding at 18 gal left and that starts me at exactly the right level to start the next day in the pans.
Correction, I remembered the 6" is above the float valve intake, not the sap level.

[Rhino]

We also use a reverse float and installed a red flashing bulb that goes on when it's pumping. Our 300 gal. head tank is outside so it's nice to have that extra visual to know that the pump is pumping and also stopping. A few times we had issues that the float stuck. We have it set to fill the 300 gal. tank half full so that gives us time to check the tank if the light is flashing longer then normal. Don't want a river of sap flowing down the hill.

[briansickler]

I like this float switch. It is wired with 14 wire. What do you think?

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/SJERHOMBUS-Float-Switch-3HCR6

Brian

[Dave Y]

This is the one I use .Works very well.
Item # 3BY74
Float Switch, Mechanical, Tether, Normally Closed, Max. Amps Running 10, Voltage 115, Cord Length 10 Ft., Wire Gauge 18, Pumping Range Min./Max. 7 to 28

DAYTON
3BY74 3553 Usually ships
Today 1 $38.45

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I use a 320 gallon SS Lapierre feed tank for my 2x8. Full it will give me 5 hours of boiling. Yes, it's overkill but when I bought it it was only storage I had at the sugarhouse. It is 18" from the evaporator and I have a sight tube with measurements in 10 gallon in front of the tank so I always know the level and how much is left and can keep track of how many gph if I want to.

[wkies]

I just bought a 230 SS head tank that I am going to hook p to my 2x6. It is replacing a 125 and 225 plastic tank(s). They were hooked up via a duel piping system. Because they were plastic I could always see how much sap was left. With the new SS tank how can I hook up a site tube as mentioned earlier in the post.

[Southtowns27]

FWIW, I have a 50 gal head tank. I ran my 2x6 with it and will also be running the "new" 2 1/2 x 8 with it this year. I have a 1000 gal SS milk tank outside. I have an upside down float switch as well that kicks on a pump to fill the head tank from the SS tank. A smaller head tank inside the sugarshack is beneficial in the sense that you have less sap exposed to the warmer temperatures.

[cpmaple]

For my 2x6 i have two 250 cage plastic tanks hooked together and feed to the evaporator. they sit under cover outside my sugarhouse with two more out side for back up if needed. cpmaple

[Brian Ledoux]

Have a related question on this topic.... I don't really have the room in my sugar house for more than a 25 gallon head tank. So, I am debating putting the head tank outside the sugar house, but am worried that if the tank freezes I will be out of luck and not able to boil!

Is that a legitimate concern or would I be ok leaving the head tank outside in the elements? I am in southern NH and it is going to be feeding a Leader 2x6 patriot. -brian

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

25 gallon is plenty if you rig up a float switch that when the level drops to 10 gallon it kicks on and fills it back up. That will get you about 45 minutes of boiling.

[802maple]

I would prefer the smaller feed tank as it doesn't change the sap level in your pan as much with alot of head pressure in the beginning and not much at all in the end like a bigger tank does.

[3rdgen.maple]

I would prefer the smaller feed tank as it doesn't change the sap level in your pan as much with alot of head pressure in the beginning and not much at all in the end like a bigger tank does.

Bad float valve Jerry? Never had that problem before as the float box regulates the pan level.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I don't have much problem with that either Jerry even with 320 gallon feed tank 4 feet deep when it is full of sap.

[802maple]

It isn't a real problem, but it does change the sap level some, It isn't as much a deal when you are running your evaporator deep but when you run a pan as shallow as I do you will notice it especially in a drop flue evaporator. I usually run the front pan between a half and 3/4 inch deep and when it drops it a quarter inch, you notice it. If you are running it a inch and 1/2 you probably wouldn't notice any difference.

I typically use a 50 gallon tank or less to feed a 5x14 or larger.

[3rdgen.maple]

Jerry Im running a drop flue and run it the same way. Just covering the flues puts me at about 3/4 inch in syrup pan. I will have to take more notice this year and see but my head tank is over 300 gallons and havent had to adjust the float much at all or notice a difference in sap level in the pans. Could be wrong though and wouldnt be the first time either.

[802maple]

Actually I wish I could remember who did the study, but years ago there was a study on exactly this and it was determined then that the more equal you could keep the head pressure the better your evaporator worked. I am assumig by not having to change the float much means that you must have to change it some and my system lets Ron Popiel do it by setting it and forgetting it. LOL

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Jerry,

You are probably right on there. I run my evaporator deeper, so I wouldn't really notice much difference vs running it really shallow.

[3rdgen.maple]

Actually I wish I could remember who did the study, but years ago there was a study on exactly this and it was determined then that the more equal you could keep the head pressure the better your evaporator worked. I am assumig by not having to change the float much means that you must have to change it some and my system lets Ron Popiel do it by setting it and forgetting it. LOL

Ahhh see i threw a a twist in there Jerry that I didnt explain. When I said I dont change the float much what I was referring to was when my dad gets a chance to boil once in awhile I reset the float to run a deeper pan. But and I say but cause the more Im thinking about this The float really never stops letting sap in it is always trickling, not because it leaks but because it is replenishing the boiled of water. Been almost a year since I fired it up last but it will be yet just another thing on the list to see what happens. But truly I really never adjust it other than when dad takes over and then yet again when I take over but I boil 90% of the time. Maybe floats have just progressed for the better since the study.

[Polish Wizard]

Like Dr. Frankenstein, I'm bringing old stuff back to life with this old thread.
My current (and soon to be replaced) arch and buffet pan method has me draining sap from a 55-gallon drum and tipping it when I want to get the last drop.

I'll be stepping into a SMALL divided pan with a float box (SL Dauntless), and I've been spending a lot of time pondering and looking for suggestions on a good size for a head tank (and an easy-to-clean one at that), and the proper elevation above the float box to not exceed the valve's shut-off capability due to head pressure.

With water adding .43356 psi / foot elevation, I don't know how drastically sap would differ --- and what psi would be too much for a float box to fully shut off flow.
Obviously, "elevation" would also be added based on the filled height of you choice of head tank, as well as where it sits above your float box.

So far this thread and others have me reconsidering a 35+ gallon head tank and possibly downsizing, and using a pump placed in my current 55-gallon barrel for bulk storage to feed it.
I like some of the postings about what to use and how to install a float switch. Great stuff.

For now, what 110vAC pump is normally used for this purpose?
I'd like one that can be easily lifted from my drum as I need to fully empty and/or clean it, and not a permanent installation.

[Pdiamond]

I would believe a small 30 to 50 gallon head tank located above the float box would feed it just fine. You wouldn't need a pump as it would gravity feed.

[buckeye gold]

You don't need your head tank very high at all, mine is only a few inches higher and works fine. If Smokey lake float boxes haven't changed there are multiple setting you can use that will work with whatever you have. I didn't room to go high in my shack so I built a platform along the wall and originally cut a hole in a 55 gallon drum laid on it's side and then plumbed it to my float box. I now have a 70 gallon horizontal tank. Best to put a bulkhead fitting in the very bottom so you can completely drain it. As to size, for a small hobby guy it's nice to have enough volume to hold a days run. It gets old pumping sap every little bit. As to pumps, there are a lot on Amazon. Pick a pump that can pump the height you need and volume you want that is at least drinking water safe.

[DrTimPerkins]

The amount of head you need (from your feed tank) depends somewhat on your evaporator sap feed float. Some require just a little -- some require a lot. Some are more finicky than others and need some pressure, but not too much. Trial and error to some degree, but no doubt that having gravity flow from your head tank to your evaporator is a lot easier to deal with than pumping or constantly refreshing your head tank somehow.