How far can vac pump be from releaser?

[TroutBrookSH]

My planned location for vacuum pump and releaser is 300-400 ft from a power source. I was planning to put a generator in the woods to power the vacuum. I read on another post that running vacuum line is cheaper and almost as effective as running power to the pump. Does it make sense to keep the vacuum close to the power and run 1" vacuum hose to the releaser?

[maplecrest]

i have one woods that i am transfering vac 1600 feet. need a good moisture trap at the releaser or you will get moisture in the vac transfer line.that will shut your vac down. and you will have to shut vac off at source and drain the vac line and start all over again. other than that works great.the more valves the better.

[nymapleguy607]

As long as you size your dry line correctly, I think that is one of the best ways to go. It saves having power hooked up or having to buy gas.

[Meridian Maples]

Maplecrest, when you say that a good moisture trap at the releaser, what kind are you using? I just set a woods that I'm running a dry line approx 1800' and its all up hill from the releaser to the vacuum pump. Approx rise of 50' or more. I wired up the dry-line so if the vacuum is off any moisture should run towards the releaser, at least I hope. Do you think moisture is going to be a problem for me?

[poolguy]

ive got the same question here......with a twist. my collection tank is about 600 ft from the shack and is at the lowest point in the woods. the shack is aproximently 40 to 50 ft higher. if i run 1 1/4 to the tank/releaser i will run it down the main line. my question is can i use it like a dry line too or do i have to run the vac line to the tank and then run another line back up right beside the line from the pump? seems like i could kill 2 birds with one stone here but not sure.

[Monster Maples]

Maplecrest, when you say that a good moisture trap at the releaser, what kind are you using? I just set a woods that I'm running a dry line approx 1800' and its all up hill from the releaser to the vacuum pump. Approx rise of 50' or more. I wired up the dry-line so if the vacuum is off any moisture should run towards the releaser, at least I hope. Do you think moisture is going to be a problem for me?

Moisture traps are an insurance policy. When your releaser malfunctions and moisture gets past it and sucked right to the pump makes for costly repairs, and down time. Few guys on here have used whole house filters and put a ball inside. When it fills with the sap that gets past the releaser it pushes the ball up and shuts the vac off and prevents moisture from getting to your pump. You can make one out of pvc too.

[Meridian Maples]

I always thought you would put the moisture trap at the vacuum pump versus the releaser?

[Monster Maples]

Doesn't really matter as long as it is between the releaser and the vac pump. In my opinion.

[Brian Ryther]

Put the moisture trap at the releaser. Like Maplecrest said, you want to keep moisture out of the dry line from the pump to the releaser. It is also important to slope the vac supply line and keep it sag free. If you do get moisture in the line you want it to drain out and not puddle. A slug of sap will reduce vac levels and when it freezes it will completly block all vacuum. It can slope towards the pump (if it is a liquid ring) or the releaser it does not matter. Mine has a high point in the middle and slopes in bolth directions.

[maplecrest]

using your dry line will work until your wet line freezes and you have sap in the dry line. the sap is going to get turbulant and some will head toward pump and start to fill line. you need a vac only line, with a moisture trap at the releaser. so no sap can go up vac line. last year i had 1600 feet of 1 -1/2 vac line with a moisture trap at releaser. the trap filled with water and with pulling 28 inches still filled the lower part of that line with sap. crushing the ball in trap when the releaser failed to trip once.

[Brent]

The length really doesn't matter much. There's almost zero line loss because once you've sucked most of the air out there's nothing left to cause loss.

Our lines go 900 ft to the first releaser, then splits 350 to the second and 600 to the third. Once we're up an running they all read the same. All this with a little 3/4 Hp GAST vac pump and 1" black tube.

[kiegscustoms]

What about condensation in the vac line? If you have the moisture trap at the releaser wouldn't any condensation in the line go right into your pump? This is my first year with vac but I put the moisture trap at the pump 500' away and uphill. This thread has me thinking maybe 2 moisture traps?:confused:

[metalhead62]

hey brent i read somewhere u were going to put 2 of those 1023 in a series are u going to run both to a manifold or how r u going to connect them together my thought is both to a common manifold with a checkvalve in each line?

[Brent]

Metalhead These I am going to run parallel. Last year I mentioned that I might put my high pressure blowers in series, but never did it.

[Brent]

Keigscustoms

Last year I put a T on the vac line about 4 feet from the vac pump. Turned it down and put a foot of hose, then a ball valve, hoping that if any moisture came up the long pipe, that it would trickle down the T.

I never got 1 drop of condensation, but if there was any, it could have evaporated in the 900 foot trip up the tube from the first releaser.

[treefinder]

not to get off the subject, but i was curious , maplecrest i was looking at your picks and the steam off your front pan is thick as heck did you have the heat on in there ? if i turn the salamander on in the sugar house the steam changes instantly i mean its so thick you can cut it with a knife.

[jfroe939]

Brent - Is there any shot you could post a few pictures of your setup with the Gast pumps? Do you remember approximately what you paid for them and how/where you acquired them? What drawbacks (if any) did you experience with them? I'm not on vacuum yet and I'm trying to figure out whether to go with an old dairy setup or something pretty compact like one of these small rotary pumps. I don't have many trees so that's why I like the idea. Do they interact with your releaser any different than a dairy pump would? I don't know of anyone that has one of these so I guess I'm skeptical at first of them. I'd like to know the in's and outs of them a little more by someone who's used one. And secondly, assuming I would want one - what price should I be looking at? There were a few I saw starting around $150. Thanks for your feedback. Jason

[maplecrest]

i would say it was cold out that day. since have insulated the sugar house and changed evap. but under that front pan was two oil guns blasting and that pan danced with high evaporation rates and heavy steam most of the time.that is one reason i changed rigs.

[backyardsugarer]

Greg,

The long dryline would work fine but you need power down at your tank for the well pump. Either way you have to run electic to your tank so you may as well put your vac pump down in the valley too.

Chris

[TroutBrookSH]

Chris, You are right, still need to get the sap up hill! I like the convenience and the piece of mind of having the vac pump close to the house though. Would make it easier for the homeowner and his family to watch over it for me without having to go to the 'bush. I'd also only need the generator running it the woods when there's definite volume to be pumping with some frequency.

Greg

[Brent]

Jason
This link has a picture.
http://www.gastmfg.com/rotaryvane.html
There are slight differences depending on whose motor Gast was fitting.

I am not the only one on the forum using these. I think Haynes runs one. There may be others.

I can't see any downside to them. They are compact, maintenance free and designed for continuous use. I leave the exhaust port wide open and just put an elbow on top with a barbed insert for the 1" pipe.

From memory I got sucessful bids on eBay at around $200. - $225. There were some there on Buy-It-Now listings at $ 400. There isn't much time before the season starts. If the vanes are toast, I think I found repair kits were about $ 95. You won't live long enough to wear out a set using it for maple.

Effect on the releaser - nothing.

Just make sure you put a ball valve on the hose near the pump. Close the valve ... Then shut off. If you don't the vac will cause the pump to spin backwards which is not good for the vanes.

[michiganfarmer2]

Mine is half mile away. My woods is at the back of our 80 acres. Our sap house is at the front. Im sure this is theoretically possible, but what are your opinions about having the pump so far away? What size pipe should I use?