vac. question????????

[cpmaple]

Putting in a small vac pump its 2.7cfm its only gonna be on 50 taps +/-. My question is do i have to have a releaser in that setup or can i hook my half inch main line right into the pump and discharge into my holding tank. Thanks for any response new to vac didnt plan on vac this season but fellow trader has a good price and dont want to pass it up thanks cpmaple

[cpmaple]

Please put this in the right place i didnt notice the vacuum section thanks cpmaple

[Littlesap]

This is my first year with vac, small scale, and I love it. When I was thinking it through last year, I looked at traditional set ups but went with something smaller and self contained.

With the traditional rig, you need the pump (sounds like you have that) which you can pick up on e-bay for $150-$300, a releaser - the smallest I could find was about $550 and then the tank. I had a tank but it would not accommodate a releaser so I would have had to pick up another one. Right when I was running these numbers and thinking I was stuck with gravity, I went to the CT maple conference and saw a set up that included an 85 gallon tank capable of withstanding pressure (eliminating the need for a releaser) and a vac pump for much less than the cost of a traditional set up. Now the limiting factor here is the tank... at 85 gallons, you can only put ~50 taps on it, else you'll be emptying it more than once a day but for me that worked perfectly.

Run your numbers, if you have the trees/landscape configuration to grow into a traditional set up then go that route. If not I can give you the name/number for the guy that built mine.

[Brent]

I think if there was a vacuum pump out there that could handle sap without a releaser, we'd all be using them.

Don't even think about trying again.

[collinsmapleman2012]

they do make a sap puller pump, no releaser needed, goodrich maple sells them, they are good for small operations and pull pretty decent

[Brent]

You're right, this is peristaltic pump, aka sap sucker or
hose pump.

They work pretty well up to 17-18 inches but most folks abandoned them because the hose is horribly expensive. It takes a hose with very strong memory to spring back to round after the rollers crush it... thousands and thousands of times a day. We found we had to put in a new section of hose about every 3 - 4 days. I was quoted prices of nearly $100 a foot and you need about 3 feet per go.

The trademarked one call "Sap Sucker" is long gone, but you can occasionally find used ones.

PS they don't like ice so you have to wait until the whole line has thawed.

[wiam]

Brent, the sap puller that collons is talking about is a diaphram pump, but it does not like ice either

william

[batsofbedlam]

I have an old sapsucker pump that I bought years ago, and worked well. I also have a good size length of the tubing that lasted me an entire season when I was using it. I think its a silicon tubing and states on the package: Not to be used for implants.
Anyway, its all for sale if anyone is interested.

[justin]

on my tubbing I have some full and some with bubbles some moving slow and some moving fast is their a leak?

[len]

on my tubbing I have some full and some with bubbles some moving slow and some moving fast is their a leak?

From what the experienced have posted, the fast bubbles are typically due to an air leak. I believe it, because I've seen you tube videos of non vented/ vented sap ladders.

[Bruce L]

We have a Sihi wet pump,no releaser.There is a Honda gas motor on it,the sap comes right into one side of the pump and is pumped out the other side right into the holding tank,and it maintains 22-25" of vacuum

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Use a Diagrham pump, "spa sucker" is what goodrich sells I think. 12v equal to a 90w light bulb. go on you tube type it in. No releaser needed