Vacuum transfer

[Wanabe1972]

Hi Folks, I am new to vacuum this year and have a question. This morning it got above freezing and I fired up the vacuum for the first time. My main line comes in from the bush to a single pipe sap ladder that goes up 10 feet and then tavels about 80 feet directly to my releaser on a down hill slope. I pulled a tap near the releaser when I started up and it had about 14 inches of vacuum and the releaser has 16. This is the problem as sap started to enter the releaser the guage dropped to about 4 inches of vacuum at the tap. Could this be because the ladder is not transfering the vacuum or the fact that slush was coming into the releaser? I could easily turn this single pipe ladder into a two pipe ladder but wanted some input before I did. Also when this vacuum was low I went to the ladder and opened up the valve at the down hill end of the line and it had good vacuum there. Could this just be frozen up still? Thanks Jeff

[tuckermtn]

I would guess you had a slug of frozen stuff in there...check it again on a 40 deg. day with good sun.

[Wanabe1972]

Thanks for the responce. I was hoping this was going to be the problem. I work nights 7pm to 7am and was not going to get to work on this until sat morning and the weather is supposed to be warm. I want to flip the pump on and go to bed and maybe get enough to sugar the pans Sat night.

[sapman]

I had ice near the releaser this morning on one line. Nothing happened at the ladder. Soon it cleared and all was good.

[Haynes Forest Products]

As long as things were moving into the releaser be it slush sap or gases the system is working. You really have so many variables when some areas are flowing others are frozen and slush is getting pushed down the line by the outside atmosphere. All it takes is a small ice dam to clog it up and its a waiting game. We all have turned on a almost frozen hose and sat around waiting for the stream then a trickle and then little clear turds flying out the hose and then nothing then out they fly to full stream.

[Wanabe1972]

Thanks for the good advice. Today I ran the vacuum as it was 44 degrees and all seems to be good. I have 16 inches at the pump and 15 at the releaser. I checked a tap at the end of a main line and had 10 with a small trickle was coming into the releaser. I started to walk around and found several good size leaks. After repairs I have 12 to 13 at that same tap. I am going to try and turn the vacuum up a bit but was wondering what a safe level would be on a Surge alamo 50? What should I try to get for vacuum at the tap? This is an old milking system that is limited by a preset regulator. I modified a blow off valve they were scraping at work to work on vacuum and it is adjustable from 0 to 29 inches. I will hook this in line and disable the milking setup.
Thanks for any input!!