freezing a double mechanical releaser?

[lew]

What are you guys doing with double mechanical releasers at the end of the daywhen it is going to freeze at night? Are you just letting the pump run all night and let the relaser freeze up hard? Or do you shut off the vacuum when the trees are froze up tight and then letting the sap out of the releaser? I am wondering if anybody has had a problem with the releaser filling half way up,freezing solid and breaking something, or the releaser not working correctly when the sap starts running the next time.

[danno]

I had my single mechanical freeze halfway up the other day, and I did not realize how much ice was in the releaser. I'm glad I watched it when I first started the vacuum, cause she would have definetly started backing up to the pump. It was a pain to clear the ice as there was so much in the releaser.

When I now turn off the vacuum during a heard freeze, I'm just bungieing the flap open to allow any sap to run through the releaser unitl the next time I run vacuum. We'll see how that works.

[Meridian Maples]

We always run the vacuum pump till it all freezes up, only because I've got an electrical releaser hooked on the same vacuum pump as my mechanical. I usually shut the vacuum off when the sap starts slushing up. I have had my mechanical releaser really freeze up because I didn't catch the sap slushing up right away. When I went to start up the vacuum the next day I didn't check the mech releaser and Ice prevented the releaser from working correctly. It filled up with sap, and I got a ton of sap in my dry line to the releaser. If you get a bunch of ice in the releaser you better check that nothing is blocked off when you start it up.

[maplecrest]

many time i have put the releaser on the front seat of my truck to thaw it out, enough to get the block of ice out. if you check your releasers at night with pump on just dump each side to make sure they are empty. but that does not always work sometimes one side still gets a little. i put a valve between the releaser and pump on vac line and shut that, but you need to release some vac at the pump. nash pumps have a 3rd valve on the front to open for that reason.

[michiganfarmer2]

I havent used one before. I just bought one, waiting for it to be shipped to me. My plan is to shut the vacuum off, and open the drains for the night.

IM sure it iwl be a learnign experience

[Typical8]

Yup. When the slush starts coming shut it down. But you uasally never get there in time so it will be 1/2 full of slush. Then it is important the next day to babysit it on start up till its cleaned out and the floats won't hang up.

[Brian Ryther]

Let the vac run all night. Right into hard freeze. In the am well before things get un thawed do like maplecrest and put it in the truck, or I like to take the tub home and run it under hot water. It is a good oppertunity to clean it and thaw it out at the same time.

[Haynes Forest Products]

If dumping the tanks do it buy operating the arm on the top. Doing it this way will not slam the inside flappers and floats. I have never had my tanks freeze up only slush in the manifold.

[lew]

thanks for replies. I couldn't see it being any other way, but I have heard that some guys just let them freeze up at night and jsut start them in the morning. I thought this had to be bunk, but I let it get the best of me and had to ask.

[Amber Gold]

The other day I found my vac. line had frozen. PITA that was because I had to go to work and couldn't fix it. I lost that days sap and most of the second days. Fortunately yesterday it got warm enough to thaw the sap out so I shut the vac. off and drained it out. I'll now be installing a moisture trap at the releaser so this doesn't happen again. I thought with the little ball in the releaser that a moisture trap wasn't need, but I guess not.

I also didn't realize that mechanical releasers needed to be babysat so much so I'll be making a daily trip on my way to work to make sure the releasers not frozen. I have a water cooled LR pump so it needs to run 24/7, otherwise I'd install a temp. switch so the releaser would drain. This morning I made the mistake of opening the releaser too quickly and it sucked in a bunch of air and blew the cover off so I got covered in sap. Put it back together and all seems to work fine. Oops.

[maplecrest]

josh put a 1/4 turn valve between the releaser and the pump. shut the valve before essing with the releaser. you may need to add another vave to releave vac so pump does not work so hard when messing with releaser.unless there is a 3rd valve on front of pump

[Amber Gold]

That's a good idea. It's one of the mistakes I made when I plumbed the releaser is not installing a valve at the releaser. I'm taking a whole house water filter housing and making a moisture trap out of it...I'm pretty sure it'll have a bleed button on it and I can use that to drain off vac. if needed.

[mapleack]

Josh, not sure how the bleeder button works, but I've tried and it won't break vacuum. Also, be sure that if your water filter is mounted tight to the releaser that it doesn't shake when the releaser dumps. I've got one like that and the shake will bounce the racquet ball up, sealing it off even though its dry. Also, if you're not already, get a spray can of food grade silicone and keep the float rod lubed up to cut down on the freeze ups. Good luck.

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for the heads up. I was watching the releaser dump the other day and surprised at how much the vac. line shakes. I have silicone for the float rod.