Sap in Vac. Line

[Amber Gold]

Earlier this week, I got sap in my vac. line which froze and took a while to thaw out. I got it drained and hooked it back up and it ran fine for a couple of days until I got sap in their again. Does anyone know why? I'm pretty sure the releaser hasn't hung up because I've been checking it in the morning and it's been fine, so I don't know where all the moisture's coming from. I'm figuring I have a gallon plus in the vac. line frozen. This lower section of the line I didn't string on wire...ran out of time, so there are dips between each tree it's hanging from.

This weekend I will be installing a moisture trap and stringing the vac. line on wire, but if this isn't going to fix the problem, I want to know what will. Aside from the sags in the vac. line, I haven't set this releaser up any different than in the past and up until this week, I haven't had any issues.

Thanks

[Haynes Forest Products]

What happens on the tubing side of the releaser should stay on the tubing side. Now it sounds like a small amout is building up in the line from moisture laden air. If your getting a gallon per day that freezes than make a trap that will hold 5 gallons. Easy to do with 6" PVC and some fittings.

[Amber Gold]

Strung the vac. line tight on Saturday and drained it yesterday and installed the moisture trap at the releaser. This morning the moisture trap got 1/2 gal of sap in it in 15 hrs...doesn't seem right. There's still some sap in the vac. line because I can hear it moving and it was partially frozen this morning. Also my woods are tight, but I'm only getting 24", so sap must be slowing vac. transfer.

Any other ideas what's going on?

[Beans Maple]

Are you sure it is sap in the line? It sounds to me like you are just getting condensation/moisture in the line. I have had a similar problem in the past. The longer your vacuum line from the pump to the releaser is, the more water you will get built up in it. I put a homemade canister/booster at my releaser that stands vertical. When I shut my pump off I open the valve to quickly relieve all the vaccum. The water in the lines runs down to the cannister and at some point when I go to the tank, whether the pump is on or off(I close the valve at the releaser if it's on), I just open the bottom and let the water run out.

[Amber Gold]

This weekend's a blur, but yes I believe I tasted it and it was sweet.

I've been thinking on this some more. The start of the season it was fine. There was enough runs and cold weather that if I got sap in the vac. line, it'd frozen before last week. At some point, I lubed the float rod and pulled the plunger assembly out and lubed it as well...I don't remember if this was before/after I started having problems. Also, at some point I blew the top off the releaser due to a sudden influx of air...my fault. I don't remember if this was before/after I started getting sap in my line, but I think it was after.

After considering the above, what could've been put back together incorrectly or happened to it, which would make it suck sap into the vac. line? From what I can tell, the releaser's tripping fine. I've watched it cycle a number of times and everything looks good.

Thanks

[Amber Gold]

I think I may have found the problem and want to run it by you guys. Watching the releaser trip yesterday, I noticed when it untrips and re-introduces vacuum into the system there is a splash of sap up to the top of the can near the vacuum inlet. My thought is the vac. is sucking up some of this splash. Has anyone noticed this before? I have a single vertical Lapierre releaser. I haven't noticed this before, but wasn't looking for it either. If it's not supposed to splash, how do I fix it?

Thanks

[mapleack]

I have seen that! Didn't think anything of it but now I'll have to!

[Dave Y]

If sap is getting sucked into you vac transfer line and you have a liquid ring pump it will not hurt the pump. However it could lay in the line and freeze. you need a moisture trap.

[Amber Gold]

Dave, after having it freeze in the vac. line twice now, I've installed a moisture trap at the releaser, which so far seems to be helping.

If it matters, I'm running 24-27" of vac...depending on the day. I don't think this matters, but maybe it's making it cycle harder??

[danno]

Josh - I have the same releaser, same vac levels and mine does the same. Mine was actually not even releasing the other day until the sap was just about up to the vac line. Washed it down and now it's dumping lower, but still splashing high. My pump is LR, so I'm not too concenred about it and vac line is 1 1/2 pvc pitched to the the pump, so no sap is sitting/freezing in the line.

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

JOSH
how much sap is in the small chamber when vac re-opens it to the big chamber.
my thought is it to much and splashing big time

[sapman]

I have a double-vertical Bernard, and sometimes when it releases some sap gets sucked into the vac line. Worse when there's ice/slush involved. Liquid ring, so no problem there, but it does cause quite a bit of foaming, which uses up cooling liquid eventually.

[Amber Gold]

I spoke to Lapierre today and asked them about my sap in vac. line problem. He said the two main causes are if the ball can't seat properly against the PVC vac. pipe (say it's cracked or something), then it'll suck sap by...will check this out this weekend. He said the other common problem is the float rod is bent. Last weekend when I was lubricating the moving parts, I noticed the float road is bent...it trips fine, but have noticed sometimes it will get over full before it trips, but then trip fine the next time. A new float rod is $15 and will be getting a new one of those. Hopefully this is the problem.

[Uncle Tucker]

Josh I have seen that happen on my old releaser. I pitched my vac line so the sap would run back in the releaser. Even if it dosent splash the air seams to have a fog when the air rushes in when it dumps. So I would put a trap in line and on the bottom and put a check valve, when you shut the vac off it drains it's self.

[802maple]

Josh, Is your rod stainless or aluminum. If you have choice get the stainless one, to put it bluntly the aluminum one sucks.

[Amber Gold]

Jerry, didn't know I had a choice when I called them. They sent me the aluminum one. I pulled my old one out and it had a real good bend in it. I agree, stainless is much better and with the money you pay for them, you'd think it'd come stock...can't cost that much more than the aluminum. Hopefully now it works better.

[Amber Gold]

Ever since I installed the new float rod, there hasn't been more than a few drops in the moisture trap...problem solved.

[Maplewalnut]

Josh- how much of a 'bend' did you have. Of course I am asking because mine has a little bend towards the bottom. I noticed it get hung up once until their was enough sap to lift the float past the bend with a little more pressure.

[Amber Gold]

My bend was up near the top...guessing near where it comes out of the top of the can because it was a few inches down from the top of the rod...it had about a 1/4" bend in it. When I started having the problems, the bend wasn't that noticeable, but when things got real bad just before I replaced it, you could tell just by looking at it inside the releaser that it was bent.