sap line connection to releaser

[bigtreemaple]

This year I installed cam lock couplers to connect wet and dry lines to the releaser. I am having trouble building enough vac, even when the valves to the woods closed. I think some of the problem is the piston on the releaser and I have ordered a O ring kit, but could the cam lock couplers also be part of the problem? I can't seem to figure out what is leaking!

[mapleack]

Doubtful, but possible. If the leak is that big you should be able to hear it. Slowly move your hand around to see if the sound changes. Spraying water onto suspected leak areas with vac turned on can help narrow it down too.

[danno]

Do you have a vac guage on the pump and the releaser? Just wondering how many inch. of vacuum you are losing between pump and releaser. What's the distance between the pump and releaser?

I have cam locks into my releaser - I have no vac loss there. I did have a leak where the sap lines enter the back of the releaser. I was getting ice on the inside of the releaser where the sap pipe enters.

I took a spray bottle with water and sprayed it all over the releaser. Where there were leaks, the vac pulled the spray from the bottle into the releaser through the leak. My releaser is only 15' from my pump and I was losing an inch of vac and I could hear the hiss. If you have a hiss, someone recommended putting some sap tube to your ear and move it around the releaser to try to figure out which fitting it was coming from. Good luck.

[bigtreemaple]

Thank you both for the suggestions. I have a vac gauge at the releaser and the pump sits only about 8 feet away and has 1.5" sch 40 pipe for the transfer. I have tried pouring water from a bottle on joints but I will try the spray bottle idea also. I borrowed a stethescope to try and locate the leaks but it did not help as much as I thought it would. Glad to hear that otheeres are using cam locks in that application also, I was worried I had done the wrong thing..... again.