sap lift ?

[ctjim]

i'm setting up a small bush (100 taps or less for now)on vac and since i don't have very much slope to work with about 1% or less i'm thinking i may need to install a sap lift or ladder to bring the sap to the holding tank. it would only need to lift about 2-ft at the most. i have 2 vac pumps available to use 1 is a diaphram pump and the other is a very old delaval milk pump currently being rebuilt, and waiting on a few parts that i'm not sure are available any more. i was wondering if the single diaphram pump would be able to lift the sap that much, i know it doesn't build very much psi so i think it may cause problems.

[maple flats]

Any pump can lift that much as long as you have enough CFM. In your case 1 cfm/100 + allowance for leaks. The 2' lift will use very little vac level. Such a small sap ladder would take some rather sophisticated test gauges to see any loss. Either pump will work.
Many diaphram pumps are designed to run the liquid right thru it. So a diaphram pump after your last tap into the main line, just plumb into suction and plumb the out side to push sap to the tank. No sap ladder needed. You will however want to insulate the pump because ice in the diaphrams can destroy them.

[Haynes Forest Products]

First you say you have 1% slope......how far is the run? 1% slope over 10 ft is way different than 1,000 ft I have runs in my woods that very over the 1,500 run grater than 1%. I would put a small dry vane vacuum pump on the releaser and call it good. Every vacuum system I have seen has to rise up to get into a releaser that causes a higher rise. What are you using as a releaser?

[ctjim]

the run is in the 300-400ft range i have yet to pace it off. still in the thinning/flagging stage. the diaphram pump doesn't require a releaser it can be plumbed directly to the tank. if i use the delaval i will be using an old glass jar bender type that came along w/ the pump. if need be i was also considering digging a small pit for my tank to give some extra leeway.

[maple flats]

Either will work. at 100 taps a new releaser purchase could not be justified. If you expand to where the Bender can't do it, then you might be ready for a hobby releaser. Watch for them in our classifieds. When you see one act quickly if the time to get one is here, because they go quickly.