homemade vacuum plans / manual hobo vacuum?

[royalmaple]

Has anyone tried to make a manual vacuum to pump your lines?

Just curious if anyone has tried with any success?

My lines are not all inter connected and power is not at each collection station, but it would be neat to go to each spot and vacuum the lines. Unless it would be something that you would have to do all day to get anything, then it would not make sense.

I have about zero knowledge on a vacuum system, so bear with me.

How much do the normal systems cost and are there any that are portable?

[maplehound]

You need to usnderstand that we don't vaccuume the lines to keep them clear and empty but to lower the ambiant pressure at the tap hole so the sap flows more freely form the tree ( we suck it out) Just vaccuuming it ones or twice a day for a few minutes wouldn't get you more sap just more out of the lines for a couple minutes. If you want to do that then you should open the far end of you lines and let some air in so they empty quickly. You have to let something in to get something out, weather it be air or sap.
Ron

[royalmaple]

Ron-

Thanks, so ultimately you would need all taps and main lines interconnected and running to one location (sugar shack) and vacuum from there at one point?

[maplehound]

Yes in my woods I use a 300 gal zero bulk milk tank that I can vaccuume/ Then I run my lines out from it. I put on about 700 taps into that tank and run a 1/2hp deep well pump in the bottom of the tank that pumps down a long 1" line to a 550 gal hauling tank. This keeps the 300 gal tank from over flowing and I can run a constant vaccuum without shutting it down to empty it.
Ron

[brookledge]

royal maple
you asked how much vacuum systems cost and are they portable. You need to know how many taps there would be all together to properly size a releaser and the size of the vacuum pump. There are many ways to power the vacuum pump, you could use propane,gasoline,or diesel other than electricity. Ideally it is best to run as many taps to one location as possible so that you need fewer releasers although 1 vacuum pump can run moere than one releaser.
You will need to provide more info for us to help determine if it is practical for you.
Keith

[royalmaple]

Keith-

thanks, I think it is a pipe dream, but who knows about the future.

My land is pretty flat, although I have either created pitch, or found areas of trees that are pitched already. So I have set up small areas of tubing, 5/16 to 3/4 main line into trash cans. The most I have running in one area right now is about 30ish taps which could be over 300 feet from furthest tap to final collection can.

Some are only 150-200 or so feet in total length. Still only having about 25-30 taps on a system.

I think I am doing it right based on what makes sense to me and speaking to others. In order to run one main line from end to end on my property it would be about 2000 feet long and I would need to start probably 30 feet up in a tree at the end of my property to get pitch to the front.

At times I wonder if my mini systems are overkill? I hear of other running only 5/16 line and picking up 50+ taps all t'd together y'd etc into a collection tank. Cost wise it seems this would be easier but practically I don't know enough to say this is right or wrong. I don't mind spending some money once to hopefully have something that is done right and will last a while.

Thoughts?

[maplehound]

Becarfull with those trash cans, some have pesticides inbeded in the plastic. I to used them when I first strated to holdmy sap but then found used milk tank a better solution. I know most pay $1 per gallon for them but i have never paid more than $150 for any of mine and ussually only $50 for them. the key is to go to an auction and find those that are smaller and most farmers don't want them, Or find the ones that the freon lines are leaking then they are only good for scrap to most farmers. They will ussually go cheaper as long as there arn't any other maple guys looking for them.
You don't say where your from. Most maples grow where there is well drained soil so there is ussually at least some natural pitch to the land. Although it isn't always in the right direction. Try to work with the natural slop and keep you main lines at about 2 feet of fall for every 100 feet. If there tight it will eventually get to where youwnat it.
Ron

[royalmaple]

Thanks,

Actually I have slope but varies in sections, that is why I was setting up mini areas, working with the slope in that particular spot.

My soil is about 99% clay, but they are here and growing.

I am up in Buxton, Maine (southern maine).

What cans are the pesticides in? I have never heard that before.

[maplehound]

I am not sure what cans have the pesticides in but I was told at one of the maple shows about it. It soes make sense that they would be treated with it, to keep the bugs down around them.
when you use plastic containers though they should always be of food grade. After all we are producing a food product, and the evapration process condenses all the impurities as well as the sugar in the sap.
Ron

[brookledge]

Many times plastic garbage cans can be made from recylced plastic but would think that even if the plastic had hazardous materials previously that when it is made into a new container that it is clean.
Otherwise I've never heard of new containers being treated with pesticides.
royal maple
it sounds like for what you have your current setup is your best for now. 2000 feet is alot of mainline and you don't have enough taps to make it feasable
Good luck
Keith