Vacuum for a small bush

[Farmboy]

I want to put my woods that has 90 taps on vacuum. I have a gravity tubing setup already that I put in anticipating putting on vacuum. What do I need to set up a vacuum system on such a small woods (pump, releaser, mosture trap, ect). What should I look for for a used pump and releaser?

[PARKER MAPLE]

Get in touch with 3rdgen, he has a couple gast vacuum pumps and a glass releaser. this would be a great setup for that many taps.
Maple Rookie

[500592]

Farm boy try to find a gast 1550 and a bender releaser

[Daren]

I am certainly not a professional in woods set up, but there are several considerations when doing this. If it is straight up cost...the cheapest I think you can set up for would be an old massport super type dairy pump that has decent pressure.....if you can find one for $250 or so that will pull 18 inches...jump on it. The drawbacks are noise and exhaust. If these woods are around the house, electric will at least keep the engine noise and exhaust out. If woods are close to electric...then electric releaser will do....smallest one out there will work. Never seen the glass ones you see people mention on here....so not sure on price or function there. I hear some can be had for about $350. To go with mechanical releaser, you are talking more. You can make your own moisture trap out of a 4 inch Schedule 30 pipe. On 90 taps or so, if you are going to pump out daily, you can dump the small amount that is in there. If your releaser fails, it will not give you complete protection, but my particular present set up has about 80 ft of head on the vac line and only pulls 18inches. Ive had my mechanical releaser stay open when it failed...only out x hours of sap (which still frosts your cookies)! Never seen it fail with vac heading all the way back to the pump. A buddy of mine did twice in one season and had to break it apart and clean it all out and relubricate! Not sure I ever want to see that. I think that is also why some guys have two of them. Sugar season is only 6 weeks or so on average so several days down in the middle of a nice run will absolutely kill you.

I gotta think you are not in this for the money...like me...but want a nice setup because it is just a great way to welcome spring and really make something sweet...literally and figuratively. Sounds like you are gonna have a nice thing going and WOW...even a little vac will nearly triple the output of those 90 trees and you will be boiling alot more than before. That evap will need that much sap just to let you run it. If I had my druthers...I would eat it and get a vac pump with no oil exhaust (reclaimer would be much better, but still not great cause there is still that oder in the yard.). way bigger investment but well worth it over the long haul. This sickness will cost you some bling.....but what you do with and around it is priceless. From being alone with your thoughts, to hanging with great family and Friends....to walk a few lines in the corn snow. Sure is nice. Not sure this helped, but just my long winded input having been there.

[wiam]

On that few taps I would go with the smallest Sap Puller, it is a diaphragm pump no releaser needed.

[500592]

For my vac setup I have 160 in everything

[Daren]

What do you have set up 500? The pricetag looks pretty attractive!

[500592]

No this year I will have 100 on it and I think the bender I have could handle three hundred I don't really know the max but it dumps a gallon in a second or 2 out of a four or five in hole.

[Farmboy]

My dad had a diaphram vacuum pump that will pull 25.5 inches of vacume and 1.1 cfm so it will be just enough for my woods. I just need a releaser now. The pump has a moisture trap on it.

[500592]

There is a big bender on eBay that would work good it's at 150 I just bought another one for 20 bucks including shipping