Booster Fittings Freezing ?

[unc23win]

Hey has anyone had any trouble with booster fittings freezing? I just got 2 boosters for next year. I got 2 6"x24" boosters from leader. The top hole for the dry line is 2" and the bottom hole for the wet line is 1 1/2". I am planning on using bushings to adapt down to 1" then use a combination elbow into my 1" mainline. Anyone had trouble with freezing? I figure this way there is only one clamp on each.

[Jeff E]

If you install them so they always drain, you should have no problem. Having a booster combined with a lift, so there is usually sap sitting in the bottom is a recipe for kerboom, frozen and broken. I have One of these in a pump house, that I have to keep above freezing, or have the drain side of it open (vac off) so sap can run out.

I have quit using booster/manifolds to run a main line off of my wet/dry lines. I do it all with tubing now. Much less maint issues.

[unc23win]

IC so do you just connect your wet and dry line with a small loop? I was thinking about making mine so it drop down a little to allow for better drainage away from the fittings.

[Jeff E]

Mainline connects directly to wet line. About 5' upsteam on the mainline, I have a vacuum gauge, then at about 4', there is a shut off valve. Then at 3', there is a 'T' fitting, but the angle of the T is 45 deg, not 90. The 45 deg leg is pointed up, and connects to the dry line. I run the mainline wire between the wet and dry lines, so there is good slope to drain the mainline and any sap that is in the dry line can run down the short connector between the dry line and mainline, then into the wet line.

The gauge and valve make it very easy to locate leaks in the system. For example, at the releaser I have valves on each line going into the releaser, so if I find the W/D line has leak somewhere, I walk the W/D line, shutting off mainline valves and watch the gauge. If vac drops quickly, I know there is leak on that line, and I go fix it. On my system of 2500 trees, 2 releasers, 3 W/D lines and about 33 mainlines, I think if I had one leak, I could isolate it and find it in about 10 minutes.

I need to update my photos, so the tubing set up described above is clearly visible. Not sure it it on photobucket yet...