vacuum taps?

[spencer11]

i am trying to set up 120 taps on vacuum next year. it will be my first vacuum system, what type of taps work best? i have some gravity tubing on stubbys. do they work best with vac to? or should i use the health spouts? or the seasonal one?

spencer

[Greenwich Maple Man]

i am trying to set up 120 taps on vacuum next year. it will be my first vacuum system, what type of taps work best? i have some gravity tubing on stubbys. do they work best with vac to? or should i use the health spouts? or the seasonal one?

spencer

Spencer I've tried alot of them. The best ones in my mind are the CDL Smart Spout. They are a seasonal and cost 0.17 per tap. Easy to install and easy to tap and great production.

[spencer11]

where can i get or look at the CDL spouts(and all of there other products) i googled them and translates there site to english but cant find anything. thanks

spencer

[mapleack]

Everyone has their own opinion but I'm a believer in CV's. We had a lot of 50 to 60 degree days this season and I still made 1/3 of a gallon per tap. If your vacuum tubing is going to be all new next year I'd use a stubby compatible with CV's but use a cheaper spile the first season, then use CV's from there on. I definitely had mid day releaser failures etc that should've contaminated tap holes, I think that the CV's did their job.

[spencer11]

so maybe use a seasonal spout the fist year and then switch to stubbys? that actually may work out well.

spencer

[mapleack]

Yes you could easily do it that way.

[spencer11]

well then i will probably do it that way. anyone have any other opinions? a little off topic but what are the best taps to use on gravity? i have some stubbys on gravity..do they help or hurt? thanks

spencer

[mapleack]

Using stubby's with throw-away tips or other seasonal taps that get replaced every year do make a noticeable difference even on gravity. I don't remember the numbers, but it should be in one of the studies posted on Proctor Centers site. Putting sterile clean plastic in the tree every year helps production whether you're on gravity or vacuum.

[spencer11]

so if i put fresh tips or seasonal spouts on every year it increases the sap per tap. just out of curiosity, how much does it actually increase it?

spencer

[mapleack]

Spencer, here are links to two studies, one by Proctor on new taps on vac systems http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/aging.pdf Here is one from Cornell on new taps on gravity systems http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/2011%20Maple%20Tubing%20and%20Taphole%20Sanitation %20Research.pdf

[spencer11]

thanks! this is very interesting and good to know. thanks

spencer

[spencer11]

does anyone know what size/kind of electric motor i should use with a gast 1500 series dry vane vac pump?

spencer

[whalems]

check here with specific model number http://www.gastmfg.com/

[spencer11]

still not finding what i need on there. i think the pump im getting is a 1510 if that helps

spencer

[whalems]

dosen't help because there isn't a gast pump model #1510. You need to know what model number you have then put in the search, push enter and it will give you all the specs on your pump

[spencer11]

i looked up 1550 and then clicked on the gast 1550(it was the first result) and it didnt say what was the max size motor it could take. i did find what the max torque was and the max rpm. it that all tht matters? or does hp on an eectric motor?

thanks, spencer

[whalems]

the specs call for a 3/4 hp motor. http://www.gastmfg.com/product_detail.aspx?ProductID=134&ProductTypeID=21. I am by no means a vacuum expert but I would think that you cant' over size your motor but you can undersize it. Rpms for pumps is the key thing. Good luck

[spencer11]

thanks for your help. im sure i will find a motor that will work with it.

thanks, spencer

[lastwoodsman]

thanks for your help. im sure i will find a motor that will work with it.

thanks, spencer

Here is what I used this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOnmFMBgU10&feature=youtu.be

Woodsman

[spencer11]

i dont like the idea of using a gas engine yet, since i can get to power. and i want to have a thermostat in the line to shut if off when the temp drops under 34*...where did you get the moisture trap?

spencer

[wiam]

I have seen sap flowing pretty well at 34 degrees.

[spencer11]

thats what i have heard to, so i would have it shut of the pump below 34* or 33* or what ever works best, once i find out.

spencer

[Greenwich Maple Man]

thats what i have heard to, so i would have it shut of the pump below 34* or 33* or what ever works best, once i find out.

spencer

I think you would be alot better off to put a vacuum controler in your system and run your pump 24/7 from the time the season starts to when it ends. There are to many runs missed when you are shutting it on and off. Plus your tapholes stay open longer and in the end you will have a better yield.

[spud]

I am in no way an expert in this but here is what happen to me. I do not have any auto switch for my vacuum. What I found was that once your releaser starts to freeze up you might as well turn the pump off. When the pump was running after the releaser froze it caused moisture problems for me. One evening at 6:00pm I had sap running in at 650 GPH and it was 29 degrees. I went to the house to eat dinner and was telling my wife how I could not believe the sap was still running. At 7:00PM I went out to check and I was all froze up. The sap had stopped that fast in just one hours time. Once I freeze up I try to always dump whatever sap is still in the releaser. For next year I plan to have a fully insulated sugarhouse and no more freeze-ups. Although everyones situation is different for me I would prefer turning the pump on and off myself and not relying on a switch.

Spud

[spencer11]

the reason i plan to have the thermostat is because of freeze up. i am going to e using a bender releaser and heard that they leak at the top a little and will freeze up if not alot of sap is coming through.

spencer