woods ideas help

[philkasza]

We are going to tap a 1500 tap woods with the lowest part being 300 ft away from access point and about 40 ft. vertical drop. So we were thinking of how we are going to get vaccum down there and the sap out of there. Electric is not available very close at all. we were thinking of a small tank down in the bottom for the releaser to set on and then have a sump pump of a sort pump it up the hill to a big collection tank. Are there any vaccum powered sump pumps that could pump that much head up? Ideas and recommendations? Samuel

[delivron]

1. Contact the "Maple Guys" for a Lapierre vacuum powered piston pump.
Models are available to lift up to 460 GPH with the proper vacuum.
5892

Or a pair of reverse slope extractors.
5891

With your brief description I think that the pump will perform better in your application.

Note: No electric pump will suck a 40' lift.

[maple flats]

I don't know of a sump pump with 40' of head (push). You need a pump that exceeds the rise by several feet to get good flow rates. If you will need less if you plan to pump uphill over a long period. On the vacuum pump, that will work good at the top of the rise. You would not even need a moisture trap since the vacuum could never pull liquid up a 40' rise, the most it could ever lift is some fine mist and that would go thru the pump without damage. This however means you need both, a vacuum pump for vac in the woods and a transfer pump to move the sap from the tank at 40' down the hill to the top to your transport tank or the sugarhouse.

[spencer11]

why not just a gas water pump? the good ones will push 40' of head, check northerntool, they have lots of pumps

[philkasza]

it needs to be vaccum powered because it needs to be automatic because we can only can get a little tank down in there by hand and place a big tank with a lift at the access point. Sam

[spencer11]

how big of a tank could you put down in the woods?

[ca2devri]

I have a similar situation that in the future I would like to consider, except I think my drop from the sugar house is more like 60' or more. I might be able to access up to 400 taps down 2 slopes into a gully. I was thinking of putting a storage tank at the bottom and pumping up from there.

Would the piston pump idea work? Could you ever get enough flow to only need a small tank at the bottom?

Chris