food grade hose

[maplehick]

Hi y'all can anyone give me a lead no a good supplyer of food grade hose to move sap around the sugar house.thanks joe

[SeanD]

US Plastics has a lot to choose from. I can't remember which one I got.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=856

Sean

[maplehick]

Thanks sean I'll check them out .

[killingworthmaple]

I saw in home depot the other day they had a hose that they claimed was safe to drink out of.

Nathan

[backyard sugaring]

Go to a Rv stores they have all kinds of sizes.

[maple flats]

If you just want to move sap, Lowes has food grade braided PVC tubing in several sizes. I use it to pump hot syrup too, but only from the filter press bypass back to where ever at zero pressure. It will not work on the suction side nor with pressure, with hot syrup it must be open discharge. On the pressure or suction side you need much more costly hose if on hot syrup, not with cold sap.

[maplehick]

Thanks for all the help! This has turned in to a bit of a project. Moving up from batch boiling to a 2.5x8 raised flue and r.o. just can't get my brain wraped around all this new plumbing yet. Thanks again joe

[maple flats]

It is fairly easy once you get into it. there are a whole bunch of ways to plumb things.
Here is how I do it:
My feed tank sets on a raised platform outside, butted up against the sugarhouse. I have a cut out in the wall, so the tank valve is accessed from inside. From there I use a copper tube (1") to feed the evaporator (and pre-heater if you have one). Then my rig is same side draw & reversable. I have a draw tank that spans from one draw off to the other, and it sets on the floor. Out of the drain on that I have a line that feeds the hot syrup to a line that goes to the suction side of the filter press (Line A). A also has a drain valve just off the draw tank outlet for cleaning the tank. Then out of the bypass on the filter press I have a length of the braided PVC I mentioned above with a J hook on the open end. That length is long enough to reach my syrup pan and my 2 finishers. I just hook that line on what ever I want to get the syrup (or almost syrup). Then after getting it to proper density and at least at 205-215 degrees I draw off into another draw tank. In there I mix my filter aid and then open a valve in the outlet hose (line B)(high temp. rated) which tees into line A. By closing the draw tank valve and opening the line B valve, I turn on the filter press and recirculate back into the mix tank and I then open the filter valve and slowly close recirculate valve and run until the syrup discharge is crystal clear (sparkling) out of the filter discharge hose. Then I open the recirculate valve, close the filter valve and put the filtered syrup hose either into a barrel or into the canner. This is only one of many ways to do it. A few years ago I had no draw off tank, I used 20 qt SS pots. When a pot was 2/3-3/4 full, I carried it to the canner where I verified density and graded it. Then I added a finisher and did that part in the finisher, now I carry nothing, it is all pumped to where I want it by using the filter press pump. The only change I made to the filter is I added a valve to keep product from going thru the filter until I wanted it to. I must however have at least 1 valve open or both, filter or bypass.
I hope this helped rather than confuse you more.

[maplehick]

Thanks Flats I think I just have to get the hose and start putting it together then I'll understand better everything I need. Didn't even think aboutfiltering yet thanks. Will have to refer back to your info again I'm sure ! Thanks