vacuum pump

[ihuntbear]

Hi fellow sugarers
been a bad year for me on all gravity,so im going vacuum...I installed a small surflo 2088 pump on one of my 5/16 lines that wasn't producing the other day.As soon as I powered the pump up the sap started to flow,so I want something that's gas powered..i found this vacuum pump that was used in a dairy but don't know what size gas motor I need to run it and will this pump work for me..I have a brand new 6.5 hp gas powered motor ,just wondering if it would work..also can tell you me how many taps will this take??

[madmapler]

Usually dairy pumps work pretty well. If you're doing 500 or so taps, my guess would be that this is more than sufficient. Dairy pumps usually run at around 15 hgs but can handle more. You really need to find a tag or some other info about it to be sure of correct rpms and hp. If you cant then hook'er up and give'er a whirl.

[BreezyHill]

That is a 78 Delaval. This is a monster. It will take around 2-3000 taps. 9654

This is a 78 tag. The speed of a pump is very important and should never be played with. The turning of a pump at to low of an rpm will destroy a pump by keeping water trapped within the pump that could cause a seizure. To cool of a pump will condensate moisture that will force oil out the exhaust. To hot of a pump will lead to seal damage.

From the tag you can see that it will take a 5-10 hp motor...electric. I would try the gaser you have and set the pulley set up for the lowest rpm from the tag. This is a lot of pump. I have a D 73 that runs a 550 tap bush at 28+" on a 1 hp electric.

This pump will need an oil reclaimer...they can be built at home or purchased.

With the right releaser and plumbing this unit will handle 2500 taps with ease on a good system, provided the unit is not damaged from sitting and vanes are good.

Ben

[ihuntbear]

Hi Ben
is it possible to send me a picture of the tag but in bigger format.the one you have here is to small to read..I asked the seller to send me more info about this pump,he said the tag is missing but that he used it for 1500 taps with a 5 hp electric motor but the motor wasn't for sale,just pump was and that the oiler needed to be welded.i want it for 1000 taps.I just want to be sure it will work for me before I drive the 2.5 hour drive one way to buy it...what is an easy way of knowing this pump is good,I was thinking to just spin by hand and see if it draws a vacuum???thanks guys

[BreezyHill]

To check a pump is tricky. If the unit spins over easily by hand that is a very good sign that the bearings are good.
The vanes can be seen thru the inlet and out let ports. They want to be in different orientations at each port. You will need to take off the the pipes that are attached to the housing to see the vanes. This unit should have Kevlar vanes so you will not be able to hear them impact the housing if you spin the unit backwards. With a 75 or 73 the metal vanes will click when they slip out and hit the housing.

Even if the vanes need to be changed you are only looking at $95 and the bearing kit is $10. The oiler is $150. The one in the pic needs new tubes. The tube needs to be one solid tube from the oiler to the point of injection. If it is spliced it can leak and these things run on vacuum. A leak and the unit does not get the right or any oil.

The tricky part is the housing. If you had a cylinder scope you could check to see if the housing is waved. A waved housing will decrease the vacuum that the pump can build. The vane...depending on the rpm of the pump...will ride on the tops of the waves and loose vac as it spins around the housing. At a slow speed a wave is not noticeable, but at running speed it will have an affect.
With a waved housing the unit will pull in the low twenties and high twenties after being honed out.

A rebuilt 78 with new oiler are listed at one site for $1295. So if you are getting the unit for eight hundred it would be a good deal and you can hone out the housing and have a pump that should last a life time.

Ben

[BAP]

A 78 Delaval can be slowed down and work fine. I had one I slowed down to run with a 3hp motor on 1100 taps and it worked fine. Actually worked better than a 76 because running it a little slower kept it cooler. Setting it up with an oil reclaimer is a must with drippers to keep them functioning properly.

[ihuntbear]

well found out its delaval 78..fixed the oil reclaimer ,built a new stand ,pulled the pump apart for cleaning,put everything together and pulled the cord ...wow ...sounded like a jet engine ...adjusted the oil drops and plugged the intake with cap and vac gauge..28 inches of vac..ran it for an hour and pump was warm to touch...I think im in business..couldn't have done this without the help from Ben ..now all I have to do is run new vac lines,build a bigger shack and build new pans.thanks again for the help from everybody here

[ihuntbear]

forgot to say gas motor is a 6.5 hp..runs like a charm

[Rselleck91]

I would consider an 8hp. And a reclaimer