priming your pump?

[cjf12]

Those of you with outside pumps with your electric releasers, How do you keep them from air locking. I am at my wits end trying to get this thing to work.

[regor0]

Do you have it plumbed like this?
10192

[morningstarfarm]

You have to have the small vac line to the downstream side of your pump or you will destroy your seals!

[cjf12]

Do you have it plumbed like this?
10192

Exactly like that. I tried it without the vacuum balance as well. No difference.

Are there any simple test that I can know my pump is spinning the way it should. Seems to be the pump or air not allowing it to pump.

[mellondome]

Fill the releaser with water above the balancing line (releaser pump unplugged). Turn on the vac.. look for bubbles.. there should be NO bubbles anywhere. Not even tiny ones. Adding soap will enhance the ability to detect pump shaft leaks.

[cjf12]

That could be part of the problem. Vacuum balance line is on top of my releaser, so it never touches the level of water. So these are plumbed within the sap line?

[maple flats]

No, they are generally above, but in reality can be either. That is to put the pump within the vacuum and not trying to pull against a vacuum. The pump will then push from the vacuum to the non vacuum environment. What pump do you have?

[mellondome]

You want the ballancer line as close to the swinging checkvalve as you can get it.

[cjf12]

I have the balancer b/w check valve and pump as close as fittings I could find would allow and a finish Thompson dairy pump.

[mellondome]

In a dairy setup, the check valve is built into the gasket directly on the pump output. If your setup is going straight up, you may be getting too much air between the balancer and check valve. Try putting them on a horizontal with the balancer tee pointing up.