Pumping sap out of the woods

[DaveB]

I have a collection point in my woods about 300' from and about 6' lower than my sugar house. In the past it was a gravity line and I would pump out a tank there but this year I added a Shurflo pump for vacuum. Pumping out a tank is no longer an option so this year so I originally connected the outflow from the Shurflo to a PVC pipe which I've used elsewhere with no issues. To improve performance, I now have the Shurflo dump into a container and added a second pump which is connected to the PVC pipe.

My issue is that it's not a steady slope between the collection point and sugar house. There are some dips to the land and I'm having issues with ice forming in these dips and I can't pump until the ice clears. I know the best solution would be to go with an elevated, sloped line but the topography and property layout prevent me from doing that. Are there any other suggestions for moving the sap from the collection point to my sugar house?

[CampHamp]

If your line must dip, then you'll need to wait for a thaw. You don't get much sap when that outlet is frozen (trees aren't flowing much below freezing), so just make sure you have a container large enough to buffer that window of time.

[BreezyHill]

Is there a way you could string a High tensile wirer just a 3/4" tubing elevated to clear the topography and any trails to get the flow back to the Sugar House(SH)

I run sap ladders and elevated lines to clear trails and to get the sap all back to my SH. I have to clear a knob then the ground slopes toward the SH and then there is another 4% rise from that valley to the SH. To make 76' of elevation I have 112' of riser and these lines are all at 2% slope. 7 ladders in total.

This season I expanded into an area that was never tapped on the farm as it is in a valley or bowl. Currently I have the main ladder out of the valley and this main feeds into another main from around the one side of the valley. This new line flies over a trail so we can get thru with tractor and logging winch.

In the summer come on up for a walk around the bush and get some ideas you can take home to your bush.

For now I would use a couple of tension grips on a 3/4" line and have the surflo discharge into this line and have it flow back to the SH...If you had to you could add a surflo at the SH to pull thru air just before the line freezes at night if there are any pooling spots.

I have one main that I use rapid tie to keep slope and in the off season it is raised so the trails are not blocked. Another main I have Cam Locks to open trail ways for use. This main is all wire supported as it is only 12-36" off the ground and it needs protection from the deer. I ran the wire for three months then added the tubing so the deer had time to learn. Worked very well. I use Rapid Tie(RT) to pull back the trail crossings to maintain slope.

Let me know if you want some pics.

I am a firm believer in making a system your own from how others have designed theirs. Feel free to use me for ideas.

Ben

Ben

[DaveB]

Thanks for the replies so far. Next year I'm going to take a different approach but this year I'm stuck and I think the transfer pump will just have to wait until the line is fully thawed.

I think next year I'm going to move the pumps down hill just a little bit because I have a mainline that goes back up to the sugar house and I'm not using it any more. I used to have a vacuum pump at the sugar house connected to a releaser down there but it was over kill for the number of taps and the diaphragm pump is doing the job. That line is elevated and does not have dips it. The line I have this year is laying on the ground.

[1arch]

I have a collection point in my woods about 300' from and about 6' lower than my sugar house. In the past it was a gravity line and I would pump out a tank there but this year I added a Shurflo pump for vacuum. Pumping out a tank is no longer an option so this year so I originally connected the outflow from the Shurflo to a PVC pipe which I've used elsewhere with no issues. To improve performance, I now have the Shurflo dump into a container and added a second pump which is connected to the PVC pipe.

My issue is that it's not a steady slope between the collection point and sugar house. There are some dips to the land and I'm having issues with ice forming in these dips and I can't pump until the ice clears. I know the best solution would be to go with an elevated, sloped line but the topography and property layout prevent me from doing that. Are there any other suggestions for moving the sap from the collection point to my sugar house?
After we pump from our 300 gallon tank up to the sugar shack a valve is opened allowing sap in the line to drain by gravity into a waiting bucket. The line is a 3/4" that simply lays on the ground. That drained sap about10 gallons takes a Polaris ride up the hill with me. The line is then dry with no ice blockage