pumping sap

[Ontario Ian]

is anybody pumping sap approx. 1500 feet, if so how are you doing it and what is your set up????

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

How much sap do you need to pump? Is electric available. I pump thousands of gallons a day during season. Some as far as 5000 feet with an initial head of 90 ft. Some is pumped with gasoline powered pumps and some with electric pumps powered by a generator. I like the electric as I have those activated by float switches and I don't have to babysit them as much. If you need to pump long distances, a larger diameter pipe reduces pipe friction. If the pipe can be sloped, it can be drained to prevent sap freezing in cold weather or sap spoilage in warm weather.

[Ontario Ian]

I am looking at adding another 2000 taps, but this sap needs to be hauled in. my lane to the sugar shack isn't the best for this amount of hauling. so I want to pump in from the road which is 1500'. it goes across a field which has a natural slope to the shack, the line needs to be taken down every year. I can stake the line up and slope it, or I was wondering about blowing it out every day? I was thinking 1.5" or 2" line on a gas pump. when the sap gets to the shack it needs to climb 12' in to a 5000 gallon tank, I think I might need a booster pump here but not sure.

[maple maniac65]

I heard yesterday that a sugar maker is planning on pumping sap 11 miles instead of trucking it. Technology is amazing.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

I roll and unroll 2000 feet of 2" vacuum line each year. PITA but it can be done. With a good pump, the 12 foot rise at the end should be no problem. Blowing a line out can be difficult. If it slopes toward the sugarhouse, I'd try to set it up so there is a drain valve that runs the residual sap into a smaller tank and it could then be pumped to your main tank.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I am looking at adding another 2000 taps, but this sap needs to be hauled in. my lane to the sugar shack isn't the best for this amount of hauling. so I want to pump in from the road which is 1500'. it goes across a field which has a natural slope to the shack, the line needs to be taken down every year. I can stake the line up and slope it, or I was wondering about blowing it out every day? I was thinking 1.5" or 2" line on a gas pump. when the sap gets to the shack it needs to climb 12' in to a 5000 gallon tank, I think I might need a booster pump here but not sure.

Might be worth burying a line underground if it has slope it wouldn't have to be that deep as schedule 40 or SDR 21 is even cheaper. Might run it into a small underground tank at the sugarhouse and have an electric pump to pump it up into head tank.

[Jim Brown]

WE used to pump sap 800 ft with 100 ft of lift with a gas powered Davy high pressure fire pump. got 20gpm at the top .Valve system at the pump drained the line after each pumping. Line was 1inch black plastic

[Ontario Ian]

I don't own the field so burying is not an option. Thompson when you say "good pump" what would you use there for a gas pump, I was thinking a Honda or something similar. there is probably 20+ feet of drop from road to shack.

[SeanD]

Will gravity work? I have a 1" line that runs 80' and only drops about 3', so not a ton of slope. The head pressure from the tank in the truck pushes out the sap then a siphon gets going and pulls the rest out. The little bit of sap that is left in the slack of the hose between the tank and the truck at the end goes into the emergency sap bucket.

Sean

[K.I. Joe]

I pump 1800 feet and 145 feet up with a deep well pump 1/2 horse and it works like a charm. Takes about 15 minutes to get to the top but works great.

[n8hutch]

I heard yesterday that a sugar maker is planning on pumping sap 11 miles instead of trucking it. Technology is amazing.
I would like to see That.