Loading IBC from top or bottom?

[Lazarus]

For our new woods this year, we'll be running a vacuum system for around 2000 taps to a very large collection tank on site. Our sugarhouse is about 10 minutes away on our main farm so we'll be hauling sap. The planned setup for hauling is four 275 gallon IBC totes on our F550 flatbed truck. I'll be running a 1.5 HP Berkeley pump as a transfer pump. If you have this pump, you know that the flow will knock you backwards if you are trying to hold onto the outlet hose. Specs are at the link below.

My plan was to have quick connects and pump into the tanks from the bottom. They are only 275 gallons each and that is a powerful pump. I'd rather not have to jump up and down off the truck to fill them from the top (did I mention the flow knocks you around?)

Any issues anyone can see with this setup?

Specs:
http://www.resiflowlit.com/pentair/pdf/CB4870WS.pdf

[jmayerl]

I use a quick connect on the top but my 6" too hole also has a 2" inner screw hole fitting

[maplecherry]

fill mine from the bottom all the time - works great even with small electric pump I use.

[brookledge]

Should be no reason why you can't fill from the bottom
Keith

[blissville maples]

ive never tried, i have a friend that fills a 2000 gal tank from bottom with 6 hp pump. works fine for him. not sure if he uses check valve or not

[n8hutch]

It should fill faster because your not pumping all your sap to the top of the container.

I know it seems strange to think that your pump will work faster pushing the sap up through the bottom but I'm reality it requires less force to do this because instead of lifting all your sap 8ft & flowing it into the top your only lifting your sap 4ft at first & then the height your lifting the sap gradually increases.

[Lazarus]

OK, that makes sense. I am also considering a large elliptical hauling tank (1300 gal) that has baffles, and it would have a 2" output on the bottom that I would be using to fill it. It's the same price as 4 of the nicer IBC's that have the 2" fill port in the manway cap. Seems like it might be faster for filling just one vs. 4 of them.

For my next trick, we'll be pumping the sap 150 feet across the yard to the sugarhouse, because I am just too stubborn to put in a driveway. I like my yard the way it is. :)

[mudr]

You'd probably build some head pressure to fight, but from what you describe I assume that pump will overcome it.

Why not plumb all four together at the bottom. That way you can attach the hose to the top or bottom once.