Splain to me everything about Vacuum...

[Salmoneye]

I am a know nothing when it comes to vacuum...I was just given a DeLaval #73 that has not been used on my friends farm in 5 years...


I need to know everything...

What would need to be serviced if it needs to be serviced?

What do I need for a motor?

What do I need for a releaser?...What are the differences between mechanical and electronic?...DO I even know what I am talking about?

I need to know for next year, so please take your time and write in detail LOL

[mapleman3]

Ditto to what he said... I did get my releaser today... got the day off tomorrow to try to get it all hooked up... got SQUAT today for sap. darn 60 deg weather.... Salmoneye, I'll give you a blow by blow how much of a difference it makes for me by this weekend :)

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I am also interested as I might go to vaccum sometime in the future as I have about 200 taps or even more that I could possibly vaccum to the sugarhouse. Any and all info is appreciated and I may even call a couple of you for help in the future if I go to vaccum.

[Salmoneye]

I WILL be going to vacuum...I just do not see it happening this year...I am still waiting for my roll of ceramic blanket from HorseBean and have at least another day of tapping...I stripped all my old lines and ran 3/4 all the way to the back by myself...400 foot rolls while going backwards through knee-deep snow...Went about 700 feet that way...Rehung 2 100 foot sections of 1/2 inch, played out 1000 feet of new 5/16 inch and am going to hang the other 100 feet of 3/4 as a branch and another 500 feet of 5/16 easy...Will only be around 200 taps this year, but I want it all good, new and tight for next year when I go to vac...

She will be mine...Oh yes...She will be mine LOL

SOMEONE CHIME IN AND TELL US EVERYTHING DANGITALL

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Salmoneye,

With all the new taps and vaccum, are you figuring on getting a larger evaporator or do you have enough time to boil with your 2x6? My biggest problem is I have a hard time finding time to boil with working so much. I wanted to get a 3x8 when I bought mine to cut down on boiling time, but they were so much more expensive.

[Salmoneye]

I tell ya...Last year I boiled on my 2x6, and the longest I boiled was maybe 11 hours and that was about 350 gallons of sap...I had a half@ssed preheater rigged and was using the old 2x3 flue-pan that came with the rig...The pan had 5 1/2 inch flues and then only 6 of them...

I just bought a brand new soldered stainless back pan from leader...It came with 7 1/2 inch flues and has 8 of them...I am expecting a serious gain in evaporative capacity...

I was happy last year (and figured I was **** lucky) getting 30+ GPH evaporation...The new pan has 80% more surface area in the flues (I was bored and figured it out) and I am hoping for at least another 5 gph...If I rigged a really good heater, I would be even better off...

Truthfully...I do expect to go bigger either next year or the year after...I have another shed that I am planning on moving into...Already has concrete floor...My plan is to build my own arch from some of the scrounged bricks I have...I would line it with firebrick and leave an air space between the courses...I figure for what I have in this arch and pans, I can get a good set of used pans in the 3x8 or 4x10 range...

My Father-In-Law has a nice bush with 350 taps all piped to my FIL's machinery shed...He has told me that I can have access either next year or the year after when the guy that is in there now 'retires'...He is afterall almost 90 LOL...He told me I can have all the lines and taps...He will just leave the stuff there for me...

LOL...In answer to your initial question...I plan on getting to an eventual sustained 1000 taps here, there and everywhere, while also cutting my boiling time to nearer to 6 hours eventually...

A man has to have a dream...

[Brian]

Boys once you have vac, you will wonder how you ever got along with out it.I was debating last year weather to install vacuume or not and then I read A post on the trader by Power Dub about vacuum and his experience. [thanks] I then went and found a vac pump and went to Glen Goodrich to get a releaser and advise. I can't prase it enough. GOOD LUCK and HAPPY HOOVERING.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Salmoneye,

Sounds awesome and I am happy for you with the new pan and anxious to see how it works. I have some more taps I could tap in the future, but my biggest problem is having the time to boil and my sugarbush it 30 minutes from where I live and I already drive 1,000 to 1,200 miles @ week with my job.

Good luck this year and I can't wait to see pics of the new sugarhouse and rig in the future.

By the way, do you use forced air on your evaporator. I have found out that is going to be the key for me to cut down on boiling time a LOT.

[wdchuck]

All you need to know about vacum is that it makes a huge difference in how much sap you get. The far side of my woods is gravity only, the north side is vacum, so I get a constant comparison of the difference between the two. On a per tap basis i get twice the sap on vacum!! Hopefully next year I can install it on that south end.

[powerdub]

I can only repeat what Brian and WDchuck said. Hook that baby up the sooner the better.

[Salmoneye]

Ya see guys...The problem is...

I DON"T KNOW HOW TO HOOK IT UP OR TO WHAT OR TO WHERE>>>

LOL

Have a good night...WIll chat at ya all after tapping more tomorrow...

[Brian]

I have a man releaser and on the top there is a place to hook 1 1/2 pvc pipe. On then there are 4 places to hook in the main lines, if you only 2 main lines you put plugs in the other spots. There is also a place to screw in a vac gauge.
On the vac pump there are 2 ports ones intake the other is exhaust .The exhaust should be piped away from belts, sap ect.
The intake pipe goes to a vac regulator. This is ware you set the pull of vac pump. then it is on to the vac trap that keeps the oil and sap from mixing.Then on to the releaser with your in take pipe.
I had an old air compressor with a bad compressor so I bolted my vac pump ware the compressor use to be and used that motor that was all ready there. I did change the motor pully.

[themapleking]

I installed vacuum this year and I average 500 gals sap a day. Even with out perfect sap weather this week. Only getting done in the 30's at night.
Rules for installation. A large holding tank 2x's the amount of taps. A releaser on top of the tank setting in have way, so sap will dump in tank not on the ground. Install your main line to releaser. Insatll vacuum line to vacuum side oof releaser. Install moisture trap in vacuum line between pump and realeaser. Have a pressure releve value off pump inlet side, followed by a vacuum gauge. On oulet side of pump have a oil catch muffler. Set your releve value at no more than 20 psi. Turn pump on when temps at 34 and off at 30.