freezing releaser

[Moshers Maples]

I have a mechanical releaser and the float will sometimes get stuck in place when the sap freezes. This then doesnt thaw before the sap starts flowing again and the entire releaser fills and the only place for the sap to go is up the vac line to the moisture trap and pump. I try to empty the releaser at night but cant always get to it. What does everyone else do? My releaser is only 100' behind my house so it is easily accessible but this isn't the case for everyone. Any tricks or tips would be great.

[mellondome]

Put a ball trap on the vacnline inside the releaser. That will prevent the sap from going to the pump. Are you shutting off the vac once everything is frozen? Or running 24/7?

[Wanabe1972]

I've also had this problem a few times and even lost a couple of days of runs cause the ball is stuck in the top of the moisture trap. I know its not a proper fix but the days i have to work and can not babysit the releaser I turned my temp switch on the vacuum up a few degrees to let the releaser thaw out before sap gets pulled into it. On the days im not working i just go to the farm early and make sure its thawed and bypass the temp switch. I know your supposed to run the vacuum till the lines freeze to protect your tap holes but i have found in my tiny operation this is better in the long run.

[Wanabe1972]

Mellondome I have a ball in the moisture trap 5 feet away from the releaser but once the ball floats to the top it stays there until the vacuum is shut off. Then Ive lost a day of sap. I have a small flapper valve on the moisture trap so it drains every day when the vacuum shuts off. I was thinking of putting a micro switch and timer on the trap so it shuts the vacuum off for several minutes so everything can reset.

[mellondome]

Maybe try putting a waterline heat tape around the releaser and set to a timer?
I check mine first thing every morning .
I would think that if you set your auto temp a few deg higher so sap is running before turning on, you would cure the problem and you wouldnt lose much production. Can you leave the off temp lower than the start temp?

[Wanabe1972]

I have an IDEC timer in conjuntion with the temp switch. The switch turns the vacuum on at 34 and at night when it drops back to 34 the timer takes over and runs for about 1 hour. I tried to run it longer but if it gets cold fast it pulls slush into the releaser then i have other problems. I guess its just a middle of the road kind of thing. As we talk about this i am at work and am thinking more and more about setting up a switch to the trap so that may be a mini project coming up.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

i just put a small heater in releaser box last night and heat taped pvc manifold that ties the two 300 gallon tanks together.

[GeneralStark]

The best fix is to keep the releaser from freezing. Build a shelter over it and put a heat lamp in it.

[Moshers Maples]

Thanks for the ideas. The releaser is enclosed but currently its just a tarp draped over a frame. I was thinking heat tape as I can run extension cord to it and turn it on when I know I will be gone.

[Amber Gold]

When I had a mechanical releaser, I religiously went out to the woods every morning before it would run to clear the releaser of ice and took the slide out to make sure it was freed up. It only takes a couple minutes to do all this. Once I started doing this, I no longer had issues with my releaser hanging up in the morning.