Feed tank

[maple maniac65]

I need to replace my feed tank to SS. I have a small 30 gallon tank I could use as a feed tank am in looking for ideas of keeping it filled on a float switch type set up. I use a digital water meter on the feed tank line that I would like to keep on the new setup. I boil 150 gallons an hour and have 400 gallons of storage in the sugarhouse.

Any ideas would be helpful

[BreezyHill]

I would visit ebay and look up stainless steel float switch. Dual float would give you the most security. Bottom float to a string of leds and a buzzer for low level alarm, top float for a NC switching to a delay on make timer.

On full tank the float breaks the contact and pump is off.
On float down the timer starts running to allow for room to build in the tank. Timer starts pump and pump fills tank til float cuts out the pump. You can add a led to alert the tank is full and off when timer is cycling. You can also add a light while timer is running and to the pump to know pump is energized.

With the current strong dollar parts from Asia are very cheap and this is a great time to get parts for your future projects. LEDs are literally pennies a piece.

Good Luck!
Ben

[Tweegs]

I agree with ben on the SS floats.

Here is a schematic that uses an upper and lower float and a relay to control the pump.

Make sure the relay can handle the current that the pump will draw.

When wiring, make sure the float contacts are MADE when the sap level is below the float.

In this system, when sap falls below the upper float level the relay becomes armed.
When sap falls below the lower level the relay energizes and is self latched. This will also turn on the pump.

The relay will de-energize when the upper float is satisfied and this will turn off the pump.
14248

[maple flats]

If you boil 150 GPH why do you want to just have a 12 minute reserve in the feed tank? And that's only when it is full. A lot can go wrong in 12 minutes and even more could go wrong if the low level float fails to turn on the pump (or the pump fails to come on). It just seems like playing with a rattle snake, sooner or later you will get bit.

[BAP]

At 150gph feed rate I would look at at 75-100 gallon feed tank. Like Maple Flats said, with 30 gal you don't have much margin of error.

[wiam]

All depends on the operators comfort level. I know operations with no feed tank. Concentrate is pumped directly into evaporator with vfd to control rate.

[maple flats]

What if the pump fails or the power goes out?

[maple maniac65]

I need to update my feed tank to ss. I have no room for a tank that is available without special ordering it. I am thinking of using a 8 foot long ss milk sink for a feed tank. Instead of ending 4 to 500 on a ss tank is am toying with the idea of using what I have and putting a float valve on it but still want all sap to go through the 1 inch digital water meter.
Thanks for the replies

[maple maniac65]

What if the pump fails or the power goes out?
That is why the house has a generator that will also run the sugarhouse

[wiam]

What if the pump fails or the power goes out?
There is enough in the steamaway to shut down. If the power goes out the oil burner shuts off

[motowbrowne]

There is enough in the steamaway to shut down. If the power goes out the oil burner shuts off

That makes much more sense (not having a head tank on an oil fired rig).

It seems crazy to do that with a wood rig, unless you've got a hundred gallons of water in a separate tank ready to gravity feed into the pan as a fail-safe.

[maple maniac65]

I must be crazy then because I go from 1000 degrees to no sap with less than 40 gallons. I leave no sweet in front pan which will be about 8 gallons. My last fill of wood is almost always softwood I also only run the firebox half full.very seldom do I catch myself short and half to add water. Yes there is 100 gallons of permeate from the steam away in the sugarhouse. I only have room for a 2x3x8 foot tank in the rafters for a feed tank unless I put the feed tank outside. I like the tank inside so I can monitor it .

[maple flats]

Is that generator set to start automatically? If wood fired I would never chance it.
Since I have off grid solar/battery back up, I know what can be done, I guess I'm just not willing to put my sugarhouse on the line to show my confidence in automatic gen support. Remember, a generator start is electrical/mechanical and have been known to fail.