Question on vacuum gauges and set up

[whity]

We will be setting our groves up on sureflo pumps this year. I have read that some people put vacuum gauges at the end of the laterals. Would having a shut off and gauge at the junction on the main line to the laterals work just a well?

[unc23win]

Personally I put gauges at the releaser and pump and then at every junction or transfer tank and at the end of each mainline. At all junctions I put a valve before the gauge. The gauge will tell you the reading and the valve will help you find the problem. Some people have gauges on the 5/16 or 3/16 lines or make portable ones to check those. I find that if you use more mainlines in an effort to shorten your lateral lines for maximum vacuum transfer it also really helps to isolate and find leeks.

[tcross]

If you're going to put gauges to find your leaks, than it would benefit you to put shut offs at the junction. if you notice you have a leak somewhere you can isolate it by shutting each junction down (one at a time) and seeing if the pressure rises... or doesn't, on the opposing gauge.

[JoeJ]

I installed gauges and vales just as unc23 said when I installed my 2,200 additional taps at an offsite sugar bush. The only additional suggestion is to cover each vacuum gauge with a plastic bag and tie it off. I installed 19 gauges on 18- 1" mainlines, covered them with a plastic bag and in 3 seasons, I have not had a gauge fail.

[bigtreemaple]

What kind of setup do you guys use to mount the gauges to the mainline?

[wiam]

First ones I used an insert T and bushed it down to 1/4. Last one I drilled and tapped a plastic ball valve. Saved a bunch of connections.

[maple flats]

I just use a T and then a brass adapter from either 5/16 or 3/16 to 1/4" female pipe thread on a short length of tubing. I then use some 550 cord or nylon cord to tie the gauge up to a tree. Daniels Maple Products carries the brass adapters.

[unc23win]

I installed gauges and vales just as unc23 said when I installed my 2,200 additional taps at an offsite sugar bush. The only additional suggestion is to cover each vacuum gauge with a plastic bag and tie it off. I installed 19 gauges on 18- 1" mainlines, covered them with a plastic bag and in 3 seasons, I have not had a gauge fail.

A bag to keep the weather off? How about a zip lock bag just big enough for the gauge?

[wiam]

I just use a T and then a brass adapter from either 5/16 or 3/16 to 1/4" female pipe thread on a short length of tubing. I then use some 550 cord or nylon cord to tie the gauge up to a tree. Daniels Maple Products carries the brass adapters.

You are using 3/16 or 5/16 to hitch a gauge to mainline??

[maple flats]

I have the parts necessary to connect either. But all my gauges are 1/4" male thread. For the saddles to connect the gauges I have both 3/4" and 1" mains and I use those sizes in DSD saddles.

[bigtreemaple]

I just use a T and then a brass adapter from either 5/16 or 3/16 to 1/4" female pipe thread on a short length of tubing. I then use some 550 cord or nylon cord to tie the gauge up to a tree. Daniels Maple Products carries the brass adapters.

Thanks, I have contacted Brandon at Daniels and have some 5/16 adapters on order.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Thanks Dave appreciate you mentioning us.

[whity]

Thanks for all the help everyone. It makes sense to have the gage at the main line junctions. And more cost efficient then having a gage at the end of every lateral.

[rhwells2003]

I think you said you were running a shurflow, so I don't know if this will work for you or not (they don't pull a lot of cfm's to recover from this but I'll tell you anyway) I also put gauges at the end of my laterals, and this year I'll be installing ball valves at all my junctions to be able to isolate sections of my woods once a leak is found. I'll start off by saying I used the stubbies on my drops, and tap with the adapters. I also bought a couple 1.5" dry vac gauges, bought a 1/8" threaded - 5/16 barbed connection, inserted the barbed end into a 3" piece of tubing, and then took a tap and inserted the tap side (side that goes into the tree) into the 5/16 tubing. (takes some patience and a lighter but it'll go after a while). So my finish product is a vac guage on one end, and the connecting part of a tap on the other. So now when I know I have a leak in an area instead of walking up and down every lateral to try and find it, I'll just walk to my end ring. Pull the stubby out of that tap, and insert it into the tap on my vac guage. If it pressures right up I keep going to the next end ring. If it doesn't show vac I know my leak is on that lateral.

But like I said the surflows producing very little cfm's and take a while to build system pressure, so pulling a tap to use this contraption probably wouldn't do you any good.