Huston, we have a problem

[Parker]

Got the Vac fired up at 6:30AM went from a drop of sap every 10 sec. to 2 1/2gal every 8 min. went and finished some odds and ends on the mainline, looked the pump over befor I left , Made sure the oilers were dripping, came back at 10 with gas and she no run. The pump was still smoking. All the paint peeled right off en her, bunt the belts pretty much right up. One of the oiler tubes from the resivoir either broke off from the vibration <or melted from the heat> But she is all done. SWEEEEEEEEEEET. Trying to find another one seeing I pretty much what makes them tick, ,,,,,,,,

[mapleman3]

OH NO PARKER!!! I don't like to here that!!! I hope you find one soon!! so it's cooked ?? no chance reviving it?

[Brian]

Crap thats to bad,sorry to hear it.

[Parker]

I think she is all done, when I got back it was seized but after a coulpe of hours of cooling down it would turn over. My main concern is the shaft that runs thru it has no races, it rides directly on the bearing and I imagine that bearing surface is roasted....Ill find out more when I give it an altopsy today,,I was too bumd out to tear into it yesterday....but I have a lead on some others......we will get it!!!!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Parker,

I like the never die/quit attitude. Before you know it, you will be back up and running again! :D :D

[sugaring42long]

Hey Parker , sorry to hear about your pump. Mechanical maladies can happen to any of us at any time, its just part of the game.
Finding out why your pump overheated will be the best insurance against it happening again. I've Been using oil cooled vacuum pumps for sap for over 20 years and have seen it all. The most common causes of overheating are lack of oil, To high a vacuum, or to high rpms.
I run oil reclaimers on all my pumps (surge alamo's) and drill out the oilers as big as I can.You want as much as a drip a second on each oiler If running over 15"hg. I also use Non detergent sae 30 oil and have better luck with it than thinner oils when using an oil reclaimer. Make sure you have a good regulator (or two) in the system that wont ice-up and seal off sending vacuum too high, a very common cause of mystery meltdowns.
Sounds like you have the can-do attitude and I bet you have vacuum working soon. As has been stated before on this board Vacuum does rule and will easily double your sap volumes. Its worth the trouble. Go get it!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sugaring,

Nice website you have started! :D :D Sure looks great! :D :D

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[sapaddict]

Im just a nuwbie, small pipeline no need for vacuum but I couldnt help wonder. Vacuum seems to increase flow so much, how can it do that without stressing tree over long run?. Anyone wnat to give me a lecture?

[forester1]

Sapaddict, it won't stress the tree as long as you don't overtap. You can't suck sap out of the tree. Vacuum sets up a pressure differential at the spout. The tree responds somewhat like low barometric pressure. The sap will flow from high pressure inside the tree to low pressure outside. Also vacuum keeps the lines flowing better too.

[brookledge]

Sapaddict
I've used vacuum for over 25 years and it has not put any more stress on the trees than regular tapping does. Without vacuum you have to rely solely on the temps. to create the rise and fall of the pressure in the tree. With vacuum you can get more because you are introducing a lower barometric pressure to the tree. On nights that don't freeze that well or days that don't warm up that much, is where vacuum helps the most. On those days the pressure is the same inside the tree and outside the tree so there is no flow or very little. Where as with the vacuum the sap runs because of the pressure difference.
Keith