Claw Washer as releaser?

[DaveB]

A few years ago I saw this video from MarkCT using a milk bucket washer as a releaser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnChgFSi1oU

They don't sell the exact model that he used but I did find this unit:

http://bobwhitesystems.com/products/claw-washer-six-unit

They confirmed that it could handle 25-30" of vacuum but I'm wondering if anyone else has used a similar system for their releaser? I'm just wondering what connects to where and if they have success with it. I have some applications where I'm trying to use a traditional vacuum setup instead the shurflo pumps that I've been using.

[WESTMAPLES]

ive been running 2 and now 3 bender washer/ releasers for a few seasons and they work great for me, all i did to make it cycle better under 25-26 hg is double the amount of center rod weight, check out some of the pictures i have posted an also there is a thread or 2 on here that will answer some of your questions. there are a few benders for sale in the classifieds, all of mine came right off the milk room wall with original pyrex glass jars. they where built to last !!

[BreezyHill]

there are numerous operations that use them. One can modify their mainlines with check valves, and other modifications to make more efficient, as needed.

[Tappy Sap Master]

This was something that I did. I added a manifold to the claw washer and it will not release above 22"hg. Markct helped me out as well.1546215463.

[DaveB]

Great timing and thanks for the pictures. I actually found a couple of these at a reasonable cost and went ahead an purchased them. One question I have is if you have a check valve on the ports where the sap lines are connected? The reason I'm asking is that I was watching a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLp4F5eyn84) of one working for their original purpose and it looked like there was some surging in the lines and that concerned me. I was thinking that a check valve would eliminate that.

[Tappy Sap Master]

Yes, the bottom of the claw washer has 4 outlets/inlets two are blocked off with the original plugs & the other two act as my inlet and outlet, so I installed a chk valve between the manifold& releaser and at the end. I f you look closely at the pic you can see the 5/16 line coming out of the top and going back in to my feed line, this balances the vac in the releaser to keep it from boiling. Building some type of manifold is a must to keep the sap flowing in while the releaser cycles. other wise you lose a lot of vac when it trips and takes the pump a while to catch up with lost cfm's.

[DaveB]

I wanted to revisit this thread because I think I might not have my claw washer setup properly. I know I need to get some check valves for the vacuum line as well as the sap line and the drain tube but my claw washer does not appear to be working properly and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. It fills up with sap about 3/4's full but never goes any further. There is a steady stream out the bottom tube but I'm not sure why it would fill up like that and then not go any further. Is it because I don't have a check valve on the drain port? I'm looking for some input from folks that have used these before.

[Tappy Sap Master]

The claw washer doesn't release? If you don't have a chk valve at the drain port how are you holding vac? Is your claw washer similar to what I have, or do you have one of those glass releasers?

[DaveB]

The claw washer doesn't release? If you don't have a chk valve at the drain port how are you holding vac? Is your claw washer similar to what I have, or do you have one of those glass releasers?

This is the exact unit that I have.

15852

I'm wondering if the check valve is the key but I'll wait to hear what others have to say.

[Bricklayer]

I just bought a bender Releaser also this year, plan on using it next year. From what I've read and videos I've watched you absolutely need a check valve on the sap inlet and sap outlet. Both should be facing parallel to the sap flow. So when unit is under vac and pulling sap the inlet from the trees opens and lets sap into the Releaser. When under vac the outlet check valve will close with vacuum applied. When unit release the vac remaining in the line and the weight of the sap will close the inlet check valve and force open the outlet check valve.
On the new style claw washers the check valve is located on the discharge hose from the factory. I'm not sure it will work in our scenario with sap. Just get the same check valve you have for the inlet and install it on the outlet side.
There are a ton of videos on YouTube also I've watched. All the setups I've seen have 2 check valves

[WESTMAPLES]

This is the exact unit that I have.

15852

I'm wondering if the check valve is the key but I'll wait to hear what others have to say. dave use a springloaded well check valve on the inlet side to prevent backflow ( on my benders i use the top port for the sap inlet or else the vac transfer is slow, like if you use a bottom inlet ) and for the bottom check valve ( dump valve ) use a larger 1 inch or so flap style valve for fast dumping ,