shurflo question- when no sap running

[Earthman]

Hi all- I just tapped a section that has a 3/4 inch main with 6-7 laterals running into it. About 50 taps total. It is cold and no sap has run for a couple days. My question relates to whether I should hear any air moving thru the system without any sap in it? I have vac gauges hooked up and didn't see any of them show movement. Not sure if I should have or not without any sap in the system. I then pulled a tap to hear if I could hear air or suction. I didn't hear anything.

Should this be the case without sap, or should I hear some type of air/suction out of the pulled tap even though no sap.

Thanks for any insight provided.

Mike

[mike103]

is it possible there is a sag in the mainline with frozen sap in it? occasionally i have to tighten my mainline for this reason...just a thought.

[Earthman]

Hi Mike103- Thanks for the response. No, i just tapped this new system so no sap in it at all....Thank you for your response!

[mike103]

brand new setup gotcha, then process of elimination, check input at pump with gauge, cap off your laterals, verify vacuum at far end of mainline, if good, then add your laterals back on one at a time. maybe a dropline fell off somewhere...

[Earthman]

Hi Mike103- I got it! Fortunately, I put in valves on the two different sections and was able to isolate the issue. Had it reading at just under 5 inches at the pump gauge. When inspecting the valves where the main breaks off into 2 other sections (with one section closed), I was also able to get 5 inches. This allowed me to locate the issue on the other line. Tracing things back I found I had a leaky saddle. I could clearly hear the air leak there. Once fixed I was able to get just under 5 inches on that line. Not sure if the readings should be higher without any sap, but I at least have all three gauges at least close to each other. We'll see once I get sap in there....Hopefully the vac will increase with liquid.

For now, things feel like they may be going my way.

If I need to inspect more, as if I should be getting higher readings (without sap in the lines) I hope someone chimes in so that I can continue to improve this system.

Thanks again and let me know if this seems good! Thanks again.

Mike

[SeanD]

I get about 10" when it's completely dry. I have nothing else to compare it to since this is my first year on vac.

I'm curious how you fixed a leaky saddle. I've been able to spot leaks at fittings because of the bubbles and I can hear it, but wouldn't know what to do if the saddle was leaking air.

[mike103]

Hi Mike103- I got it! Fortunately, I put in valves on the two different sections and was able to isolate the issue. Had it reading at just under 5 inches at the pump gauge. When inspecting the valves where the main breaks off into 2 other sections (with one section closed), I was also able to get 5 inches. This allowed me to locate the issue on the other line. Tracing things back I found I had a leaky saddle. I could clearly hear the air leak there. Once fixed I was able to get just under 5 inches on that line. Not sure if the readings should be higher without any sap, but I at least have all three gauges at least close to each other. We'll see once I get sap in there....Hopefully the vac will increase with liquid.

For now, things feel like they may be going my way.

If I need to inspect more, as if I should be getting higher readings (without sap in the lines) I hope someone chimes in so that I can continue to improve this system.

Thanks again and let me know if this seems good! Thanks again.

MikeIf your running the pump dry without recirculation, I dont know if you will get more than 5hg out of a shurflo. judging by what ive read on this forum 10 - 15 hg (wet) seems to be pretty common unless you have good slope. You might want to give recirculating the pump a try ( if you dont already have it) by running a tube out of collection tank and connect to your manifold before pump. It helped me out quite a bit. Thanks to folks on MT!

[BAP]

With a dry pump you aren't going to get much vacuum. Once they have liquid running threw them, they start making a lot of vacuum if everything is tight. I have a Shurflo 4008 pump and have setup a recirulation line in the tank. It runs 21.5" of vacuum when I have it recirculating, but dry only about 10-11".

[Earthman]

Thank you BAP and Mike!