3/16 line with shurflo?

[sugaring in vt]

I just purchased s shurflo 4008 pump and 12v thermostat to put on a 3/16 line with twenty taps. I've been reading some of the post about this setup. I was wondering if I put a tee in the line before the pump going into the collection tank with a valve for restricting flow to help Let some sap go through the pump all the time but still let it make vacuum is a good idea. I also was thinking if the battery or pump stopped working I might still get some gravity feed through this line. I could be totally wrong on this. Any thoughts?

[acafro]

A recirculation line will help quite a bit. I just did it with mine and I get a consistsnt 23-25" of vacuum. I used a 1/4 turn ball valve and gated it until I had sap moving in all my lines and max vac.

If your battery dies, nothing will flow through the pump. The way the pump works won't allow it.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[sugaring in vt]

Yes wasn't thinking through the pump but maybe a little through the recirculation line? Just a thought going through my head but then that's sometimes a dangerous thing haha. Like I said could be totally wrong and probably am. Thanks for your thoughts on the recirculation loop. I will definitely plumb that into my setup.

[Wanabe1972]

I run a similar pump made by aquatec . I have run it on a 200 foot line of 5/16 with 20 taps for several years. This year I running it on 3/16 to the same 20 with even better results. I'm not running recirculation as with the 3/16 the line seems to be full most of the time. A note on this brand pump it I don't get 24 inches like the shuflows it seems to be around 18 to 20 but SAP Will pass through when off. So the are pros and cons. With no pump I would average .5 to .75 gallons per day per tap. With vacuum I get 1 to 1.5 per day.

[sugaring in vt]

Interesting observation. That would be great to get that kind of increased amounts. I suspect I won't get quite that much as all my trees are red maples. I would look into one of those pumps if I didn't already have the shurflo. Maybe next year if I find more trees.

[Wanabe1972]

These 20 taps are on 16 reds and two big sugars.

[acafro]

I've got Dave Bisbee's smart sap sucker that has a bypass valve, so sap will pass through a bypass when the pump is off for any number of reasons.

You might get a little off your T but it will all depend on slope and elevation loss. And how open your recirculation valve is.

I have just over a mile of tubing and 125 taps on my shurflo 2088 and it handles it just fine. I pull 23-24" at the pump, 20+" at the top of 3 runs. And 17" on my two longest runs (both well over 1000 feet)



Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[Biz]

Hope the unit is working out, Adam. I don't use recirculation lines but it seems like you would get a small amount of gravity flow through them when pump is off. Better than nothing. I get 24" vacuum at my pump which is a 4008, but I think that is reduced a little with a recirculation line. The electric bypass valve on my controllers allows maximum flow if pump is off for any reason, so still get full gravity sap flow.

Dave

[sugaring in vt]

Dave
I just watched the video of your controller. That's a pretty neat unit you've put together. Is this a product you sell and if so how much does it go for out of coriousity. I'm not sure as a hobby sugar maker how much I'm willing to spend for 8-10 gallons of syrup. Thanks mark

[Biz]

Glad you liked the video. When I get a chance and it's not nighttime, I want to post some videos of my units actually pumping sap.

I am offering them for sale for next season. Have units out in four different states this year, which are doing very well. I don't have prices set for next year yet, hopefully I can get them down a little, but this year's pricing on the Smart Sap Sucker controller in weatherproof enclosure, with SS electric ball valve, including cables was $289. This uses your own pump. I can also provide a complete system with pump, strainer, leak-tested SS piping/fittings, vacuum gauge, complete ready to hook up and go, or I can customize it for your needs. Might be more than what you need but it has a bunch of cool :cool: features that help out in many ways such as allowing unattended operation, preventing sap loss due to a fault or low battery, and letting you know information like run time, battery current and voltage, etc. My new feature for next year is to add an electronic vacuum sensor to replace the mechanical vacuum gauge. It's been a fun project and hopefully helping customers to produce more syrup!

Dave

[sugaring in vt]

Thanks for the information Dave. It's probably more than I need right now but I will keep it in mind for the future. I just bought a used d&g sportsman evaporator. I'll probably be looking to expand my tap count to match the ability of the new evaporator. It might make it more appealing then. I believe it's been mentioned about this becoming an addiction. Lol