No Vacuum When Starting-up

[GSCampChris]

Hello! I have an AirBlo vacuum with a BHR double vertical extractor. This is our first season. Sometimes when i start it up i get no vacuum. Then i poke around on the extractor and hold the extractor exits closed and move stuff around until it works. Sometimes it takes lots of time and sometimes it doesn’t. I am not sure what the magic formula is... what do you do when you first start up your pump? I found the manual is quite unhelpful.


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[maple flats]

Do you lube the parts as specified in the manual daily? Do you clean the dump flapper daily? What do you do when it finally starts to work, finding that answer should help ID the problem.

[Brian]

Make sure the valves coming off the releaser to the main lines are closed on start up because this area takes a bit of vacuum to over come unless the main lines are frozen.Then open the valves one at a time.

[Potters3]

i HAVE 2 DBL VERT RELEASERS. SOMETIMES WHEN I SHUT DOWN THEY WILL STICK INBETWEEN. LIKE IT WAS ALMOST DUMPING BUT DIDN'T. EVER MORNING BEFORE I GO TO WORK I CHECK AND MAKE SURE THE SWING IS ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE SIDE THAT WILL BE TAKING SAP FIRST.

[unc23win]

i HAVE 2 DBL VERT RELEASERS. SOMETIMES WHEN I SHUT DOWN THEY WILL STICK INBETWEEN. LIKE IT WAS ALMOST DUMPING BUT DIDN'T. EVER MORNING BEFORE I GO TO WORK I CHECK AND MAKE SURE THE SWING IS ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE SIDE THAT WILL BE TAKING SAP FIRST.

This is what happened to mine as the vacuum leaks off if you get enough sap it will trigger the dump but not have enough vacuum to pull it to the other side and it will be stuck in the middle. A lot of the Bernard or BHR releasers have the vacuum supply tube that pivots from one side to the other if its too far one way or the other it will leak some. If it is stuck in the middle it will leak all. I also had mine go to far one way and had to adjust the linkage. Mine also seemed to always leak about 1" on one side which is why I no longer have a double I went to big horizontal single.

[maple maniac65]

[QUOTE=GSCampChris;340264]Hello! I have an AirBlo vacuum with a BHR double vertical extractor. This is our first season. Sometimes when i start it up i get no vacuum. Then i poke around on the extractor and hold the extractor exits closed and move stuff around until it works. Sometimes it takes lots of time and sometimes it doesn’t. I am not sure what the magic formula is... what do you do when you first start up your pump? I found the

Can you isolate the vacuum pump to see if it is makeing vacuum. On cool mornings my airflow are slow to make vacuum. Or is it your release

is stuck hung up
vacuum

[GSCampChris]

[QUOTE=GSCampChris;340264]Hello! I have an AirBlo vacuum with a BHR double vertical extractor. This is our first season. Sometimes when i start it up i get no vacuum. Then i poke around on the extractor and hold the extractor exits closed and move stuff around until it works. Sometimes it takes lots of time and sometimes it doesn’t. I am not sure what the magic formula is... what do you do when you first start up your pump? I found the

Can you isolate the vacuum pump to see if it is makeing vacuum. On cool mornings my airflow are slow to make vacuum. Or is it your release

is stuck hung up
vacuum

It is definitely the releaser. The first thing i check is the coupling from the vac to release. It gets suction.




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[GSCampChris]

i HAVE 2 DBL VERT RELEASERS. SOMETIMES WHEN I SHUT DOWN THEY WILL STICK INBETWEEN. LIKE IT WAS ALMOST DUMPING BUT DIDN'T. EVER MORNING BEFORE I GO TO WORK I CHECK AND MAKE SURE THE SWING IS ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE SIDE THAT WILL BE TAKING SAP FIRST.

I think this is probably it. How do you know which side will take sap first? So, once you identify that you put the swing all the way up or down on that side?

Thanks for y’all’s help!


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[unc23win]

Just make sure it is pivoted all the way to one side (I always made mine the left side looking from the front) and make sure the teeter totter is down on the side you choose.

[Russell Lampron]

I no longer have a double I went to big horizontal single.

I upgraded to a horizontal releaser too. The only thing that I have to do is clean the ice off of the lower flapper so that it will seal.

[blissville maples]

[QUOTE=GSCampChris;340264]Hello! I have an AirBlo vacuum with a BHR double vertical extractor. This is our first season. Sometimes when i start it up i get no vacuum. Then i poke around on the extractor and hold the extractor exits closed and move stuff around until it works. Sometimes it takes lots of time and sometimes it doesn’t. I am not sure what the magic formula is... what do you do when you first start up your pump? I found the manual is quite unhelpful.

Sometimes I have to adjust the vac inlet side, piece that pivots with vac line attached to it, to make sure the clearance isn't too much. The other issues these releasers suffer ( mine is older) is on a good morning gush the flapper gets blown on top of the float and stays there preventing that side to not have vac. Also sometimes the cover can be too close to the horizontal chamber where sap enters from line and the float will rub on the flappers preventing it from raising high enough to trigger the guiltine........

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have 2 Double Bernards and at start up I let the vacuum come up to max and then I manipulate the balance beam. I don't trust them until I can get all the ice from the manifold tank and chambers. One of the inherent designs is the bottom of the tanks. They are like a wine bottle and even when they are evacuated they still have a ring of sap in the bottom. That freezes and will thaw out well after your down the road snug in your sap shack. I have had that ring thaw apart and hold the dump flap open.
I think most times the sap is slushy when it freezes but some times its nice clear ice and that is when I have problems.

There are so many variables its hard to know when its going to bite you in the Butt. This is the world of us that have our releaser out in the weather. I'm wondering about the wisdom of having 5-10 gallons of hot water that you suck in from a port on one of the incoming mainlines and suck it in and then shut the vacuum off letting it thaw things out.