Moisture trap

[swlyamaha]

How important is the moisture trap on a vacuum system? Or Can I run it with out one for a couple days. I need to make one but can find a good picture of one.

Thanks
Stan

[DrTimPerkins]

Depends on the pump. Some pumps (rotary claw pumps) will be damaged severely by pulling sap through them -- fixable if you're lucky...may require factory refurbishment. Some (vane pumps) may have internal damage to replaceable parts (vanes) but are typically repairable with some effort. Some (liquid-ring pumps) will probably suffer no permanent damage but would need the oil (or water) changed. Some (diaphragm pumps) aren't bothered by liquid at all, and actually will run better wet. A moisture trap is basically an insurance policy.

[swlyamaha]

The vacuum pump I am using is a gast 1023. I will put a moisture trap in but I don't have one right now. I wanted to tap on Saturday and maybe hook up the vacuum Sunday to try it out without the moisture trap.

[maple flats]

That's a rotary vane pump. You want a moisture trap. Either buy one or make one to avoid damage to the vanes and maybe the seals and more. Search on here for homemade moisture traps. You could also check out Ed Sobles products. He seems to have the best price on new ones. If you order in time today, he could ship it and have it there by Saturday with the right shipping choices.

[Russell Lampron]

You will be gambling that the releaser won't malfunction if you run your pump without a moisture trap. I made moisture traps out of 3" PVC pipe and fittings. I put a street hockey ball inside to block off the vacuum line to the pump.

17514

Two of the moisture traps are in this picture.

[JoeJ]

3" moisture traps are pretty simple to build if you know of someone who has one that you can copy. The key to your home made trap properly working is that you purchase a ball with the correct density so that it does not get pulled into the 2" line under 28" of vacuum if the moisture trap fills. (Happened to a friend) Might be worth buying a ball from a maple dealer.

Joe

[blissville maples]

If you can't get one in time, at least watch it swap quite a few times to see it works properly. Most of the time they will malfunction near the freezing point when things start sliding a little harder. I'd still try n find one though, I'd rather lose a few hours of sap than pump itself. I had an old dairy pump that when I got down the mountain I could see it spitting sap out the exhaust- fixed the problem discarded oil and it kept running!! Was lucky, the delaval dairy pumps are bullet proof!!

[spud]

You will be gambling that the releaser won't malfunction if you run your pump without a moisture trap. I made moisture traps out of 3" PVC pipe and fittings. I put a street hockey ball inside to block off the vacuum line to the pump.

17514

Two of the moisture traps are in this picture.

So do you drain these at times just to make sure there is not any moisture in them?

Spud

[maple flats]

Yes, the traps I made were similar to what Red Roof shows in his pictures except mine were made out of 4" PVC. The sap coming in at a T if anything is causing it not to go to the releaser, and at least a foot above that, at the very top the vacuum is pulled out. On mine where the vacuum pulled out, I reduced to a 1.5" then right back up to 2". That fitting was a T with a 1.5" facing the moisture trap, and a 2" facing up with a ball valve, and the side outlet was also 2". The 1.5" caught the ball that floated up in any sap until it got sucked in to plug off the vacuum. At the bottom I originally had a reducer and a 1" ball valve to dump sap daily (with the vacuum shut off) but later I changed it out to a flapper check valve. Then every time I shut the engine to the vacuum off to fuel it drained automatically. I'd add gas, check the oil and restart the pump. Every second day if run all night I'd change the engine oil, if shut down or stopped because it was set to run out of gas 2-3 hours after freeze-up, I sometimes changed the engine oil every 3rd day.

[Clinkis]

This my moisture trap and releaser setup. It is made out of 4” abs. It has an orange hockey ball in it and a check valve on the bottom that drains it when the pump is shut off.
17516

[DrTimPerkins]

So do you drain these at times just to make sure there is not any moisture in them?

Definitely a good idea, especially if it is in a non-heated space. Otherwise any moisture in them will freeze and could trap the ball in the ice and cause them not to seal if you get a slug of liquid coming through.

[Atgreene]

Should you have more than one trap? My mini flood has one at the unit, but should I put another below at the top of the wet/dry system?

[maple flats]

Some producers put 2 in series, but they should be close to the pump, that is what you want to protect.

[Russell Lampron]

So do you drain these at times just to make sure there is not any moisture in them?

Spud

Yes I do. They have a threaded cap on the bottom that I would take out to drain them but found that it was much faster to undo the Fernco's and flip them upside down. I do it every couple of days and do find some moisture in them at times. I have two of them at the releaser, one more about half way up the vacuum line and another at the pump which is at the sugar house 1500' away.

[JoeJ]

I would definitely suggest two moisture traps.When I started with vacuum in 2007, I installed one moisture trap at the pump in the sugar house and ran a 1 1/2" vacuum line 1,100' to a releaser. Soon after the season started, something went wrong with the releaser and the vacuum pump pulled sap up over a 44' high hill 1,100' back to the pump. The moisture trap at the pump did its job and stopped the vacuum flow. I then installed a second moisture trap next to the releaser. Once or twice a season, the trap at the releaser will get plugged, but it prevents the sap traveling all the way back to the sugar house. I check the moisture traps daily.

Joe

[Russell Lampron]

I would definitely suggest two moisture traps.When I started with vacuum in 2007, I installed one moisture trap at the pump in the sugar house and ran a 1 1/2" vacuum line 1,100' to a releaser. Soon after the season started, something went wrong with the releaser and the vacuum pump pulled sap up over a 44' high hill 1,100' back to the pump. The moisture trap at the pump did its job and stopped the vacuum flow. I then installed a second moisture trap next to the releaser. Once or twice a season, the trap at the releaser will get plugged, but it prevents the sap traveling all the way back to the sugar house. I check the moisture traps daily.

Joe

The reason that I have a moisture trap about 1/2 way up my vacuum line is because I only had one at the releaser and sap got by it. It too went all the way to the sugar house which is a 1500' away and a 53' gradual elevation change. Sap filled the pipe and where I put 1/2 way moisture trap is the low spot where I took the pipe apart to drain it. I have since built a shed over my tank and releaser to keep it out of the weather. Last season, which was the first with the shed, was the first one without a releaser malfunction.

[swlyamaha]

I went and bought one on Saturday and now I have a model for the next one. I will be installing it today.
Thanks

[swlyamaha]

17834
I am have a problem with my releaser when I first start it up in the early morning and it is still cold.
The release will dump and after it dumps it will not reset, or the cylinder will not retract to have the vacuum come back on to the system.
Is this because everything is still cold and there is to much friction on the sealing surface?
I try to lubricate the surface but no luck.
Is this a common problem??

[hogisland42]

I used to have one that I needed to put a light on it to keep it warm or it would not trip

[swlyamaha]

Well new problem. My moisture trap failed me. Or I guess the releaser failed.
My vacuum pump suck in sap last night a broke all the vanes.
I don't know how the sap got pass the moisture trap. Did the ball not seal or something like that.
I did notice that the releaser had some problem dumping. You would see bubbles in the top of the release. it was like the float would have a hard time floating and make it release the sap. Im thinking the the float might of got stuck or some thing like that.
Oh well I am going to fix the pump and washes the release really good and make sure it work smoothly.

[DrTimPerkins]

Was the trap in a heated space or unheated? If unheated, they can definitely fail due to ice buildup trapping the ball that would normally close off the vacuum line when it fills with sap.

[swlyamaha]

unheated space.18166

[Russell Lampron]

They can most definitely fail if they are outside. That's why I have 2 at the releaser and another about 1/3 of the way up my 1500' vacuum line and another at the pump. I've had sap make it through the first one but never the second one. The other ones are boosters and insurance.

[blissville maples]

unheated space.18166

That looks like a single-chamber LaPierre releaser I used to have one and I could not figure out why it would not dump whene full, I messed with it for 2 years before replacement. What I don't understand is I could never figure out why it would not dump the prop rod on the top of the float would move the actuator but still no dump I lube it I cleaned it the plunger moved freely- no fix...... However the double LaPierre releasers I think are some of the most reliable,. Maybe that was just a bad one as it was used, I went with a CDL releaser on this tank and from what I can see they are pretty reliable.

[bushmaned]

I would not worry about your pumping problems to much.I think maybe your stock gal tank is a much by far more of something to deal with.

[bushmaned]

I am sorry I am not tying to bash this site or topic or anyone . I myself have seen, and been dealing with heavy metal problems in my body from working part time in a body shop many years ago soldering with lead on cars and trucks. They tell me {doctors] that is most likely were the cancer started from. .Using proper food grade equipment is truly the only safe way to go. For every ones sake. Try to reduce any area in production that has exposure .