New pump or Pump parts needed???

[Pete33Vt]

I am going to try an explain what I am looking for its kind of confusing? What I have is a surge alamo vaccum pump hook to an electric realser. This set up is about 1000 to 1500 feet down the hill from the sugar house. When the releaser is full it trip the switch and the electric pump starts up and send the sap up the hill to the sugar house. My electic pump is a Jacuzzi pump 3/4 horse It has an 1 1/4" and 1" outlet. My problem is the plastic diffuser inside the pump cracked last sugaring and wouldn't pump also the end seal leakes pretty bad. What I need is a rebuild kit or a different pump. I have tried a few different pumps and none of them would overcome the vaccum. If I shut the vaccum system off for a second they would pick up and pump. I cannot change anything about the setup I would love a mechancical realser but then I still would have to transport sap from the tank up to the sugarhouse. And running this operation by myself I can't do It. Anyone have any ideas on where I can get a rebuild kit for my pump or a different pump?

[Jim Brown]

Pete: a mech realeaser would work if you try a system like ours. When we set the lines in our small bush we did not expect to put vacuum in.Well we changed our minds and now had the lines too low at the releaser to dump into the holding tank. We took a plastic tote about 30 gallon set it on the ground at the end of the lines set a plastic milk crate in it, set the releaser on the crate and bought a sump pump from Sears that had a float switch,set it in the tote and set the float. The releaser will dump three times and the pump will kick on, pump the tote down and shut off. We pump the sap to our holding tank that now is up on a hill and we don't have to go back in the mud to transport.
Hope this helps it works for us
Jim

[maplehound]

Pete,
I don't have any experience with releasers at all. I just use a zero bulk milk tank as my collection point and attach the vacuum right to it. I have a deep well pump laying inside the tank that is attached to a float switch. When the tank fills up the pump comes on and pumps the sap out without breaking the vacuum. You need a deep well pump to do this so it can pump against the vacuum. The higher you need to pump the sap the bigger the pump needs to be. Lucky for me I just have to pump it about 3 or 4 feet higher than the tank.

[NH Maplemaker]

Pete, I just typed in www.jacuzziwaterpumps.com and there site came up! There was a aplace to select parts. Check it out and see if it helps! Maplemaker

[Pete33Vt]

Thanks for all the info. What I seem to have left out is this setup was installed in 1991 and has worked great up until last year. What I need is a new pump or somewhere to find a rebuild kit. Like i said I cannot do a whole lot different on the setup. I would love to go mech. but there is no way to do it and still be effecient. If I did I would have to let the sap run all day or gather off and on a wait until the trees stopped running to boil. And thats no fun. I don't mind boiling but if I get a good run I would have to boil all nite. I will try to get on to the website Maplemaker sent me agin latter computers acting up. And thanks again.

[Mike]

Pete, There's a shop in St Albans on rt 7 just north of Dukes Gym on the right hand side across from the old farm....This guy might be able to help you...He works on all kinds of pumps......Mike

[NH Maplemaker]

Pete, that was jacuzziepumps.com. Not waterpumps. I got it wrong, Sorry! maplemaker