Best Time to Run Gas Powered Pump

[BradWilson]

Happy Mid-Season Quarantine

So I've got a gas powered pump (given to me) and it's finally up and running. Good news is that it's pulling 27" of vac and working great. Bad news is that it only has a 2.5 gallon tank. I might be getting 2 hours of run time (haven't really checked). When is the best time to run the pump. This piece runs better in the afternoon but with the vac it runs better all the time. Anyway, any opinions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

[MT Pockets Producer]

https://www.amazon.com/FLYPIG-Gallon-Generator-Petcock-Universal/dp/B075QF967K?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3

You can add one of these tanks to extend your run time and maxamize your sap collection. We’ve missed good portions of a sap run trying figure out best times and now just run the pump anytime it is above freezing. I’m not sure what you a have for an engine but we run the 79 cc predator engines and get 36-40 hours with this tank depending on rpms. This year we added a $15 twelve volt temp controller to shut things down just below freezing to conserve gas. Our tank is mounted on a frame above the engine and pump but others have made a separate stand that sits next to the pump With a gas line to the motor. I’ve seen guys install fittings in 5 gallon cans for this also. Just remember to have a vent if you go that route. They have a seven gallon version also.

[Bolen Creek]

We also run auxiliary gas tanks on all pumps large enough to run pumps for 24 hrs. Mtn Pockets I was thinking about a temp controlled shut off for pumps also. How exactly did you do that with controller to shut off gas motor

[MT Pockets Producer]

21282
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019I3YCFS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We used the controller in the link and wired it into the shut off switch on the motor and then to the controller. A second wire goes from the switched side of the controller back to a grounding point on the frame of the motor. We use the controller in heat mode which is a normally open contacter. It is set to call for heat a 30 degrees and when the temp drops to that point the controller closes and grounds the motor out shutting it down. It acts as a second switch that works independently from the the motor switch. If your motor does not have a switch you could probably wrap the wire to the controller around the spark plug wire.
We power the controller with my boat battery but any battery should do. It is housed in a box with a lid. We have two of these set ups and they work great. It’s so nice not worrying about what time you should go shut the pump down.

[maple flats]

I ran gas powered pumps for over 10 seasons. I never used the stock tank. I used Honda engines and I removed the stock tank when I bought the engines. I then used tanks like MT linked to, but I paid 24.99 from Surplus Center. I used one tank on each of two engines, each was a 6.5 HP engine. On one system I got 17 hrs on 4.5 gal of gas running a Surge Alamo 30 at 19" vacuum regulated because it had a vacuum tank rated for 20" max. The other ran a Surge Alamo 75 at 17" vacuum on a releaser. 17" was all the 6.5 hp engine had enough friction on the 2 belts. That tank gave me 14 hrs. With those I just added enough gas to run out about 2 hrs after the forecast predicted a freeze. If no freeze I just filled the tanks.
Then I sold one lease and changed the engine on the one with the vacuum tank, still regulated to 19" (but about half of the taps were on steep hill sides using 3/16 tubing which then gave them max. vacuum) and I used a 9 HP Honda with 2 of those tanks. The old set ups on 6.5 HP Hondas each ran at about 1/2 throttle. This new 9 HP Honda was set at about 1/3 throttle and I never did determine how many hours but it used less gas than the 6.5 had on the same vacuum pump and vacuum level. It was efficient enough that I ran 48 hrs between fuelings and still had gas in the tanks. I just shut the engine off, changed the oil, and started back up, then I refueled. I got so I could change the oil in about 6 minutes with the engine hot. I used a wooden stand for the tank (or tanks) that sat beside the engine with the bottom of the tank about 4" above where the top of the original tank would have been. When I had 2 tanks they were level tank to tank, the gas lines just joined with a T. When I ran with the 9 HP I ran the vacuum all the time, except during an extended freeze.

[ennismaple]

In the long run you are best off to run the vacuum 100% of the time. When the sap is running well, meaning bucket guys are seeing good runs too, vacuum doesn't have as much of an effect as when there is marginal flows. Days when bucket guys don't even bother going to the woods we'll get 1/2 GPT from vacuum. Overnight runs are always a nice surprise. We used to turn our pumps off if we thought it might freeze at some point. Now we let them run (they are on a temperature switch) and it's amazing how much sap you can get while you sleep even with marginal flows.

We have 3 collection points that are remote and don't have power. We ran a 2" vacuum line from the electric pump 2000 feet to one bush and the other two have 1.25" line that goes 600 ft and 1400 ft to the releaser. If you work out the math on cost of gas and the lost sap when the pump runs out in the middle of the night it might be worthwhile if you can get power from somewhere (pay a neighbour?) and run a vacuum line to a remote releaser.

[wiam]

In the long run you are best off to run the vacuum 100% of the time. When the sap is running well, meaning bucket guys are seeing good runs too, vacuum doesn't have as much of an effect as when there is marginal flows. Days when bucket guys don't even bother going to the woods we'll get 1/2 GPT from vacuum. Overnight runs are always a nice surprise. We used to turn our pumps off if we thought it might freeze at some point. Now we let them run (they are on a temperature switch) and it's amazing how much sap you can get while you sleep even with marginal flows.

We have 3 collection points that are remote and don't have power. We ran a 2" vacuum line from the electric pump 2000 feet to one bush and the other two have 1.25" line that goes 600 ft and 1400 ft to the releaser. If you work out the math on cost of gas and the lost sap when the pump runs out in the middle of the night it might be worthwhile if you can get power from somewhere (pay a neighbour?) and run a vacuum line to a remote releaser.

I agree with this. Best thing I ever did is bury 1600’ of 1.25” pipe. Vary rare that my electric pump runs out of gas. There were times I would go back to woods 20 minutes after starting gaspowered vac to find a cold muffler.

[BradWilson]

Thank you all. This motor/pump has been a pet project, more out of principal I guess. The motor is an 18hp Kohler Magnum with electric start and the pump is a DeLaval 78. It started with an electric clutch from a mower but the stator is shot so it wouldn’t maintain the battery. Once the amperage was too low the pump would shut off and just the motor would run. Anyway, I put on a smaller drive pulley and went direct. I added a reclaimer and moisture trap and it will pull 27” all day long. Eventually it’ll end up electric and in the sugarhouse but for now it’s what I’ve got. Thank for the great info and I’ll look into the tank. 212832128321284