Long haul on vacuum

[halladaymaple]

Hi all

I added a new section of bush to the fold. My vacuum pump is about 700’ away from the section. I was planning on useing a manual extractor to a tank then at the end of the day suck it back to the main pump house.

I am planning on running a 1 -1/4 vacuum line and a 1” mainline back there. My question ? Would Useing a 1” line instead of a more expensive 1 -1/4 vacuum line deliver enough vacuum back there to run the small manual s tractor? . There is approximately 300 taps back there.

Thanks
Darrell

[Kh7722]

Depending on how many mainlines you have in that area. Im sure someone who has alot more knowledge than muself will chime in with calculations, but i am installing a similar woods now, about 600 feet away with 400 taps and 3 mainlines. In my woods im extending my wet/dry which is 1.5” dry and 1.25” wet with 1” mainlines coming off of that. The biggest issue is obviously vacuum transfer to the mainlines, with more than one mainline you will not have the volume of air movement back to the releaser. This causes the biggest issue on the mega run days when mainlines are more than half full of sap causing the vacuum levels to drop. My advice is to go with the bigger vacuum transfer lines, it will pay off with more sap/syrup in the long run. Just my 2cents
Kevin

[ennismaple]

Darrell,

We ran an SP-22 pump at the camp and a 1.25" vacuum line 500+ feet to a manual extractor for 350 taps for a about a decade. For 300 taps I'd run the 1.25" vacuum line. On days when the sap runs really well the vacuum level will drop if you can't get enough air through a 1" line. You might save money in the short term but it will cost you money in the long run.

At the end of the day you will be better off to pump back to the main pump house than try to suck it back.

[maple flats]

Look into a Tubing Notebook, by Steve Childs of Cornell. In there you will see all of the performance figures. Personally I'd run 1.25". A large vacuum chamber near the extractor will help you better maintain the vacuum you want back there.

[DrTimPerkins]

A large vacuum chamber near the extractor will help you better maintain the vacuum you want back there.

These are commonly referred to in the maple industry as "vacuum boosters." They do not, in fact, "boost" vacuum, but merely dampen any fluctuations by providing a reserve of vacuum (nothing).