Advice Please on New Head Tank

[bigschuss]

Been in our sugar house and on our Mason 2x4 for about 10 years now...we're hobbyists. Been collecting sap and hauling it in to the preheater in 5 gallon buckets by hand. Looking to reduce some of that labor by installing a head tank. I've read up on the forum and think I have the basics figured out. I've got 2 possible locations I can place the. One is in the loft of our sugar house, but will have a longer run to the evaporator. The 2nd location is directly above the evaporator on a small platform that sits on joists for my pull down attic stairs to the loft..see pics.

Pretty sure I'm OK getting sap from the tank to the evaporator. I am just unclear how I get the sap from my gathering tank up to the head tank? Some kind of a food grade pump I assume. Do I then just run a temporary hose up to the head tank? Or do you guys have permanent hose or PEX pipe in place?

Also, I have no idea how a float valve works in a float box. Would love to see some pics on small scale hobby evaporators.

Thanks in advance. Appreciate any help or advice.

22014
22015

[NhShaun]

Looks like the second photo would be a better location in my mind. What size head tank are you planning on using?
A food grade pump would be ideal, Depending if you have electricity or are running off batteries/solar? There are quite a few options out there varying in price. I'm about to purchase a beer brewing pump with stainless components that claims to be able to pump 21ft of head and 7gpm.(Which i'm sure will slow down at that kind of height) That would certainly save you a lot of effort of moving buckets into the shack and justify the $200 price tag.

[johnallin]

If you have the floor space you may want it keep it just high enough to gravity feed the rig... Mine is inside the sugar house, on a platform made up of 4x4's and 2x10's. The bottom is about 5' off the floor - just enough to keep it higher than the float box and (more importantly) the pre-heater, but not so high that cleaning the tank is an issue.

I ran 1 1/4" cold sap hose straight up to a point higher than the top of the tank, it then slopes down to the tank. The idea is to make it self-draining.
I use a stainless potable water pump to transfer up to the head tank.
This pic will give you a basic idea.
22017

[LMP Maple]

I ran stainless 1.5 inch piping from my head tank to the float box. It was a pretty short run and I was able to incorporate a glass sight tube in the stainless run. When I see the cold sap in the sight I shut down works out well with the oil fired rig. Had a food grade hose my first year from head tank but liked the look of the stainless and the run was not too long and easy to clean as I can break it all down with the sanitary fitting connections.
If I build a bigger sugar house someday I will make it big enough to have the head tank inside. Have fun, tapped today in Hudson, NH. Running pretty well, should be enough to boil tomorrow.

[bigschuss]

Looks like the second photo would be a better location in my mind. What size head tank are you planning on using?
A food grade pump would be ideal, Depending if you have electricity or are running off batteries/solar? There are quite a few options out there varying in price. I'm about to purchase a beer brewing pump with stainless components that claims to be able to pump 21ft of head and 7gpm.(Which i'm sure will slow down at that kind of height) That would certainly save you a lot of effort of moving buckets into the shack and justify the $200 price tag.

Thanks. Yes, I have electricity, and I agree...I prefer the second location just above the evaporator in the 2nd photo. I was thinking about one of those small food grade 50 gallon blue barrels with a hole in top. Outlet in the bottom...sight class of some kind. Not sure what sap weighs...water is roughly 8.8 lbs per gallon I thinK? So 50 gallons at 9 lbs per gallon = 450 lbs on those 2x6 headers for my attic stairs. I think I'll be fine.

[bigschuss]

If you have the floor space you may want it keep it just high enough to gravity feed the rig... Mine is inside the sugar house, on a platform made up of 4x4's and 2x10's. The bottom is about 5' off the floor - just enough to keep it higher than the float box and (more importantly) the pre-heater, but not so high that cleaning the tank is an issue.

I ran 1 1/4" cold sap hose straight up to a point higher than the top of the tank, it then slopes down to the tank. The idea is to make it self-draining.
I use a stainless potable water pump to transfer up to the head tank.
This pic will give you a basic idea.
22017

Thank you John. Appreciate your input. Looks great. My sugar house is 12x16 and just a little too tight to fit a head tank on the first floor.

[bigschuss]

I ran stainless 1.5 inch piping from my head tank to the float box. It was a pretty short run and I was able to incorporate a glass sight tube in the stainless run. When I see the cold sap in the sight I shut down works out well with the oil fired rig. Had a food grade hose my first year from head tank but liked the look of the stainless and the run was not too long and easy to clean as I can break it all down with the sanitary fitting connections.
If I build a bigger sugar house someday I will make it big enough to have the head tank inside. Have fun, tapped today in Hudson, NH. Running pretty well, should be enough to boil tomorrow.

Great ideas. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Weather is starting to turn a bit here in Western, MA...but my elevation kills me. We're always 10 degrees below the average and I still have thigh deep snow. It might be a few more weeks before my trees start to run.

[NhShaun]

Thanks. Yes, I have electricity, and I agree...I prefer the second location just above the evaporator in the 2nd photo. I was thinking about one of those small food grade 50 gallon blue barrels with a hole in top. Outlet in the bottom...sight class of some kind. Not sure what sap weighs...water is roughly 8.8 lbs per gallon I thinK? So 50 gallons at 9 lbs per gallon = 450 lbs on those 2x6 headers for my attic stairs. I think I'll be fine.You may be able to turn the barrel sideways and use the bung as your outlet if headspace up there is tight(You'll lose a little head pressure) Perhaps build a little wedge base to tip it towards the outlet for easy draining. You should be fine with that kind of weight sitting up there, but if it worries you it wouldn't hurt to lag in another joist on the outside of the existing and replace the joist hanger with a double. If it were to fall, it would likely do some real damage to your evaporator. Have you narrowed down your search or figured the budget for your transfer pump to the head tank?

[BSHC]

I use an RV water pump that is piggybacked on a float switch inside the tank. When you buy a float swithc make sure it is for filling a tank. A sump pump float swithc works the other way to empty. I have it set up so once my head tank is down to 1/3rd full it automatically turns on the pump to fill from our outside storage. I just used garden hose for all the plumbing. I also put a check valve right near the pump so it does not have to prime every time it starts. If you have a bigger arch you would need better than garden hose but you should be fine with a 2x4. Just check the GPH at height of any pump you buy, often they have charts. Make sure its 25-50% more capacity than your max GPH evaporation.

[bigschuss]

You may be able to turn the barrel sideways and use the bung as your outlet if headspace up there is tight(You'll lose a little head pressure) Perhaps build a little wedge base to tip it towards the outlet for easy draining. You should be fine with that kind of weight sitting up there, but if it worries you it wouldn't hurt to lag in another joist on the outside of the existing and replace the joist hanger with a double. If it were to fall, it would likely do some real damage to your evaporator. Have you narrowed down your search or figured the budget for your transfer pump to the head tank?

Thanks again. Yes, that was my plan...to turn it sideways and use the bung hole. I saw that another member used the same barrel and actually drilled a hole in the bottom and used a fitting and valve there so the barrel would drain completely.

I think you're right...the 2x6's should be fine, especially since the weight will all be right above the hanger and not out in the middle of the span.

Haven't narrowed down a pump yet. Do you have a recommendation? Price isn't an issue. Probably have a 30' run of hose to where I haul the sap in to the front of my sugar house to the head tank.

[bigschuss]

I use an RV water pump that is piggybacked on a float switch inside the tank. When you buy a float swithc make sure it is for filling a tank. A sump pump float swithc works the other way to empty. I have it set up so once my head tank is down to 1/3rd full it automatically turns on the pump to fill from our outside storage. I just used garden hose for all the plumbing. I also put a check valve right near the pump so it does not have to prime every time it starts. If you have a bigger arch you would need better than garden hose but you should be fine with a 2x4. Just check the GPH at height of any pump you buy, often they have charts. Make sure its 25-50% more capacity than your max GPH evaporation.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Appreciate it. Good tips.