Vac issue......

[Vt83maple]

Okay, so I'm new to vac and lines. First year with it, bought my place with it mostly all set up, I've been in the woods as much as possible repairing drops and branch lines. Installed shut off valves on the branch lines, have a shut off valve at the pump ( guzzler single diaphram ) ....fyi 400 taps. 1" main line 3/4 branch lines .

I'm getting nothing for vac at at any of my gauges, I replaced the duckbill valves with umbrella valves. I get random surges of sap every so often. Noticed some of my mainline up top is full of sap but not moving. Same with some of my drops. Its like the sap is locked in.

Any suggestions will help.

[TapTapTap]

I turned on my vacuum pump last week and have had inconsistent results since due to the frequent cold temperatures with only short durations of above freezing conditions.

It sounds like you don't have a dry line which makes it harder to get vacuum out to the end.

I'd say the surging is due to sags in your mains. And once the sap filled sags freeze then there's no way for vacuum to get to the trees. At least you know the lines are no longer frozen when you see surging and hear gurgling.

Even without sags, sap can freeze in the mains and cause blockage. If you pass thru culverts then that can be a bigger challenge since the sun never hits the line.

Ken

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Your guzzler is a diaphragm pump and very sensitive to ANY leaks. Can you check the vac closer to the pump and work your way up from there? You shouldn’t have sap holding in the mainlines unless it is sags with frozen spots? Are you sure the pump is hooked up correctly?

[mountainvan]

It’s good to have tubing running from the tank to the mainline above the pump. Then a constant stream of sap will keep the pump happy and pulling better vacuum.

[Biz]

Common problems early in the season. I like to start by first making sure the pump is pulling good vacuum, by disconnecting the sap inlet. A camlok fitting helps. Diaphragms on guzzlers can wear and need frequent replacement so disconnecting it will be needed periodically anyways. A recirculation is good to have on these pumps to keep the diaphragms wetted and to get vacuum going quicker. Just install a saddle near the pump and recirculate from collection tank with a small line like 3/16. A valve helps to keep flow low, you don't need much. If possible install a ball valve just upstream of the pump and recirculation line, then you can shut it off and you are only testing the pump with recirculation line to make sure it is working.

If that is OK, run it with all branch valves closed, vacuum should be good, then open one at a time till you find the branch that causes a vacuum drop. Or run all valves open and close one at a time until vacuum starts increasing. You will find the leak sooner or later. I found a couple leaks by watching sap in the laterals as they meet the mainline. The leaky one had a lot of air blasting through it. You need at least some vacuum to get to this point.

The mainline should have no flat runs, droops, sags or you can get surging. I just had to reset my mainline to eliminate a sag. It was pulling 22" with a Shurflo pump when sap was running hard. 300' of 3/4" line with about 45 taps. Good luck.

Dave