Moisture trap

[Uncle Tucker]

I was wondering if I need a moisture trap for my vacuum pump. It is at my sugarhouse and I will run a dry line to a releaser at the bottom of the hill. It is about 40 or 50 vertical feet and 300 horizontal feet to the pump. Could the pump full sap that high if the releaser was frozen? It’s a small pump, it can only pull about 1.5-2 cfm at 20”Hg.

[brookledge]

I'd say you are alright with that much vertical drop. You could push it but not pull it that high
I think if memory serves me right the most you can lift water by suction is about 30 feet.
Keith

[maplehound]

I thought I was safe with one i had set up. But one morning after a very hard run and a full tank of sap in my zero bulk tank, I found I had a trap full of sap. I was pulling sap about 900 feet horizontally and about 40 feet vertical. It deffinitly wasn't doing it efficiently but I did get about a cup of sap at the top.
I would be safe and include a moisture trap. I made mine from a whole house water filter. I run my vacuume through the side that runs to from the middle and out to the tank from the side entrance. Then I put a rubber ball ( racquet ball works great) inside the the housing instead of the filter. When the moisture comes in it fills the housing and floats the ball up and shuts the vacuume off to the tank. Be sure to put a vacuum regulator in between the trap and the pump, to protect the pump from pulling against a full load, and over heating.