Hobby Releaser

[Maplewalnut]

Does anyone have any experience with the mechanical hobby releaser that is sold for around $500.

I really need something low maintenance and am curious if anyone has had any trouble with this low end unit

Thanks Mike

[maplecrest]

they are great for 400 taps. but that is it. then you will have problems of not keeping up with more taps than that.

[lpakiz]

I think I got lucky tonight! You guys tell me if I'm right.
I found 2 old milkhouse releasers (the vacuum only type) They look like they would hold about a gallon or so. They have a Stainless Steel float inside. They are about 5-6" diameter and 12-14 " high. How many taps would these be good for? Gave $20 each for them, but may need gaskets, check valve etc.

[brookledge]

Larry
Sounds like a bender releaser. I have used them and sold some and they will work on up to 250-300 taps. Keep a tight system and you should be ok. One thing I never tried but was suggested to me is to hook more than one together in a parallel set up and then you can add more taps. At $20.00 you got a steal. Good luck.
Keith

[Uncle Tucker]

I was wondering if the hobby releaser would still work with high “ of vacuum? I hear that some of the milk releasers will not handle high vacuum leavels.

[royalmaple]

The hobby releaser by lapierre is made just like any other one. It is just smaller.

You can buy them set up as a releaser or a sap lifter depends on your needs. I don't see why they wouldn't operate as well as any releaser at high vacuum.

The milk releasers just work with check valves.

[tuckermtn]

yes the hobby releaser from Laperrier worked fine with our 23" of hg. while not "high vacuum" its still pretty good...

-Eric

[treefinder]

i use a bender milk house releaser and it seems to work ok. the only problem you will have is finding a valve for them i went to the local co-op and they said that they did not make them any more. so i had one made out of s/s. the one that goes to it is a glass tube with a little ball in it. if you need to take a look @ mine i will put a pic of it on my photo bucket to help you out. the only problem i seemed to have with mine is that it would act like it was getting vapor locked at times .kevin

[treefinder]

i just looked at my photo bucket and you can see the glass valve on the one i'm using.

[Grade "A"]

Treefinder, where did you get the tubing on the bottom of the releaser?

[treefinder]

i think i got it from my local hardware store .

[lpakiz]

Treefinder,
The one I found is a quite a bit smaller than yours. I would say it is 5 inches diameter and 14 inches tall. Guess it would hold about a gallon per dump.
I do have the check valves for this one. They consist of plastic tees (or Ys) with a plastic or rubber ball inside that pulls itself up against a smaller diameter of the fitting when the dump occurs. This one has vacuum in the top, and the bottom port is used for both sap intake and sap dump, accomplished by the use of the two checkvalves under the unit.. I'll get a pic of it one of these nights.
Is the valve you had made the one to the right of the unit on the pic entitles "My cheap vacuum pump" or am I missing some of your photos?
Larry

[treefinder]

the releasers you have are for the washing system. i have 2 or 3 of these i never used them as i think they might only carry about 100 taps. mine is only good for about 250 to 300 taps. the one i'm using is 3 gal and it dumps about 1.5gallons give or take, at a time, so yours will dump about a 1/4 of a gallon at a time.

[Maplewalnut]

OK got my releaser from Maple Guys and figure you guys can save me a phone call. How the heck does it go together. Have one threaded (maybe inch port) on the top horizonal cylinder and one barbed fitting. The bottom vertical cylinder has one barbed fitting and a couple smaller threaded holes that have plugs in them already. The flapper valve is obviously on the bottom vertical cylinder.

Where does my mainline attach and where does my vacuum attach?

Do I need to do anything with the flapper valave other than make sure it is over the collection tank?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Verry good ?.

My 10,000 tap releaser i just got a month ago from the maple guys has a 3" PVC pipe on top and a single 1" threaded hole in the top "12" dia chamber" and a single 1" threaded hole that is capped off on the bottom 20" dia chamber. Where do i start?

Takes 2 guys to move it around/weighs about 100 lbs.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

did it come with extra parts gov? mine did took me 2 years to find where they went...

[Russell Lampron]

Governor you gonna put all 10,000 taps on one 1" mainline?

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

I did have an extra bolt in the bottom/maybe that is what was holding it all together??

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

Russ we discussed that a while ago, he will have like 10 of them, and he has to t them all together so he can go into the releaser with just one connection.. Make sence to you???

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

What a lot of people don't know/but i'll give you guys a tip of the day=1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or full pipe vacuum can still be applied full force even with a full pipe. Don't think so then try this= Fill up a pipe full with water and then hook it to your releaser and closed tightly at the other end and put a vacuum gauge somewhere along the pipe.

Vac will be the same at the releaser as on the pipe= New technology thinking.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Now you know why my mother called me sunny= so brite.

[Valley View Sugarhouse]

I am not sure there was ever any doubt Gov..

[tuckermtn]

maplewalnut- I will have to go take a look at mine that's in the barn...get back to you tomorrow...

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

What about mine TM??