sap getting into vacuum coolant

[lew]

I installed an atlantic fluidics vacuum pump this year (water cooled) and am very happy with the vacuum output. However I have a problem with sap getting into my water/antifreeze coolant tank. I started out with 40 gallons of coolant, run it through 100 feet of 3/4 inch black plastic pipe that is submerged in a spring to help cool the coolant then through the pump. It works great to keep the pump cool. However, when it freezes up at at night (at least I'm pretty sure this is when it is happening, I haven't been able to be there when it actually starts to freeze) I sucks some sap into the vacuum pump. I startd with 40 gallons in the tank and went up to 60. I drained 10 gallons off and i am back up to 60 again. I am going to install a trap today to try and keep some of the sap out, but I don't think I can build one big enough to hold 20 gallons+. Any thoughts as to why this is happening or what I can do?

[mapleack]

I installed an atlantic fluidics vacuum pump this year (water cooled) and am very happy with the vacuum output. However I have a problem with sap getting into my water/antifreeze coolant tank. I started out with 40 gallons of coolant, run it through 100 feet of 3/4 inch black plastic pipe that is submerged in a spring to help cool the coolant then through the pump. It works great to keep the pump cool. However, when it freezes up at at night (at least I'm pretty sure this is when it is happening, I haven't been able to be there when it actually starts to freeze) I sucks some sap into the vacuum pump. I startd with 40 gallons in the tank and went up to 60. I drained 10 gallons off and i am back up to 60 again. I am going to install a trap today to try and keep some of the sap out, but I don't think I can build one big enough to hold 20 gallons+. Any thoughts as to why this is happening or what I can do?

I'm no vacuum expert, but are you sure its sap? Is the releaser sticking / freezing shut and allowing sap to make it to the pump? Could there be a hole in your coolant line in the spring, causing the coolant pump to suck more water into the system? You could pressure test the coolant line to check for leaks.

[lew]

I am not positive, but pretty sure. the coolant tank will stay at a steady level until the morning following a freeze up, then there will be an additional 20 gallons of "liquid" in my coolant tank. My sap trap will be installed this morning, and let me know for sure where the liquid is coming from.

[lew]

Well I installed my trap today, and was able to watch as the lines unthawed and began to run. I found more than one problem. first probblem was that the float ans the rod is attached to is broken. when the float rises with the sap, it cocked off to the side and got in the way of the trap ball. It did trip the releaser, but no until the tank was almost chuck full. I'm sure that some sap got by and went through the vacuum pump. My second problem was that I had a miniscule leak in my coolant line that went to the spring. got that fixed and all seems to be well except that I need a new float. any Ideas who would have parts available at a moments notice?