Homemade flapper Valves

[Dennis H.]

Here are a few pics of the flapper valves that I will use on my Bender milk receiver.

I bought a 1" flapper check valve a few weeks ago that is clear with unions on both ends. Then I was brain storming one day and thought that this would work also, so off to Lowes I went.
I picked up a 1" 90 and a 1" threaded adpater. I also got a couple of small hinges, brass and steel, a few fender washers and some aluminum rivets. I had to use a little silicone to seal off the hole in the rivet.

I tried my milk receiver out yesterday and it worked pretty good.

[caseyssugarshack93]

good job dennis, i see you bought a differnt releaser? the whole manifold set up you were going to do i think would handle alot more taps because of the second stage that you were going to build

[caseyssugarshack93]

what did you use for the rubber?

[Dennis H.]

The rubber I used what a small sheet that I found at a hardware store not sure what it was going to be used for but I figure I could use it.

I actually have 2 different milk receivers now, and I will be using both of them. The one in the pic is the newest one I picket up. It has a flapper valve on the side where the sap comes in. I had to get a new rubber flapper for it, a whole $2. The other milk receiver doesn't have this flapper valve so I will be using a clear check valve on the sap side and one of these homemade valves on the dump side.

It dumps about as fast as it fills so with using the manifold thing right before the releaser I shouldn't have any problems with sap acking up the lines. It fills and dumps in about 5 seconds, now that is with a 3/4" line coming in full of water.

[caseyssugarshack93]

I looked at hte diagram in your other post about putting vac to the manifold , i would do that because sap goes in the manifold and you would probably be sucking sap up the vac line and if the releaser malfuctions then you will be sucking sap up the vac like for sure, thanks for posting this, i probably will be making a tubing tool like yours and a flapper valve too, just havent got the time to get to town and get stuff i been busy in the woods running pipe, and adding more taps

[Dennis H.]

I think this has to be the best part of making syrup besides making the syrup, fab'ing all these neat Thingy-bobs and do-hickies.

[Grade "A"]

Looks good Dennis. With the sap line coming in at the bottom like you did, I think it will help with freezing up in the top of the releaser.

[KenWP]

I found a source for rubber gaskets buy accident. I had to pull the old rubber bag out of one of those blue water pressure tanks and since it's nice food grade rubber it should work well for makeing gaskets for lots of little projects.

[Dennis H.]

Very good idea Ken, I have a guy that does plumbing 1/2mile down the road and he always has a few of those bladder tanks sitting out there.
I will have to stop and ask for one.