Vacuum Booster as a Releaser

[rob1640]

Could one of these vertical vacuum boosters be used as an electric sap releaser? From what I can see the only difference between these and the actual electric releaser is the manifold and the electric switch. If I put the vacuum line in the top, the mainline in lower and pump out from the bottom, will that work?

Rob

[NH Maplemaker]

Rob, Yes they should work as a releaser chamber! Nice thing about them is they all ready have the dome top made for you. We made one out of a 16" pice of green PVC sewer pipe. But making the top and bottom was a pain!! Jim L.

[rob1640]

The top and bottom were my worry about starting from scratch.

[vtmaplemaker]

The big thing you need to remember on a electric extractor is, you need to come off the bottom, go through the pump, and then on the discharge side of the pump, have a 1/4" line back to the top of the chamber... This equalizes the vacuum on both sides of the pump....

[vtjeeper]

The big thing you need to remember on a electric extractor is, you need to come off the bottom, go through the pump, and then on the discharge side of the pump, have a 1/4" line back to the top of the chamber... This equalizes the vacuum on both sides of the pump....

well heres an older post but looks like the easiest thing to make work right to me. I drew a diagram of the way I am thinking would work using this sump pump hi/low switch http://www.cshincorporated.com/product_info.php/cPath/27/products_id/5553 and a cheapo water pump. can you guys tell me if this is correct and would any other check valves really be required. please.

my drawing http://i948.photobucket.com/albums/ad327/vtjeeper2/electricsapreleaserdiagram.jpg

[VTFarmer]

I have one other check valve. It's on the small line that runs back to the top of the releaser. Haven't really figured out why it's there but it was installed by the folks at MaplePro (CDL/Dallaire) so I didn't question it. Other than that, your diagram is exactly what we have.

[maple sapper]

I built a pvc releaser a week ago and works pretty good with out a pump. It needs a delay time relay that can be gotten at grainger or other supply houses. Its shown under the post called Home made releaser input wanted. I made a change by putting my vac line totally vertical for 4' then have my sap trap below my releaser and vac line raised up again to force any moisture to stay in sap trap. Check it out.

[arcticmaple8]

I built a electric releaser/reciever or whatever you want to call it lol. Its a 30 gallon white pvc vacuum balance tank (i think a delaval) it has a 1" port out of the bottom which runs to a lawn sprinkler pump 3/4 hp 2000 gal/hour. i have a pvc flapper check valve after pump but would use a brass flappercheck valve next time because they seal better due to a heavier flapper weight. there i a 3" pvc port out of the side of the tank about 3/4 of the way up which is where my main lines run in and there are 3 3" pvc ports out of the top one is vac in one is vac out for dry line and one is for my float. i glued a 3/4" female adapter into the inside of a piece of 1-1/4 pipe and then threaded a piece of 3/4" pvc pipe into the 3/4 female which goes down into the tank about half way and then put a standard 15 amp float up through the 3/4 pvc. It works well with 650 taps at 20" and would probably do up to 1500-2000. at first the pump had a hard time priming so i raised the float level to keep more fluid in the bottom pushing into the pump and this helped a lot, but now i see some one else said to equalize the vac on the discharge side of pump, genious i will have to try. We spent 50 for a good float and 250 for a good pump and probably 50 in pvc fittings, 15 for check valve an we have a reliable releaser for under 400 but we also got the balance tank for free. good luck

[vtjeeper]

excellent. I am going to try to put something together for next year like I drew using that float for about $50, cheap harbor freight pump for about 50 and misc fittings and things. going to try to keep it at $150 or less if possible. I have some 4 inch and some 3 inch pvc leftover from building my house that I may put together to build up a decent volume of sap. and a small gast dry vane pump off ebay for another 150 or less to my door. not sure about muffler and intake filter on the vacuum pump but that can't cost too much. 150 taps should be pretty easy on my land, slight slope on most all of it. buds on some of my trees are starting to look a little bigger and red(mostly red maples) so, come on next year!