will this pump work for 300 taps?

[markct]

mcmaster carr has a pump part number 9901K64 that says its continuous duty and is a vane type pump, and has 4.5 cfm and up to 26 inch vac. i am considering this as a pump to hook up to my 400 gal zero tank next year. i plan to put a regulator on it so im only pulling 16 or so inches on the tank. seems like it should work but just thought i would ask your opinions!

[jrthe3]

if it is 4.5 cfm it should be good for 450 taps on a tite system

[sweetwoodmaple]

I looked at this pump on McMaster, I'm not sure it will be putting out 4.5 cfm at 16". They say sneaky things like "free air".

A good rule of thumb is 1 hp per 10 cfm at around 18" of vacuum. So, if this pump was truly putting out 4.5 cfm, I think you would see a 1/2 hp motor.

You can use old lab pumps like a cenco hyvac or the likes, but you have to add oil often and have a strong cooling fan to keep it from overheating.

If you want to play around with one, I have one of these lab pumps. I used it one year after tearing it apart and putting a new shaft seal and bearings on each end of the rotor. Pulled around 16" of vacuum on 300-400 taps.

[markct]

yea thats kinda what i was affraid of was that it was a difference in how they are rated for cfm, free air vs vac. what would you want for that vac pump and is it something light enough to be shippable without too big of an hassle? i just picked up an old montgomery wards milker pump i may try and use, seems to turn over and draw a vac. not sure where to put oil in it etc tho and cant find any info online. not sure weather i will play with it this year, i would like too since it looks like i wont have any sap for a few days atleast, so if i can arrange to get the tank from the guy i bought it from i may try and hook it up quick

[sweetwoodmaple]

Sorry, was looking at the previous post that said Pennsylvania (not CT where you are). This is not worth shpping as it weighs 50+ lbs.

The milker pump should work ok for what you are trying to do. Typically, they either have a reservoir below the pump to put the oil, or there is a dripper that just threads into the top that keeps the pump lubricated.

In either case, it just blows the oil out the exhaust, so be careful. You will also need a strong fan to keep the housing cool.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Markct Dont get hung up on the CFM thing. You have to look at what it says The higher the vacuum (HGs) the lower the CFMs COOL, GREAT, SO WHAT, who cares what the CFM rating is at HIGH vacuum. If you can achive 26 HGs in your lines you have what we call a nice tight system.....PERIOD.

Would someone please tell me what the heck you need alot of CFMS for in a system that is pulling 24 HGs in the woods and vacuum tank???? If you have HIGH vacuum levels in the woods you have achived all the CFMs you need.

Lets reverse this thinking a box fan will give you HIGH CFMs and low vacuum WHY not use that??? Use the vane pump and get a releaser next year and you will e the happiest guy in town. Put a clear section of hose close to the tank so you have something to look at:)

[sweetwoodmaple]

For us, the whole "tight system" has been very difficult. With system damage, worn fittings, etc I think the better rule is 50 taps per cfm at whatever vacuum level you want. If you have even a few moderate leakes, achieving high vacuum can be tough.

If you want more than 20" of vacuum, the pump HP jumps up substantially. For instance, my 17 cfm "free air" pump that puts out about 15 cfm at 22" needs a 2 HP electric motor.

Also for us, I work days and can't be prowling the woods for leaks, so therefore I chose an overkill in case I get some damage and don't know it. It would be different if we had 5,000 taps and this was our business. Obviously, we then couldn't be doing the 50 taps per 1 cfm thing as the pumps would get huge.

My 15 cfm for 500 taps seems about perfect. I can get 20" deep in the woods at my farthest sap ladder while running about 24" at the pump.

If you don't have sap ladders (which take some cfm's to operate), you are better off as well.

[markct]

well if my little montgomery wards milker pump works then i wont worry about the mcmaster pump, but if not then i likely will try it, still not sure realy

[Haynes Forest Products]

Markct If you have more time than money then I would spend it in the woods getting your system tight. I didnt ask how many taps you have. I ran a 1/4 HP Gast vac pump that pulled 26Hgs and very little CFMs and I still had enough the crush a tank so Screw the CFMs and go with the pump you have.

[markct]

oops didnt mean to post on this thread moved it to the right one!