Filtering Sap And Plumbing Sap Line

[barkeatr]

I have a low drop between storage tank and evap..probably 6 inches of drop will that be enough pressure to push sap through a in line water filter? i see folks have done that.

also my sap intake on my new evap can take up to one inch dia feed line, it wont mater if I reduce that to 3/4" sap feed line correct? i dont want to affect automatic float shutoff negatively.

and finally how much above your raised flue is a typical depth for sap?

please hurry! i hope to boil tonight FINALLY!

[maple flats]

6" is barely enough. If you can raise your tank some. I have an inline with about 12" drop and have never had a problem. My evap has 1.25" inlet but I am still hooking my 3/4" supply I used when I had a 2x6 instead of a 3x8 evap. As I see it the size is only an issue on initial fill, after that you only replace at a rate of about 60 +/- gal/hr in my case, yours will be different. I run my raised flue with 1/2-3/4" above the raised flues, some people even run them at slightly less. You'll be bet starting at about 1.25 and as you get comfortable with the evaporator gradually reduce until you have about 3/4". If I have guests in the sugarhouse I go to the 3/4", when alone I use about 1/2". After a few days of using it you might want to drop to 1/2". In my syrup pan I also use 2 depths, 1" when alone and 1.5" with guests. It seems too many things can go wrong if you are talking and not watching as closely as you do when alone. Good luck, you have made a wise choice going raised flue.

[maple flats]

I forgot, on your filter, have a bypass incase it plugs and keep a spare filter just in case. In mine I only use a 50 micron, finer things get filtered in the filter press. Some people have issues with micro organisims growing in the filter. As I see it, the next stop is the sauna (evaporator) and nothing has enough time to do harm. I do change my filter about every 3-4 days however.

[barkeatr]

thanks maple flats!

[Haynes Forest Products]

Im with maple Flats Go with the screen type filter because the glogging. Keep in mind that if the bottom of the tank is only 6" higher its the top of the sap in tank that is the concern so keep it full as possible:)

[brookledge]

I suppose if you have a corse filter it would work but the bottom line is if your float is calling for sap and you need it fast, you don't want any restrictions. Is there any chance you can filter it out as you pump it into your feed tank? That way you could filter it out to to a lower micron.
Keith

[oneoldsap]

I would never put a filter in my evaporator feed line , a restriction of any kind could be catastrophic ( Burnt Pans ) , I would advise doing your filtering North of your feed tank . Burnt pans can be avoided , but there's no known cure !

[gar]

Ihave to pump my sap into my holding tank so I bought a large water filter and pumpthrough that. Unscrew the bottom and take in the house though as it will freeze. As far as your set up you anly get 1# of pressure for every 2 feet that your sap level is above your filter.

[barkeatr]

...I really appreciate the sage advice. its amazing to be able to get advice like this from experienced folks. I just installed a filter where you can bypass the the filter if it clogs, ..but..I may pull it out all together. i just tested it and the sap seems to go through the 20 micron (highest they had) filter..I reported my drop wrong, I just measured drop it is 12-14 inches from bottom of tank to evaporator entry point.

Im headed out now at 8pm for a short test burn with real sap...thanks again

[oneoldsap]

You probably won't know you have a stoppage until you smell smoke ! The real trick to problem solving is not creating another problem with your solution to the original problem !!!

[maple sapper]

I outfitted my overhead tank with a bulkhead fitting so its hard piped from where I pump and filter before the tank. Recently I figured out that a piece of 1 1/2" pipe will glue into the inside of the bulkhead fitting inside the tank. So what i did was make a stubby sticking down with a few stainless screws sticking out. I bought some 1 micron bag filters that perk really fast. So my Merlin RO system recirculates into my holding tank and filters throught the bag filter as well as any sap entering the tank initially. The Bag filters have a loop on them that I tie around the screws a few times. Very easy to swap out too.

[kinalfarm]

i have plywood covering my head tank and i cut a 3 1/2'' hole in it and put a $7 pop on 14'' sap filter in the hole and pump through it and it keeps up with my 1 1/4'' sump pump. it stays right there because there is a hard plastic ring in the top of the filter that measures 4'' so it cant go through the hole. works great

[barkeatr]

THAT inside flue pre heater sounds interesting. thanks for the advice on the sap filter.