Vacume Systems

[KING MAPLE]

I want to install a vacume system this year or next. I will have about 300 taps. What items will I have to have? Is there different systems ? I see people are talking about dual tubes ( dry & wet lines)
Is there a sight to go to for information diagrams?:confused:

[DrTimPerkins]

I want to install a vacume system this year or next. I will have about 300 taps. What items will I have to have? Is there different systems ? I see people are talking about dual tubes ( dry & wet lines). Is there a sight to go to for information diagrams?:confused:

Sounds like you have a lot of basic questions about vacuum tubing systems. Best thing you could do in this case would be to find a maple producer near you who uses vacuum, with a system about the same size you have or a little larger, and go visit them to chat about it. Seeing a system will be a really big help.

With a 300 tap system you probably don't need a dual-pipe system. Unfortunately there aren't any vacuum system setups (pump & releasers) made especially for small producers, so the cost tends to be fairly high unless you can find a decent used pump and buy/build a releaser (lots of info on building a releaser if you have the time and skills). If you are adding vacuum to an existing tubing system, you may also need to make some changes (few taps on a lateral line) in order to reap the most benefit.

[red maples]

I would say check any local dairy farms and see if they have any old dairy pumps. (piston type pumps) a bb2, sp22(the new model if I am not mistaken is a little bigger ...would be perfect for you. depending how much you want to spend if you all ready have tubing set up then you could spend about $900-$1500 for a vac/releaser set-up that is if you have a little plumbing experience.

if no tubing it will be (very rough est.) approx $2500 - $3500+ with all the wire mainline, tubing, vac, releaser, fittings etc. different sugar bushes require more or less tubing. and you will need about 600+ gallon sap storage tank.

Lapierre's newly remodeled hobby 500 releaser/extractor is a good releaser. If I remember correctly mine was just over 500. I had very little problems with it last year it only backed up once but that was my fault make sure you rinse it daily!!!!:rolleyes: .

[brookledge]

I don't know how far you are from Bascom's in NH but they are having a tubing seminar on friday the 1st of oct. I would recommend that if you are new to tubing a one day seminar somewhere will help a lot. There are many of us out there that learned from trial and error. So if you can save yourself the time needed in the learning curve you would be a head of the game
Otherwise as others have said you need a dairy pump and a small releaser or a vacuum tank to get yourself started
Keith