Feeder tank pump

[steve J]

The last thing I need to do now is to set up my feeder tank. I have a 27 gallon poly tank and will have a copper tubing line running to my pre heater. As far as the pump goes it will be pumping from a 125 gallon tank that sits up on a bank about 10 feet from sugar house. My thought was to have the pump in the sugar house were I can turn it on as needed. Is that the best location for the pump or should it be nearer the tank?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Using a sump pump from Home Depot or Ebay is the fastest way to get it done. I use a 110 volt small sump that I have hooked up to clear poly hose H D has it. Using clear lets me see when its running low on sap. Having it this way allows you to switch it from tank to tank. I started out with 1 bulk storage tank and end up with 5 during good runs. Plus you can take it in when its going to freeze or leave it out in the tank if its full but the hose will freeze and that a pain early when your firing up.

[user587]

Is it OK to use a stp. sump pump (non food grade) for transporting sap?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Now that is a can of worms question. Only thing I will say is make sure it is not an oil filled pump.

[Haynes Forest Products]

WVM is right about the can of worms. I say yes. I see them used all the time most are a sealed dry type so there isnt any grease from the bearing that can hurt the sap. DO IT

[afretired]

Help me out here, I'm having a little trouble getting my mind wrapped around this. I suppose you are putting the sump pump in the holding tank in the sugar shack and using it to pump sap from the main tank so you can maintain a certain level in the sugar shack. Or you are doing the reverse, putting the sump pump in the big tank out side and pushing the sap to the little tank in the shack. Either way, what are you doing for a float valve being that the ones on a sump pump really work backwards from what you want. ie.. the pump kicks on when the level gets to high, not when the level drops below a set level.

Dave

[steve J]

Ya I am confused if the pump is out in holding tank I will not be able to see inside pf shack to know when my feed tank is full. Giving I have a 2x4 with a blower on a good evening I will not fill that feed tank more then twice we of course when I have the entire day I could fill in several times but I need to control it from inside the shack which my power is run from extension cords coming from my cabin

[danno]

Couple options here Dave.

There are the small, submersable utility pumps at HD for about $80 that have no float. They run when they are plugged in and stop when unplugged.

I've also been known to take a bungee to wrap up the float on a traditional sump pump so they will keep sucking.

And lastly, my favorite, the reverse float which can be purchased seperate from the sump pump. Get's plugged in between the pump and outlet, stick the float in any tank you want and it will start the pump when sap level drops and turns off when your tank is full.

[danno]

Steve - sounds like my last suggestion is perfect for your application. That's how I had my old system set up - float in my evap feed tank and pump in my collection tank. Worked flawlessly. I don't use the float anymore since I went to an RO. Be happy to sell it to you - they don't cost much.

[afretired]

Danno
That has me staightened out, thanks. After your post I did a little looking on ebay. All kinds of float switches out there. Put the pump in the collecting tank and the float switch in the tank in the sugar house and problem solved.

Thanks

Dave

[steve J]

Ok bare with me I am not good at mentally engineering this stuff. But from what I am reading this switch would sit in my feed tank and it would somehow control this pump out in the holding tank and here I thought I was all done have to use my reserve capacity in my brain lol

[Rhino]

We use the float switch that is in our above ground overhead tank, and it turns the sump pump on in the ground tank when level in the above tank gets low. we also added a red flashing light inside the sugar house so we can see when it is pumping up into the above ground tank (feeder tank). We can really tell we are putting the wood to it when the red flashing light stays on a long time to catch up with what we are pounding through the evap.

[red maples]

I refuse to anwser about the sap pump...hate this topic. but I do want to put a float switch in head tank so I don't have to worry about that. That will be 1 less think to worry about.

[brookledge]

with float switches you have to either get a normally open or normally closed. Most sump pumps are set up with a normally open switch. meaning when there is no water in your cellar or whatever it the switch is open meaning not allowing the pump to run ans as the level goes up the switch closes and the pump comes on.
If you want to remotely mount a switch in a head tank then you want just the oposite (normally closed) so that when the tank is filled to the level you want it will open and shut off the pump
Keith

[Haynes Forest Products]

SteveJ Just get the cheapo $80.00 pump without the switch and stick it in your bulk tank when you need sap in the feed tank plug it in. Then as you get creative you can add floats in the head tank to regulate the pump in the bulk tank. BUT you dont want a float switch in the bulk tank to regulate the sap level in the head tank. Thats like having a blind guy helping you split wood on a hudrolic wood splitter:o