Vacuum Booster tanks

[nymapleguy607]

Okay guys here is my dilema. I am trying to figure out if installing a vacuum booster tank is the right choice. My mainline to my releaser is about 750ft the mainline is 3/4" and the slpoe varies some along the mainline but is in the 1-2% category. At the end of the mainline I want to install a booster tank to bring 3 other mainlines into one has about 130 taps the other about 30 and about 70 on the third line. My thought is that a booster tank would
1. make a very convienient junction for these lines
2. might help me keep higher vacuum levels in the woods and
3. make it easier to trackdown leaks as all the lines would meet at a central location.
I should say that I plan on only running a wetline and if needed I could install a dryline next year.
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance
Jeff

[Thad Blaisdell]

How many taps are already on the mainline? Your money would be better spent putting a 1" line up to that junction and not bothering with a booster

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

I agree with Thad. With limited slope, the 3/4 inch is going to have problems transferring vacuum with many taps at all. Put up inch and the cost will be covered by the extra sap the first year!
Doug

[Haynes Forest Products]

First I would put in isolation valves on all mainlines at the junction. Being able to shut down individual lines makes all the differance when it comes to finding the leaking lines. Second what do you think a booster does? One thing it cant do is boost vacuum. To boost is to raise or rise someting and if you have 15 HGs at the pump you aint going to boost it up to 18 or 20 with a booster. Now it might help you maintain your present vacuum levels out in the bush but dont get all excited about raising/boosting your levels from what the pump is creating.

[maplwrks]

Haynes, Doug, and Thad are all correct--put your $$ into a dry line and skip the booster tank. Make a junction out of insert Ts to transfer vacuum. Put a valve and vacuum guage on all of your lines coming into this junction, and you're ready to go.

[nymapleguy607]

If I made a wet dry line sytem could I use 1" black water line for My dry line and then my 3/4" blue sap line for a wet line? I saw the thread about different color mainlines in the other thread and wondered if it would be possible.
Thanks for the help
Jeff

[ennismaple]

If I made a wet dry line sytem could I use 1" black water line for My dry line and then my 3/4" blue sap line for a wet line? I saw the thread about different color mainlines in the other thread and wondered if it would be possible.
Thanks for the help
Jeff

I think that's a good solution.

[nymapleguy607]

So maybge its just me but am I being too excessive if I install this mainline as a wet dry system. I mean after looking at the producers manual they say a 3/4" line can handle around 400 taps with a slope less than 5%. I only plan on getting maybe 250 taps on this system. Do the benefits of a wet dry system really out weight the costs. Thanks for all your help and sorry for all the questions this would be the first time I have ever setup a system like this.
Jeff

[maplwrks]

If you aren't going to have more than 250 taps--3/4"s enough

[Thad Blaisdell]

No it isnt good enough.... you are already going 750 feet then the split. You need the dry line. Here is my theory, If you want it to work the best it can do the best job the first time, no regrets later. 750 feet of 1 inch pipe is less than $150. Do you think you will gain that much in syrup?

[nymapleguy607]

Okay thanks for the help. I guess I need to find some 1" black pipe. Do you guys make your manifold between the wet and dry line from PVC fittings? Also how far apart do you need to place these manifolds? From a me just being curious point have any of you replaced a single wetline system with a wet dry system? If so were the results noticable.
Again thanks for all your help and patience.

[Thad Blaisdell]

How many taps do you have in the existing line? Are all three lines coming into the same place?

[nymapleguy607]

The wet dry line will connect three existing mainlines and then there will be two more mainlines I want to add into this line.

[Thad Blaisdell]

Do all three Main lines come down to where the releaser is now?

[nymapleguy607]

No the wet dry line would connect the three mainlines to the releaser.
I moved the tank to an easier access point and wanted to run a line back up to collect the three mainlines.