Why is it so hard to find the leaks with the air driven pump verses a Surflow pump?
Why is it so hard to find the leaks with the air driven pump verses a Surflow pump?
I don't have any experience with a sureflow but what I do know is that with the lunchbox when you have 1 leak it effects the whole system. The whole system full of sap gets sucked out instantly and you have to wait for it all to fill back up again to find leak. I made all my connections at 6 way star quick fittings. I made pieces of 5/16 tubing with a quick connect on them and a plug. To test for leaks I close air to pump off with a ball valve installed at pump. Disconnect all 5/16 lines. Plug lines comming off the star fitting. And hook 1 up to 6 way star. Turn pump back on and see how it cycles. If it levels off to a normal slow moving column of sap. Then it's got no leaks. If it races though the 5/16 then there's a leak. I jus repeat this cycle for every line.
I tried with ball valves on all 5/16 lines but it works better with the plugs. I think it was because the smallest ball valve I could find was 1/2". So I reduced it to a barb fitting for 5/16 on both ends. The larger diameter of inside of valve was screwing with the flow. It would cause all the gases to get pulled over the sap and then not pull sap in very well. So I got rid of them. I've been thinking of going back to them and reconfigure it so it's facing upwards. But it's working the old way so why change it.
600 taps on vacuum
Lapierre mechanical Releaser
CDL electric releaser
2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
Home made modulating auto draw off
Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
CDL 16 x 16 bottler
Wesfab 7" filter press
Delaval 73 vacuum pumps
12 hives of bees
I'm running a small number of taps on my Lunchbox this year (25), but it's doing a great job. My usual tap count would be in the 50-75 range, but I lost access to some trees in this area.
Leaks have been an ongoing issue with the system. I have not used star fittings, but just "T" my lines into the main line. This year I switched to all all 3/16 lines, and I find that the system holds a vacuum much better. My return and air lines are still 5/16.
Next year I will probably move this to a more productive bush, if I have a place to power the compressor.
Gary / Zena Crossroads / 42˚ 00' 24" N / Hobby in Early '70s, Addiction since 2014
175+ taps on 3/16 (60 of which are on two Lunchbox Vac/Releasers)
12x34 timber framed sap house w/attached 10x34 shed roof for storage
2 x 6 Smoky Lake hybrid pan on Corsair arch with AUF/steam hood/preheater/concentric exhaust
7.0 KW Sun Power PV System, Smokey Lake Filter Press/Steam Bottler, Modified NGMP RO - 2 4x40 posts 200 gph
Lunchbox releaser, I see Deans website is no longer available. Is he out of business???
Scarlet Jewell Sugar Shack LLC
Sandstone, MN 55072
16 x 24 sugar shack
crescendo auto drawoff,
Home built ro with a Dow xle 4040 membrane.
1 1/2 hp motor on 220 drawing 8 amps
Gravity feed
300 taps on vacuum
2 x 6 Smokey Lake Corsair arch with blower and pans and preheater
1529 Massey Ferguson, Yamaha Wolverine
https://www.facebook.com/ScarletJewellSugarShack
Instagram. Mapleshack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOnmFMBgU10
Amazon and E bay say no longer available.
backyard hobbyist
Mason 2x3 w/AUF
2020 - added small vacuum and gravity 5/16 tubing and sap sacks
N 42* 18' 31."
W 79* 34' 15."
https://www.saptapapps.com/map/31868...-aab748a6394e/
I had email him a month ago and he said it was no longer available.
110 taps W.F Mason 2x3 and two turkey friers for finishing
2011 expanding to a Mason 2x4 with a blower increasing taps to about 200
2011 Hurricane Irene rips thru my small sugar bush cost me to lose 20% of taps
2014 I have reworked my lines for 2014
32 taps on 5/16 line with check valves
57 taps on 3/16 line with check valves
55 buckets with total tapped trees of 144
I made one similar to the lunch box using a Flojet G57 model pump. It works quite well.
I bought a Lunchbox a few years ago. It is basically a small cooler (you can see it on YouTube) with a Flojet H58 10000 syrup pump hanging on a bracket. The pump is submersible and the cooler is filled with water which keeps the pump from freezing even when temps drop into the 20's at night. I have about 90 taps hooked up to the Lunchbox and can get 18 to 22 in.HG I bought another pump for around $80.00 on Ebay last season, bolted it to a stand and use it for pumping concentrate into my head tank. I just did an online search for the H58 series pumps and it appears that they are no longer making them. I would think that the newer model Flojet syrup pump would work. You can easily make a "Lunchbox" if you are somewhat handy.
2015 - 40 buckets w/ drop lines
275 oil tank evaporator
2x4 flat pan
made 5 gallons!
2016 - 90 buckets
same evaporator and pan
hoping to make 12 gallons
2017 - 85 taps on vacuum w/lunchbox
50 buckets
Smoky Lake 2X4 drop flue pan