Dealing with frozen valves on IBC totes

[foursapsyrup1]

So I had a heck of a time a few mornings last year getting sap out of my totes and tanks when it was cold and the sap was frozen in the valves. One of my tanks had a stainless neck on the bottom (Not using this tank this year) that I could heat up with a torch. This year I'm running 2 or 3 IBC totes that I will attach a WX10 to and pump up to the shack. Using 2" cam-lock fitting on everything.

I'm wondering how you handle frozen valves on these tanks. Don't really want to hit them with a propane torch but I guess if you go slowly it would be okay. I could bring a bucket of hot water down to them?

I can't be the only guy dealing with frozen valves....Just wondering what everyone else is doing.

Thanks!

Rule # 1 - don't let your valves freeze
Rule # 2 - refer to rule # 1

Feed tank valve and feed line froze up once - took forever to get it to release.

[Woodsrover]

These tanks will be down in the woods away from power so anything I use to thaw them will have to be propane-driven. Walnut has the simplest idea for the few times I do end up with a frozen spout. A couple gallons of hot water will probably do the job too. Time will tell....

[TomorrowRiverMapler]

I was thinking about making up insulating covers out of 1 inch foam rubber shaped like a can cooler to slip over the valve. I also thought about spraying the valve body with Great Stuff to insulate it as another option which might be easier to do and it may insulate better except for the handle area. Drilling a hole in the downstream side of the ball is also a good idea and will definitely do that.

[WhistlePig]

We had trouble with frozen tote valves last year, twice, when temps dropped to around 5-6 degrees. When I asked a favorite wise sage how to handle frozen valves during a boiling session in severely cold weather, he said "don't boil when it is severely cold". Anyway, I transport the totes from my sugar bush at one farm to my sap house at another farm using 3 point hitch forks. I pipe them together and feed them to the evaporator one at a time from outside the sap house. Nothing scarier than transitioning between totes and finding the value frozen. I solved the issue by wrapping heat tape tightly around the valve and then covering the whole thing with some reflective silver insulating material that my strawberries come shipped in.

Which brings up another freezing tote question. How do you get rid of the giant block of frozen water in a tote? They last for days and days and reduce the capacity of the tote.

[Bucket Head]

The same sage also said "don't put liquid in a closed vessel when it is severely cold".

Seriously, without a larger opening cut in the top that you might be able to get broken-up pieces out, you might be stuck with them. Can you 3 point hitch them into a heated building or garage? And then swap empty ones in while those melt?

[Wannabe]

I loved the pieces of ice later in the season to keep the sap cool. (I understand a BIG solid block of ice would be no good).

[Bucket Head]

I should have added to my post above that I cut out the small opening/fill port at the top of my cage totes by cutting an approximately 16" square hole in them. I do that for cleaning purposes but I have laid them on their side (with me on my hands and knees) on rare occasions and removed pieces of ice through the enlarged opening.

Some folks cut the small hole out and some prefer to not cut their totes. It is up to you if you want to do that. But as far as I'm concerned that 6" hole is useless.

[gmack]

I used a heat gun last year on the tote that feeds the evaporator and now the valve does not close tight, I think the light bulb or maybe building a small box with a small electric heater is what I will try this year.

IMG_0298.jpg

I cut a hole big enough for the pump and hinge it . Makes it easy to clean as well

[Bucket Head]

Yeah, that works. Nice!

[WhistlePig]

I like the larger opening idea. I really, really like the idea of a heated building to fork them into. Unfortunately, will probably be a couple more years until I can afford such a wonderful combination (heat+building). I thought about using my sap house, but it is VERY tight, with the evaporator squeezed into an old milk house.