Sap Transfer Pump

[eustis22]

can I do this: .10 hp pump at collection barrel to push sap up 30' over 100' to another .10 hp pump to push sap at 0 elevation 150' feet away?

[wurmdert]

Others may know another way but from my experience once the push pump starts sucking air it will stop pushing and sap will want to flow back. If you use a foot valve or check valve it will stop the sap from flowing backward but since the line wont stay totally full of sap the pull pump wont hold a prime. I think either way you wont get all the sap up the hill without a high percentage of what is in the line running back to the tank. I have talked to guys that pump thousands of feet uphill and they have all told me that they have to bring what is in the line up manually a few times a season and have the extra storage to hold the line capacity of sap. I have heard of guys running the pump line straight up a tree at the collecting tank until they are above where they want to pump to. Then the only sap that runs backward is the amount in the vertical line, which in your case would be 30 to 35 ft. The rest of the sap gravity feeds to the up hill collection tank. The trick would be running a line that high. If you have a good long extension latter and good tall tree you could do it. 1in pipe at 35 feet only holds about 1.5 gallons.