Just thinking on the keyboard, but why wouldn't it work the way you have it, if you put some 1" thick pipe insulation on the bottom connecting lines, then maybe a simple over flow as back up? If it freezes hard enough to freeze the insulated lines wouldn't the incoming sap lines also be frozen. Maybe put a heat tape inside the insulation and have a inverter on your sap hauler for emergency use to thaw a line (or a small generator).
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
Ill go the redundancy route because I do have my tanks connected with cam-locs on the bottom ports. I use 2" tiger flex and hook up my sap hauler to it to pump out. The problem starts when you get a good hard freeze at night right after I pump it out leaving a small un removable amount in the lines. That is overcome when new warmer sap fills the tank the next day. BUT when the temps stay down for a few days then its is a problem. The next big run fills just the single releaser tank and then overflows. My tank sensor shows full and that is only for the one tank.
Ill go the high point transfer line solution using bulk head fittings and cam-locs because I need flexibility because I install my tanks on uneven ground because of ice and snow and by the end of the season they have shifted and settled. Waim I have some of the seals you mentioned from a sump pit I used and they do work well but you need a solid type of line to keep them sealed in place.
The way I pump from my tanks is I have the 2" tiger Flex hose with a T installed so I drain both tanks at the same time. I have a 5' length of it that I cap with a Cam-loc cover so if the hose drops below the sap level it doesn't drain out. Now when I hook up to my sap hauler in the morning and drom the transfer hoses on the ground the sap will flow by gravity into the pump so I don't need to prime the pump every morning. Now that I have 110 volt power at the tanks fgor my tank sensors maybe heat tape is in my future.
I tired of pulling up to the tanks and seeing a big wet area about 10' across in the snow where the overflowing sap has melted it away.
My woods tanks are big enough that one tank handles the sap, but on my receiving tanks at the sugarhouse I have 3 tied together with 1.5" TigerFlex hose. When we get a hard freeze the line from my 3 tanks on the ground to the RO freezes. When it does, I just plug in the heat tape I placed in the pipe insulation when I set the tanks up. I used a commercial heat tape which is 7 watts/foot, the homeowner types are generally 3.5 watts/foot. When needed the ice melts in about 20-30 minutes depending on how hard the freeze was. My haul tanks for when I collect are 275 gal IBC's, for that I have 2 connected together, but I fill and drain them one at a time (So I never have two tanks of sap 2/3-9/10 full). I have never had that freeze because I always pump then empty as soon as they arrive at the sugarhouse. On my haul trailer I also have a 3rd 275 IBC which carries permeate, but I only fill that to about 100 gal max. When I finish pumping the sap from the woods tank I turn the pump (Honda WX15 ) around, attach a reducer to 5/16 and pump the permeate to clean the tank. It works very well.
At the sugarhouse I use a 1 HP SS 1" electric pump to clean each tank after it empties, but since the higher film on the sides is not still wet I usually need to use a tank brush to clean them along with the 5/16 spray.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
I also use heat tape for my stationary tanks around the shack I have 2 SS dairy sap tanks that are plumbed together and into the RO. My 5) 275 cage tanks are all plumbed together with 1 1/2 PVC and they all have the heat tape insulation treatment. I leave them on from start to finish of the season and it works great. I just got done moving the tanks and elevating them up 24" for better pump priming. I spent this week building a rock wall and putting in 14 yds of road base to make room for my Concentrate tank Ill be installing for the upcoming season. I head to Nebraska to see the unit and cut a deal for it.
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