Siphoning between pans

[Pibster]

I have seen pictures of a siphon used to automatically transfer sap from one pan to the other. It looks like an upside down u-shaped piece of pipe with a small valve on top, once the siphon is primed it will automatically level the sap in the pans. It looks simple but I cannot tell what the valve is or does on the top. The valve must have something to do with priming it. Can someone tell me how to make one?

[Pibster]

I just found an old thread explaining it.
My grandfather had one of those and the fitting in the middle was for sucking the sap up into the tube. When you sucked the sap into your mouth it ment it was full and you would then shut the small valve off (some had a check valve)and it would siphon fron one section to the next. It wasn't bad to do when it was cold but they would quite often lose prime during the boil and somebody would have to fill the tube again. Do I need to tell the rest of the story. There would be alot of burnt lips around our sugarhouse by the end of the season.

[maplesyrupstove]

You could hold a 2 foot piece of tubing on the valve,then you would not burn your lips. Darrell

[Mark]

I have seen an old evaporator with siphons operating. The bottoms on each side had a copper cap that is larger than the pipe soldered on the bottom of each side leaving a a narrower opening. That would keep the water from running out when filling. You would put it in a bucket of sap and open the valve then close. No burnt lips.

[madtrapper]

I have been looking into this same thing. got one made but i need to get a valve for the middle as it wont keep prime at all with out it. if anyone gets one made and working could you post a picture or to and dimentions

[Shepp]

I have been looking into this same thing. got one made but i need to get a valve for the middle as it wont keep prime at all with out it. if anyone gets one made and working could you post a picture or to and dimentions

I remember my dad had old style pans with syphons between each one. They sat in little cups on the side of the pans so the sap wouldnt boil in them and break the syphon. Last year I saw a post on this forum from someone who made his own from copper pipe. I have a setup with restaurant pans and I thought this would be ideal instead of scooping sap from one pan to the next. They worked great except for the one in the final syrup pan where the boil was the hardest. It kept losing the syphon and I would have to lean over the boiling sap and suck on the tube to get the syphon happening and yes I did burn my lips once. I think this year I will try wrapping 1/4" copper tubing around the "legs" of the syphon and run cold sap through the tubing to cool the sap in the syphon. The tubing will then run to the first pan and act as a preheater. I have a float made of copper tubing and a restaurant pan. I found that idea on You Tube under "home made float valve for maple syrup" One other thing. The 5/16 sap line on top of the syphons which you suck on to get the sap flowing kept melting. This year I will use silicone tubing which is heat proof and food grade if you get it from a beer brewing equipment supplier. I think one of those manual vacuum pumps for brake line bleeding would work better then sucking on the tube as well. $24 dollars at harbor freight. I used 3/4" copper pipe and soldered a 2" copper end cap to the bottom with a small gap between the bottom and the "leg" of the syphon. The valve on top for the sucktion tube is called a "Pet Cock Valve" it is made of brass and they sell them at most plumbing supply stores. It is soldered onto a 3/4" T that has a 1/2' reducer on one side. I would just take the picture into the store and show them what you are trying to do. Any how here are the pics.IMG00549-20120311-1400.jpgIMG00519-20120124-1531.jpgIMG00520-20120124-1531.jpg

[buck3m]

We used to siphon between the pans, with two "U"s of copper tubing between each pan, trying to place them in corners where there was no boil. They would eventually lose siphon so we had to keep an eye on them but other than that it worked pretty well. There are some good improvements on that idea mentioned above.

[wiam]

I have heard you can open the valve dunk the tube in a bucket of sap, close the valve when saps comes out valve and put it back in pans.

[G-Unit]

I use a siphon between all my pans and they work very well. Make sure you have cups or something underneath the siphons to stop any bubbles from going up the tube because it will stop the siphon for sure. I attach a one foot section of 5/16 sap line to the Pet Cock Valve, which is then attached to a new unused outboard motor fuel primer bulb. All you need to do is squeeze the bulb to fill the siphon. It works as a one way valve and fills the siphon nicely. Once the siphon is filled, I shut the valve on the siphon, disconnect it from the siphon, and drain the primer bulb outside the pan. Works good and no burned lips. Hope this helps.

[Pibster]

Now that sounds like the way to go. I didn't understand the need to block the bottoms of the pipe, now I do.
Thanks