Help 'design' my system

[DougM]

As always, your mileage may vary, but I'll let you know how we have collected sap for several years & maybe it will give you some ideas to work with.

We have a 125-gallon poly tank in the back of a Kawasaki Mule. At first we dumped sap directly in the top, but that wasn't all that easy, the top of the tank is just high enough it's a little difficult to reach, especially when dumping bags.
We cut off a plastic barrel about 12" high, and put a regular 120v plastic sump pump (I know, it's not food grade but we haven't had any issues) in the basin. An inverter on Mule connected to a deep-cycle marine battery powers the pump. We also have a standard sump pump switch with a (new) toilet float to control on/off when the basin empties. And it's piped into the tank from the pump. So we dump sap into the basin, it's pumped into the tank, and the pump shuts off when the basin is empty. Very simple, fairly automatic, and it saves a lot of lifting. (See photo below)

We filter at the sugarhouse with a standard sap filter (https://www.leaderevaporator.com/p-2...ilter-bag.aspx) bag since there's no room for it in the tank.
photo 2.jpg

[Pdiamond]

Doug,
That is a really slick idea. You may have just made things easier for me to collect. Thank You.

[DougM]

Thanks, and you're welcome.
I saw on another thread yesterday someone was using a 12v bilge pump, that might save you a little $. That's what we started with, but when it turned out to be too small we switched to this setup because we already had the inverter and extra sump pump on hand.
Buy the biggest one that works with your budget, you'll never wish it was slower. Even with the sump pump we would get ahead of it sometimes when two people were collecting.

[30AcreWoods]

These are all wonderful tips...and yes, you are on that slippery slope!!!

One thing I might add: an RO makes a HUGE difference for me. A small system like the RO Bucket or similar is a game changer for us little guys. It will halve your boiling time or better. In terms of dollars invested per gallon of syrup produced, I haven't found a better place to spend money on the production end of a sugar operation - especially when it comes to time.

Most of all, enjoy the journey as you transition. This is, after all, fun!