shurflo users question

[Chickenman]

Just started using a little pump this year and I'm starting to get slime/yeast building up in the strainer causing my sap to get cloudy. How often do you guys clean the pump and what are you using to sanitize it? Was considering pulling the strainer housing, soaking in it bleach and giving it a good hot water rinse before reassembly. Any better ideas? Could I clamp off the line feeding into the pump and just suck bleach solution through the recirc line for 5 to 10 minutes then pull clean water for a rinse so I don't have to take it apart?
Thnx. Kris

[bmbmkr]

I got two extra strainers I swap the screen every day. I wash with a brush, hot water & dish soap, rinse with a lot of cold water.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

I use tubing cleaner which is heavily diluted bleach. Just recirculate for five minutes. then rinse for five and away you go. Never any problem.

[JDsap]

Are you experiencing slime early in the season or just later as things warm up? This will be my first year on a shurflo setup. It is in a remote location that will only get checked every few days. Any advice on maintenance would be helpful.

[Biz]

Maybe slime in the mainlines? I use 3/16 lines, and the strainer does not have to be cleaned except at the end of the season. Lines get cleaned every year. If you use bleach, use a weak solution and rinse it out very very well. One year I didn't rinse good enough and my first couple of batches had an off flavor,

Dave

[Chickenman]

We had a 60 degree day and a few in the high 40's low 50's. This has been running since the 1st of January. The sap started to cloud up and I dumped it, rinsed out the drum and let it run. The following day I saw foam in the strainer and cleaned it with hot water. I see it is starting to form again and wanted to know easiest method to clean/ sanitize. I can follow the tubing to all the taps and they look clear all the way to the taps, it's just at the strainer. I think I will do the diluted bleach through the recirc line and get the line, strainer, pump diaphragm, and discharge line sanitized and see how that goes. Will have to sanitize the tank too so I'm not reintroducing any funk back into the system. I guess maybe I should start sanitizing each time I empty the collection tank.

Thanks all.

[raptorfan85]

This is part of the reason I went to regular vacuum rather then use a shurflo again this year. After about 2 weeks of use I started getting slime in the strainer. I took the screen out and cleaned it but the problem continued. I tried washing everything with bleach but after another week or 2 the problem returned. Late season it was a real issue with the recirculation line pumping the sap back through the pump over and over again it would make the sap cloudy in a day or 2. I was never able to get the pump clean, pumped bleach and water though it on a loop for a couple hours, tried letting it soak overnight and it never went away. Pretty sure the problem was the fact that the recirculation line just kept pumping the sap through the pump over and over and the pump heats up and warms the sap and the problem is just a big cycle.

[mol1jb]

I use 3/16 and mainline after it flattens out. I usually get some debris from tapping and a little gunk from last year. Like another said, I change mine daily with a spare filter. I wash up the gunky one with a bottle brush and its ready to go. In warmer weather there is a little more gunk but that is normal. And just because sap is cloudy doesn't mean it is bad. Most warm spells I boil cloudy sap and it always turns out fine. When in doubt, if the sap passes the smell and taste test you are good.

On the recirc line, I had one a few years ago but found I didn't need it as there was enough flow from the taps it didn't make a difference.

[Chickenman]

Had a thought at 4:30 this morning..yep I'm up at 4 for work, will RO soap/preservative clean the pump. I just cleaned my RO bucket and saved the soap solution for a future wash and was wondering if anyone has ever used it to wash their lines, pumps, storage tanks and what not, then given them a good rinse. If it cleans and prevents funk from growing in RO membranes why would it not work on these little pumps and lines.

[mol1jb]

Had a thought at 4:30 this morning..yep I'm up at 4 for work, will RO soap/preservative clean the pump. I just cleaned my RO bucket and saved the soap solution for a future wash and was wondering if anyone has ever used it to wash their lines, pumps, storage tanks and what not, then given them a good rinse. If it cleans and prevents funk from growing in RO membranes why would it not work on these little pumps and lines.

It may work but I have to say I have never heard of someone cleaning their shurflo pump mid season before this thread. Changing strainer filters, yes. But I dont know if flushing the pump would make a large difference. I collected 2700 gallons last season with my shurflo pump and never once cleaned the pump outside of end of season cleaning.