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Thread: Shurflo Electricity Use

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Hopkinton, MA
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    Default Shurflo Electricity Use

    I'm going to set up a Shurflo on an existing gravity setup on another person's property. I laid it out with vacuum in the plans for some day. It's someday. The owner has a lamp post right next to where my tank is that I'm hoping I can tap into for power. That question comes at the end.

    Right now they are happy to be paid in syrup and I plan to double it when I go to vac. That said, I have no idea how much of his power I'll actually be using. When I talk to him about it, I'd like to have some sense of how much I'll be using.

    I'll have a power supply converting the 110v to 12 v for the pump and a low wattage light bulb that turns on when it gets below freezing. So basically, 12v pump by day, bulb by night. One or the other will always be on except during long cold snaps when I'll bring the whole box inside.

    How much of his power will I be using? He won't have any more idea than I do and I want us to both feel good about it going into the season.

    The other question about tapping into his lamppost... I was thinking of screwing in a socket adapter like this, though I'm noticing now this one does not have the third prong for ground.
    https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Sou...dapter/3774299

    Thanks in advance,
    Sean
    Woodville Maples
    www.woodvillemaples.com
    www.facebook.com/woodvillemaples
    Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
    Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
    2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
    Deer Run 250 RO
    Ford F350
    6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
    Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    Which Shurflo? Most will use very little power, the model number on the pump will give us the info you need. I only use a 115V Shurflo, it uses under 2A. If you convert to DC, you also need the efficiency loss of the converter. Add the power used by whatever is doing the switching if any then your use will be the greater of the pump/converter/controller or the light bulb, not all since only one will run at a time.
    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.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Hopkinton, MA
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    Default

    It's the 4008. The converter is an old power supply from a computer and the controller is the Ink Bird 2-stage.
    Woodville Maples
    www.woodvillemaples.com
    www.facebook.com/woodvillemaples
    Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
    Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
    2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
    Deer Run 250 RO
    Ford F350
    6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
    Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Princeton, MA
    Posts
    495

    Default

    The Shurflo 4008 draws less than 20 watts when used for sap vacuum (1.5 amps x 12 volts). Let’s say double that to account for power conversion, 40 watts. Assuming you have a 40W bulb and either the bulb or pump is always on, that works to 29 kilowatt-hours per month, so rough estimate maybe 5 bucks per month depending on rate.

    If you want to be more precise, grab one of these geeky devices off Amazon, simple to use and pretty cheap considering what if can do. Yeah I have one. You plug your device into it and it can record kw-hrs of usage. Then you don’t have to argue math and watts with the landowner. It does reset to zero if you lose power.

    https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Elec...ag=googhydr-20
    Mountain Maple farm
    2022 NAMSC award winning dark amber syrup
    2023: 320 taps, 70% red maples. Mountain Maple S4 diaphragm pump controller with automated sap transfer and text messaging
    Website:
    https://www.mountainmaplefarm.com
    https://www.facebook.com/MountainMapleFarm/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Hopkinton, MA
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    Default

    Excellent. Thanks for figuring that out for me! That's a big help. I just needed a ballpark like that to have the first conversation with him. I didn't now if I was looking at $10 or $50/month. Five is even better. The 29 kWh is a good starting number and I can confirm with the Kill-a-watt after the season. I don't anticipate any arguing over it. They love watching the magic happen on their property. My real fear was miscalculating and sticking him with an unexpectedly big bill.
    Woodville Maples
    www.woodvillemaples.com
    www.facebook.com/woodvillemaples
    Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
    Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
    2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
    Deer Run 250 RO
    Ford F350
    6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
    Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    St. Johns, Michigan
    Posts
    101

    Default

    If you are running a 12v system why not just install a deep cycle battery then run a trickle charger off the lamp pole to the battery. Then you will only use the minimum amount of electricity, unless I'm missing something. I thought of this for my future system.
    2022 - 157 taps, 40 gallons of syrup
    2021 - 171 taps buckets and tubing, 41 gallons of syrup
    2020 - 225 taps bags and tubing, 45 gallons of syrup
    2019 - 180 taps buckets and bags, 50 gallons of syrup
    Lapierre 2x8 Vision with reverse flow, hood & preheater
    Leader Micro2 RO
    Lapierre 10" short bank press

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Cuba, NY
    Posts
    379

    Default

    Actually the power consumed by the power convertor is what you need to use for power consumption. The convertor consumes the same amount of power, regardless of what the device is drawing from it. If it is on, then what ever the input power rating is what you are drawing. It should be on a label somewhere in the convertor.. I use old computer power supplies and it works out to pennies/day.
    220 Taps
    2x6 Home made
    Sap Shack 20x20
    5 Shurflo diaphragm pumps
    250 GPH Deer run RO

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Hopkinton, MA
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    Default

    Thought I'd update this with the actual numbers now that the season is done. The box setup with a converter, 12v pump, and a 25W bulb used 11.64 kWh this season. It was in use from 2/24 to 3/22 with a few days brought inside when the temps got into the single digits and there was no point to just warming a box during a cold spell.

    With delivery and supply charges here, our residential rate is about $0.24 x kWh, so for the season the electricity cost me $2.80.
    Woodville Maples
    www.woodvillemaples.com
    www.facebook.com/woodvillemaples
    Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
    Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
    2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
    Deer Run 250 RO
    Ford F350
    6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
    Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Wakefield,New Hampshire
    Posts
    504

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SeanD View Post
    Thought I'd update this with the actual numbers now that the season is done.

    With delivery and supply charges here, our residential rate is about $0.24 x kWh, so for the season the electricity cost me $2.80.
    Great information, thank you for sharing! I was thinking of running a shurflo on 30 large trees i tap across the road on my neighbors property. Wanted to give him a rough number on power usage so i could make the deal right.
    6th season solo sugar maker in a young sugar bush of mostly red maples
    320 taps
    2x6 self built arch, Flat pans w/ dividers
    New 12x16 sugar house
    CDL hobby 250 RO

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