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Thread: Continuous Flow ideas

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Kings County, New Brunswick
    Posts
    46

    Default Continuous Flow ideas

    Hi everyone

    I recently purchased two food grade 55 gallon barrels with lids for my sugar shack. One is going to be used for collecting and the other for sap storage in the shack. My evaporator is set up with a warming tray and I would like to get continuous flow going so I can be more efficient. I don't really have the height to do gravity feed so I'm looking for other ideas or options. Let me know what you have for a set up.
    Maple syrup enthusiast

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    MA
    Posts
    588

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    Clarifying question:

    Continuous flow is usually used to reference an evaporator pan design where sap flows in at one spot and travels a serpentine route through a series of dividers and emerges as finished syrup at the other end. Is this what you are asking about?
    60ish taps on buckets
    D&G Sportsman 18x63
    Turbo RB15 RO Bucket

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Kings County, New Brunswick
    Posts
    46

    Default

    Yes my pan has continuous flow I just want to have sap flowing at all times from my bulk storage. Just looking for some input or ideas
    Maple syrup enthusiast

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    SW PA
    Posts
    9

    Default

    if you had some height, build a stand (if the barrel stands vertical) with 4x4's & 2x6's to hold the barrel with sap in the shack. Then put in a bulkhead fitting, valve, whatever length of pvc or copper pipe to over your warming tray & control the flow with the valve. Barrels are only like, 34 inches tall? If you put the barrel at a 45° angle then the height would only be half of that, so top of the barrel would sit ~ 17 inches above the top of your warming tray.

    But if you truly can't put the barrel up off the ground at all, my only idea would be a 12V bilge pump sitting in the barrel. Or any other small pump would work, I think, if you don't want a pump sitting in the sap. Then either

    1. put a needle valve on the outlet line to control the flow

    or

    2. put a "T" on the outlet line, a needle valve on one side to control the flow going into the warming tray, and the other side returns the excess to the sap barrel.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Kings County, New Brunswick
    Posts
    46

    Default

    Ok thanks a lot. I assume I hook the bilge pump up to a standard 12v battery ?
    Maple syrup enthusiast

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Frankford, Ontario
    Posts
    1,045

    Default

    I have yet to find a bilge pump that is NSF rated for potable water use. I would suggest an RV water pump instead.

    My criteria for sap use is "the lick test". If you wouldn't lick it, don't use it for sap.
    Big_Eddy
    Eastern Ontario (Quinte)
    20+ years on a 2x3 block arch,
    Homemade 20"x64" drop flue since 2011

    Build a Block Arch
    Build a Flat Pan
    Build a Flue Pan
    Sweetening the Pans
    Build a Bending Brake
    Using a Hydrotherm
    How much Sap to Sweeten?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    149

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Big_Eddy View Post
    My criteria for sap use is "the lick test". If you wouldn't lick it, don't use it for sap.
    These are the things I remember!! Great sayings. I'll add that saying to another one I read on here. (Treat your sap like milk) That's excellent advice. Another I remember to do is (Split your wood to the size of your wrist) Now I can add (The lick test)

    Perfect!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Socialist republic of new york
    Posts
    61

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    Lick test! Good advice for life in general! LOL! Harbor freight has some small fountain pumps that would be perfect for this if you have 110 at your sugar shack. Just dont let it freeze. They use a small PVC impeller and should be just fine for sap.
    2012 4 taps and a bunch of propane
    2013 12 taps and a new home made 1x2 flat pan fit to an old wood stove, more propane
    2014 40 on tube flowing down hill to a 1x2 and 3 steam pans on emergency arch. (Drowning in sap)
    2015. New 2x5 flat pan and much better arch. 1x2 on new rocket stove ( this thing cranks, can't wait to use it) 60 on tubing into 250 gal tank. 6 on buckets just for comparison and a little extra!
    2016. Not a good year with the mild weather winter.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Dakota County, MN
    Posts
    48

    Default

    what i have setup this year, will be an old coffee urn, i will be using that to preheat my concentrate, i will have a pump, like this one "bayite 12V DC Fresh Water Pump" as well as "5pcs Mini Water Filter Float Ball Valve" so with the floats installed, when the level hits X, the pump will shut off, as soon as it drops, the pump kicks back in. it should be a decent setup, you could just install a 5 or 6 gallon bucket instead of the coffee urn that i am using. you could also get a larger version of the pump, i have 2 sizes, one is for transferring permeate to clean my pans and filters, and the other is for transferring concentrate into the pans.

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