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Thread: Lunch box releaser users: Question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Warren, MA
    Posts
    246

    Default Lunch box releaser users: Question

    I don't have electric in my sugar bush so I have been using lunchbox releasers (4 so far) to get some vacuum on my lines. Has anyone ever used theirs with a mainline? All of my lines are currently 3/16 and I have 4 running to pump 1, 3 running to pump 2, 3 running to pump 3 and 7 running to pump 4. I try to balance the runs so I don't exceed 100 taps on any one pump.

    I have a new section of woods to tap that will add another 40-50 taps. This area has much less slope. There is a creek bed that I was thinking of running some sort of mainline along and then running laterals to it. Any thoughts?
    2016 - 2 x 4 Randy Worthen built arch and pans 11 taps; 2.625 gallons of syrup!
    2017 - 29 taps; 11.625 gallons of syrup!
    2018 - 30 taps; 98 pints bottled! New sugar house being built, new equipment coming!
    2019 - 125 taps; 50 gallons made! New 2x6 Smoky Lake Corsair arch, drop flue pan, auto draw. Smoky Lake filter press and Steam Bottler
    2020 - 173 taps; only 35 gallons made.
    2021 - 242 taps; New record! 50.5 gallons made!
    2022 - 321 taps; New record! 80 gallons made!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    North Grenville, Ontario
    Posts
    971

    Default

    I had one years ago that I used.
    As you know they do not deal well with leaks and your compressor will be screaming all night when a leak is introduced to the system.
    I tried using a short piece of mainline about 25’ long with mine and I just ended up going back to using just 5/16 line everywhere and having it come to a short 5’ piece of mainline with each line comming into it and having it slope to the mainline.
    The way the lunchbox works is similar to the way natural vacuum works on 3/16. If there is liquid in the line the pump pulls it and creates a vacuum. If the lines are dry it takes a long time and a lot of that little pump cycling like crazy to create a vacuum just in the 5/16 let alone a big run of mainline. Throw 1 leak in there and your whole system is just a gravity system.
    600 taps on vacuum
    Lapierre mechanical Releaser
    CDL electric releaser
    2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
    Home made modulating auto draw off
    Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
    CDL 16 x 16 bottler
    Wesfab 7" filter press
    Delaval 73 vacuum pumps

    12 hives of bees

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