Governor Update

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Most of all we are glad to see you back to your old self and making syrup. Had us a little worried there for a while with your 2 week hospital stay.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

3% i was at the sugarhouse for about 6 hours today. I had to move (2) hives of live bees this morning that we got from another beekeeper that moved to California. Very light/had to feed them a pollen patty=couldn't really get the top opened up much-they were a little riled from the ride and waiting at the top entrance's for me. Almost got it by 3 of them/They were determined and so was i.. I finally got the tanks down and the EE really doesn't like going over 20% with that old sap when i'm trying to ram it up higher/flow cuts right in 1/4-Like about 4 gals a minute output on concentrate and permeate.

Boiled down about another 10 Gals of Mid. Med and the last pail through the press today was a low Med. and that was on sap that has been sitting since(3/15?) when the Tap out team put the mainline into the 1100 gal plastic tank on the ground=Been 500 gals sitting in there since then and i sent that through the EE yesterday after i used the Tanaka to get it up to the 1100 Gal plastic tank on the rack behind the SH then i could run it through the EE as that tank on the rack is plumbed in.

I got my numbness award today i started the EE and had the 13.6% concentrate running down the drain for about 3 minutes(forgot to switch the valves over from the drain to the tank on the seperate control panel)=Also was draining a tank and 2-3 gals of concentrate went on the floor and i had an overflow from the combobulator that probably spewed about a Pint. right over the pans and down the sides.

Here's one for MYTHBUSTERS= I shut of the EE after i did a quick rinse with filtrate (10 Min.) to get the 20%+ sap out of the EE and vessel i'm drawing off syrup about 2 minutes later and i hear the overflow=Here comes the sap over the top of the head tank into the lower tank it sits on. I'm like what the cluck is going on? I look in at the EE and it's off. I climb up the ladder and pull the concentrate hose out of the head tank and it's still coming out. Now picture this the EE sits about 5' lower then the head tank/but yet it's still pumping out sap uphill?? CRAZY. I watched this for like 30 seconds in amazement=still coming out/tasted it and yup its sweet=Went down to the EE again and looked for the Sap Gremlin? Mythbusters what was happening here?? Oh i must add that the filtrate tank is about 8' lower then the head tank. What's going on??

Dave i'll fix you right up with some tubing that you want to replace you old line with this spring/summer=That will be your goverment profit sharing...

I still have about 25 Gals. of concentrate sitting in the head tank= Didn't eat anything yet today so came home because i had the hungry horrors. Save it for another day. Shut the Vacuum pump off=sap was coming in slow/but i was sick of listening to the check valve rattle all day.

[3% Solution]

Hi Kevin,
I guess I should have stopped over.
You going to be around there on Tuesday??
I think we can get a numbness award at least once during the season!!!
Yeah ok on the tubing.
Keep plugging!

Dave

[royalmaple]

Must have been natural vacuum.

[TapME]

Could it be pressure from the head tank pushing the sap through the EE? Nah like Matt said natural vac.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

The head tank is 5' higher then the EE=I pulled the hose out of the head tank and it still flowed uphill out the concentrate hose..

This is what i haven't fully figured? It was kinda a natural vacuum if you was to equate in the lowerness of the combobulator. It's float is probably lower in level then the top of the EE/But the sap still flowed out the concentrate hose after i lifted it another 8" or so higher then the head tank. Still haven't totally figured out what was going on/But when i went down to the box and shut the permeate feed valve off to the EE and went back up to the top of the head tank and lifted the concentrate hose out it flowed enough to empty a natural level to the hoses height and stopped.

The world was upside down for a second and it might have been gravity at it finest and i still don't see why it was flowing??

3% i should be around tues. Tomorrow I'm going to get things straightened around better tomorrow at the SH + get the tanks all cleaned out good.

[3% Solution]

Kevin,
You have an idea what time you'll be there?
Tell you what, give me a call when you head over.
I know that NH Maplemaker would like to meet you.
Me, I just want to come over and watch the Mad Sapper make syrup.

Dave

[Russell Lampron]

Governor,

I think it was a thermal action. A heat rising suituation where a warmer liquid was pushing a cooler one up as it tryed to rise to the top. Of course this may be BS because I don't know what the temp of the permeate and condensate were or the ambient temp.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Russ- It was like 2 gal. a minute or better coming out the concentrate hose. I really thought i forgot to shut the EE off. Certainly un-explained. But when i closed the filtrate valve to the feed pump and then checked it=it stopped. Both the sap and the filtrate might have been about 50*. Might have still been pressure on the vessel? But usually when you shut the EE off it's flow stops going to the concentrate and the filtrate about 5 seconds later. This was happening 2 minutes later.

World was upside down for a couple of minutes i figure and i didn't know i was standing on my head. LOL

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

I never did post my final report on the Mythbuster findings. Same thing happened the last time i used the EE=It still had 100 PSI on the gauge after being off for like 2+ minutes so the pressure relieving from the vessel was pushing the concentrate up into the head tank.