I started with a 3 bank Lapierre filter press, later expanded to a 5 bank just by adding 2 sets of plates, both on a gear pump. Then a few years later I needed a new pump and I chose an air diaphragm pump, what a huge improvement, the only issue was the noise of the compressor. The first summer after using the compressor in the sugarhouse I , using my excavator, dug a trench from the sugarhouse to the shop, which is 80' away. In the trench I put conduit with wires to run 100A sub panel in the shop and I put a 3/4" black tubing, for air from the shop compressor to the sugarhouse. Because the shop sets about 2 ' higher than the sugarhouse, at the lowest spot just before the air lind goes up into the sugarhouse, I added a T, taking pointing down, then curving up with a 5/16" tube and a ball valve to bleed off moisture. After that T the 3/4" tubing goes up into the sugarhouse. If I'm using the air powered pump I just leave the compressor turned on and then use the main breaker to the shop to turn it on and off. Very handy and the compressor noise is 80' away, inside the shop.
The Pneumatic pump I bought was Mfr #
PD01P-HPS-PAA-A
Zoro #
G5384337
It's rated for 225F and does very well, back when I bought it, I paid something like $349, now it shows at $405. The pump has performed flawlessly, I've had it for about 10 yrs. When I bought it I also ordered a spare membrane, I'm still on the first one, but I like having a spare just in case.
In the sugarhouse just before the pump I have a reducing regulator to adjust the PSI and a small ball valve to operate the pump. My filter press suggests I keep the pressure at 40 PSI max, between the regulator and the ball valve it's easy to do. I have the regulator set at about 50psi, then as I use the filter I just adjust the air flow watching the pressure gauge in the filter press adjusting the ball valve.
The air powered diaphragm pump is way better than a gear pump.
Another thing I do with the pump, is that I use it to move syrup from my draw off tank, thru the pump and a bypass valve sends it to the finisher. I also have a T in the line between my finisher draw off tank and the pump with a valve before the Tee. I then close the valve from finisher draw off and U connect another hose near the pump at another Tee, and I pump from barrels to the finisher. And of course, the pump moves HOT syrup from the finisher draw off thru the filter and either into a barrel or into the bottler. Thus wherever I need to move syrup in the sugarhouse the pump does the work if it's not in a barrel, if it's in a barrel I use a 4 wheel barrel hand truck by Morse, a model 160 with the large wheels, in case I need to move a full barrel between the sugarhouse and the shop but only if the tractor isn't available. When I use the fractor I use barrel a lifter from Horthern tool, it has 2 chains , a central loop, and a clamp to grab the rim of the barrel on the end of each 2' or so chain, Actually I have 3 of thos lifters, I used to rent storage space less than 1/4 mile away, and at times I needed to carry 3 barrels at a time suspended below my loader bucket
Dave Klish, I recently bought 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.
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Originally Posted by DRoseum
