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Pumps for Sugar Syrup

52K views 88 replies 26 participants last post by  Keith Jarrett 
#1 ·
I would like to hopefully build a unit that I can quickly fill bottles of sugar syrup. Right now, I do it manually and it is tough on my back and time.

I would like to have like a 30-50 gallon uniit in the bakc of my truck with a pump and a motor so I can use a hose to quickly fill the feeding bottles.

I just do not know what type of pump to buy. Doesnt need to pump honey but just sugar syrup.

Any affordable recomendations?
 
#7 ·
I have been using one from Harbor Freight Tools for about a year. It was around $30-$40. The pump housing is stainless, has worked well for pumping 1:1 into 1 gal feeders. It pumps from a IBC tote through a garden hose with a valve on the end. The pressure on demand would be nice, but I will deal with not having it and save a little money. I make sure I flush it out with clean water each time I use it.
 
#9 ·
Keith:

Thanks for the suggestion.

I need this unit to fit in the back of my truck. I have some yards that are tough to get to when it is wet out and would like to be able to put a hose on the syrup unit, turn the nozzle and fill the feeders where the hives are so I do not have to carry around the feeders.
 
#10 ·
snip..
The one from Northern does not work. syrup is to thick and would not prime.

tecumseh:
a lot of pumps are not self priming. the other consideration here would be... even if a pump is self priming the distance between the fluid level and the pump (often times referred to as 'the head') is absolutely important. given that the fluid to be pumped is thick (high viscosity) the engineered rating of the head of a particular pump would be more limited than if you were pumping water.

there are some physical/engineering advantages to pushing fluids with air pressure (vs vacume) which I assume is what mr jarrett is doing.
 
#12 ·
Sorry to be asking all of these questions but I have no real clue what I am looking for or what I need to buy. I want to be able to move sugar syrup from a unit (be it a barrel or something) that is in my truck and be able to have it being pumped through a hose so I can fill feeders right at the hive. Just just do not know what I am looking for. :)
 
#13 ·
Using pump listed below, put a short garden hose on one end into barrel (Preferably off the bottom so you don't have to prime it). A second garden hose going out to fill feeders, I made a valve from pvc that threads on the end with a nozzle extending past it. Hook up with extensions to car battery or constant power on your taillight plug. I think you could make this setup for around $60-70?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=9576

Air is a great idea, but I don't want to install a pump or tank in my pickup, and my truck dose not have air breaks to get air from. Maybe down the road?
 
#16 ·
gas pressure delivery system

The farm service companies have been using carbon dioxide tanks with a regulator for many years to inject liquid fertilizer into the irrigation sytem.
I made one up a pressure fed high fructose syrup system which is a lot more heavy than stimulative syrup.
I only needed 5 to 7 psi to push the syrup out of a steel drum laid over on it's side.
Ernie
 
#21 ·
Biggest thing you're going to need to remember here is that you'll need to clean that thing. If you're planning on using any kind of caustic soda for cleaning you'll need a bronze or stainless body pump. I'd look into pumps targeted for the beer/wine industry. They should do what you need.
 
#25 ·
WAY OVERKILL! This is for pumping water out of a flooded basement. 2 inch discharge! You could spray syrup up into the trees!

You are not getting much help here so I will try.
(1)A mobile electric pump will have to be 12 volts...will run off your truck battery. Don't look at anything that doesn't say 12v for right now.
(2)Pressure demand pumps start pumping when you open the valve to squirt liguid. There is no "pressure tank". There is a pressure switch built into the pump that senses when the valve has been opened. These pumps are used in agriculture, boats, and especially in campers and travel trailers. They pump water out of a storage tank when a faucet is opened or the toilet is flushed.
....So, you are looking for a 12 volt pressure demand pump. SHURFlo and Flojet are common brands.
(3) Viscosity of the liquid to be pumped is an issue. If a pump can't handle the thicker syrup, it could burn out pretty quick. You might be able to pick up a used pump at a camper dealer or marina (or Ebay) and test drive it with different syrups to see how it does. $20 would be plenty for a used one.
(4) Another way to go would be to put your syrup into a tank which could be pressurized-you know, with compressed air. A tank fitted with a tire valve can be pressurized with an air hose and tire chuck driven by a 12 volt compressor. Just make sure the tank is rated for the pressure you're going to apply.
 
#24 ·
Sugary water is a perfect environment for growing all sorts of bacteria, wild yeasts, etc. Unless you want to ferment the contents of your feeder jars, you'll be wanting to periodically clean out and sterilize the internals of the pump. Even if you regularly water flush, you'll still be left with pockets that can grow things.

I like the idea of using a pneumatic pump. We had one at the brewery back when I worked there (a lifetime ago so it seems). You'd just need a portable pancake compressor to run one. You can also get all-plastic pneumatic diaphragm pumps that will stand up to any cleaning chemicals you can throw at them.
 
#27 ·
Chef,

Don't quite know how to help here, but I can give some experience with building syrup delivery systems for candy plants. I never had the restriction of 12V systems. Basically, syrup changes viscosity (thickness) with temperature. At all viscosities a phenomena called "shear effect" is present. The thinner, or warmer, the syrup the easier is is to pump. This effect is called the "Siebolt" effect (I think I spelled it right) and the measurement is called S.S.U. or Siebolt Shear Units. Don't really remember, but I think the higher the SSU the harder it is to pump and the SSU goes up the harder you pump (catch 22).

We were pumping hot (220 degree) sugar/glucose syrup and had to run a rotary gear pump with a gear reduced motor to reduce the speed of the rotating gears or the motor would overheat. The faster the motor (pump) the higher the shear effect and eventually it will not pump at all.

So, you have to operate within the SSU parameters of the syrup you are pumping and scale your equipment likewise. We used a Dayton #6Z622 Gear motor and a bronze impeller hot oil pump, the kind used for pumping oil from fryers (both from Grainger). Unfortunately, the motor is 120VAC, but you get the idea.

Honey would be the same challenge. I suspect honey pumps are designed within these parameters also. The SSU of different materials can be found online and most pumps will have a SSU spec at a certain speed.

Sorry, told you how to build a watch and didn't even tell you what time it is. Just hate to see you spend the money and it still not work.

The gravity feed system in the above post will work well as long as the barrel is pretty full (think head pressure) and the syrup is not to thick (cold) and the discharge hose is not real small. I am thinking not smaller than one inch.

Tom
 
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