RO Waste Water

[mmile]

Does anyone have any creative alternative for their RO "waste" water other than letting it run on the ground? Does anyone save it and use it for anything?

[wiam]

Almost all of my permeate goes back through the RO to clean and rinse

[maple flats]

550 gal of my permeate "waste water" goes back thru the RO, the rest goes down to a drainage ditch.

[BreezyHill]

If you have a diesel engine it is the best water to mix with antifreeze. The mineral deposit plugs coolers and sand blasts housings and angular fittings. Glycol lasts for ever it is the impurities in the water that causes the issues.

[TheMapleMoose]

Likewise, a lot of ours is used for RO rinse/wash. We use a bunch for cleaning/soaking our syrup pan and filters also. I was going to suggest pumping it back to the bush to rehydrate the trees for bigger sap runs but it would probably just water down the sap. ;)

[Sullydog]

I top off our swimming pool with it. About 5000 gallons or so a year when it thaws out near the end of season.

[sugarsand]

How would permeate be to add to a residential dug well, it wouldn't hurt anything will it? I realize wells aren't usually low this time of the year, but thinking it be better than just dumping on the ground.

Sugarsand

[Brian Ryther]

I am working with a brewery to use the water as the beer base water. In NY there are brewery benefits if they use a certain % of farm based products. 93% of beer is water. My permeate is a farm by product.

[Russell Lampron]

What's this "waste water" you speak of? I use all of my permeate for washing and rinsing my RO. There's no wasted water here.

[stoweski]

Bottle it and sell it!

http://delaubier.ca/site_en.html

[BreezyHill]

NEVER add water to a well.

The water added my be fine but the stuff stirred up can be deadly.

[Brian Ryther]

What's this "waste water" you speak of? I use all of my permeate for washing and rinsing my RO. There's no wasted water here.
I have a 1200 ro and I keep 2400 of permeate to wash it. I process over 6000 of sap in a typical run. I estimate that I put over 2000 gallons of "waste water" down the drain every run after the wash water tanks are full. When the permeate tanks are full the valve gets turned and the rest of the water goes to the ground.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

I need more storage not enough, but FYI to VT RO owners I hear rumor the state wants to make us put in a septic tank and leach field just for our "waste water" of the RO. Guess dumping it on the ground contaminates the grass or something tree huggers!!!!

[GeneralStark]

In regards to VT state policies regarding RO "waste water", I looked in to this a bit when we were doing our wastewater permitting for our new property. At this point, there is no intention of requiring a "septic tank" and"leach field" in the typical sense for RO permeate. That said, if you have sinks, toilets, etc. in your sugarhouse, they should be connected to a permitted wastewater system.

There is concern however over the water that comes out of the RO during the washing process and this is where it is important to distinguish between "permeate" and "washwater" as the permeate becomes wastewater once it has been used to clean the RO. I doubt that Brian is selling his wastewater to a brewery or that companies that are bottling permeate are bottling the water that comes out of the RO during the wash or rinse cycle.

The better question to ask, and this is what the Dept. of Ag., and ANR are now starting to consider is what do you do with the wastewater that comes out of your RO during the wash/rinse cycle?

[ennismaple]

We will be using the excess permeate to rinse our 2nd syrup pan this year. Yesterday's pan will be getting washed while the other pan is in use. In theory, the permeate should lift the nitre quite well.

[DrTimPerkins]

Unless things have recently changed, wash water from maple RO systems need to be neutralized prior to being discharged in both NY and VT. Check with your local maple association for details.

[BlueberryHill]

I am working with a brewery to use the water as the beer base water. In NY there are brewery benefits if they use a certain % of farm based products. 93% of beer is water. My permeate is a farm by product.

This is my favorite answer so far. Great thinking!

Sugarsand: Don't put anything in your well! It might sound silly that filtered water could possibly do anything, but it really is a bad idea. Any well should be a 1-way street.

[GeneralStark]

Unless things have recently changed, wash water from maple RO systems need to be neutralized prior to being discharged in both NY and VT. Check with your local maple association for details.

Discharged where? Into the stream next to your sugarhouse? Onto the ground directly? Down your floor drain?

[wiam]

I have not read it yet but here it is. http://vermontmaple.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Procedures-for-neutralizing-maple-wash-water.pdf

[wiam]

I have not read it yet but here it is. http://vermontmaple.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Procedures-for-neutralizing-maple-wash-water.pdf

Kind of confusing. First page says to get it between 6.5 and 9. Second page says 2 - 12.5 is hazardous. I wash at 11 so what should I do?:rolleyes:

[Brian Ryther]

Discharged where? Into the stream next to your sugarhouse? Onto the ground directly? Down your floor drain?
Discharge to the ground at least 100 feet away from the nearest stream. Neutralize the wash tank with citric acid, lemon juice, before you open the drain valve. And do not run the neutralized wash tank contents through the ro.

[DrTimPerkins]

Second page says 2 - 12.5 is hazardous. I wash at 11 so what should I do?

Actually, it says pH 2 or less or pH 12.5 or higher are hazardous. Neutralizing between 6.5 and 9 is the desired range.

[wiam]

Actually, it says pH 2 or less or pH 12.5 or higher are hazardous. Neutralizing between 6.5 and 9 is the desired range.

That is what I meant. Just came out wrong. But my point is we are not in the hazardous range, but in the undesired range.