RO rookie in need of assitance

[Gavin W. Hooks]

Hey guys I know everyone is really busy so any help is greatly appreciated. I was doing the initial tap water wash to get my Ray Gingrich 125 ready and it seems to be running well until I looked down and saw a pool of water in the floor. In the supply line there is a white PVC fitting between the sap filter and the high pressure pump. It is cracked. Does anyone know what this is? is it an additional filter or just a coupling?

I have left a message for Ray but you know it's Maple season...

I will post a pic.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I think it is a check valve.

[Gavin W. Hooks]

10591

Here it is. Is this just a $2 coupling or a filter added to the line after the sap filter?

[Gavin W. Hooks]

Check Valve? HMMM I wonder if a local plumbing supply would have such an animal?

[NH Maplemaker]

Sure looks like a check valve! Should be able to get one at any pluming supply house or Home Depot! No big deal! Good luck!!

[NH Maplemaker]

Oh ya! make sure you look at it good when you take it out. Put it back going in the same direction as it comes out! Won't work if you get it in wrong!

[Gavin W. Hooks]

Thanks a million guys!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Since we have solved Gavin's problem, I am going to tag my problem on his post too as I am new to this.

Ran 400ish gallon of water thru RO before running sap thru it. When I ran the sap thru it, I never could get permeate flow as high as the concentrate flow even running it over 375 PSI which my unit is designed to run at 395. First pass sugar went int at 1.7 and came out at 2.8 according to refractometer. Re circulation valve/bottom valve was completely closed and high pressure top valve only opened about 1/8 turn. Maybe some of you guys can tell me what I was doing wrong. Every time I checked permeate it was showing .1, so I am concerned I have a bad membrane. I did about a 20 minute wash on it afterwards last night and backwash with 325 gallons of permeate.

[PATheron]

Brandon- Sounds like your open flowing it. Have you tried just putting the concentrate to like two gallons per minute and put your pressure where its supposed to and see if your water goes higher then? Also maybe your refractometer is off little. Maybe take some of the perm water in on the stove and boil it down aways and if its passing it should really show up then. Theron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I only have concentrate valve open about 1/8 turn which is running it at close to 400 psi. Like sap won't go thru membrane and it is brand new. I can't remember is it is a nf270 or xle. Either way at 400 psi I should be probably running 8 gallons permeate to 2 gallons concentrate not 7 gallons of concentrate to 5 gallons of permeate.

[PATheron]

I don't know anything about your ro but I think you are confusing the concentrate valve for the pressure valve. The valve you have cracked open sounds like your pressure valve. As you close it pressure goes up. Got to be another valve that will directly affect the concentrate only.When you close that one you will be able to make the concentrate any number you want. Youll set that one to two and then as you close the pressure valve you can run your pressure up to what you want it. If it is a 270 don't go over 300.

[maple flats]

Something is definately not right. My 250 unit runs at 275 psi +/- a little and I get about 1 gpm concentrate with 3 gpm permeate. Is your bypass valve open? That is the valve going from near the flow meters back down to the high pressure pump inlet. Call Ray, he can solve the problem. You might be doing something wrong or you may as you suggest, have a faulty membrane. However, if it is in the membrane my guess is simply the seal. There is a seal around the top of the membrane that is U shaped. The U must be open to the pressure side. If it is, check for a damaged seal, little tear or nick etc.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Dave,

I am running the bypass valve completely closed. Only running with the high pressure valve less than 1/4 turn open and running psi from 350 to 390. Owners manual says to run it at 395.

[mellondome]

Open the recurculation valve. You are plugging the membrane by bot allowing enough flow across it. You will beed close to 70 gpm across the membrane to keep it clean. You are inly putting 7 gpm across it. Also I hope you did not acutally backwash it. You cannot reverse the flow if the permeate in a membrane, it will destroy it.

You should always start a unit like that with the recirculation completely open.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I did talk to Ray this am and my RO is different than the 125, 250 and 375 units which is about what everyone on here that has Deer Run RO's are running. On my paticular model, it is designed to run at 350 PSI and the bypass/recirulation valve has to be opened about 1/4 of a turn. The smaller units, that isn't neccessary but it is on my. Of course, nothing in his instructions that say anything about this. I took 825 gallons of sap down to 130 gallons of concentrate in about 2.25 hours and no sugar passage. That is somewhere around 11 to 12 percent as I didn't test the final concentrate. I have been in discussion with him about a nice instruction manual complete with pictures and diagrams. Also, may do a video or maybe one for each model and post them so others can view them. It will be sometime later in the year before this happens but this way manuals can be emailed to someone along with a brochure, prices, etc. Instructional videos will be a big plus to the user also if we can do those.

[mellondome]

Just an fyi.. when people see posts about an r/o ... most assume it is a commercial unit that has actual recirculation pumps.
( cdl, springtech, lapiere)

[coyote]

Brandon,
I too bought a new 500 model from Ray for this year. I'm in northern Pa., so haven't had any sap to try it out on yet. How did you run your sap thru? Did you keep recirculating and pulling out of the same tank until you had the 11-12%?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I ran 825 gallons down to about 230 best I can remember first past through and then recirculated to get to 130. My floor tank is 625 gallons and my head tank right beside it is 320 gallons so everything goes to head tank until raw sap is gone and just before it runs out I start recirculating. I will try to post some pics on here of my control valves coming out of head tank, it makes it very easy to control everything.

[wiam]

Just an fyi.. when people see posts about an r/o ... most assume it is a commercial unit that has actual recirculation pumps.
( cdl, springtech, lapiere)
I guess I am not one of the "most".

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Just an fyi.. when people see posts about an r/o ... most assume it is a commercial unit that has actual recirculation pumps.
( cdl, springtech, lapiere)

Most people have their RO brand and model in their signature.