2x6 with RO OR BIGGER RIG

[white mt]

I Have Two Year Old 2x6 7drop Flues Works Nice,but My Tap Totle Is Already To High. Do I Go With New Ro For Under 1000 Taps Or Sell The 2x6 And G0 To A Bigger Rig .in The Long Run Whats Best.thoughts?

[Fred Henderson]

I would go with a bigger rig and may be in a few more years get an RO.

[Sugarmaker]

Check with Jim Brown, He has similar rig and just added a steam away. He is somewhere around 800 taps. Jim said his next step might be a R.O. If the tap count continues to grow.
Chris

[powerdub]

I can't remember who said it on here but it has become part of my motto. Big RO, small evaporator. I think that is the way to go.

[white mt]

what size RO GPH WOULD YOU GO WITH.2X6 WITH 600 TAPS AND GROWING THANKS

[brookledge]

You really need to take a good look at where you will be in a few years, if that is possible, The new ro that leader makes for up to 500 taps is around 4700. So you need to go bigger than that if you are looking for an ro. To get into a mid sized ro you will need to be looking 10-12000.
You don't say what type of fuel you use. If you burn oil then an ro looks better. If you burn wood and have good acsess to wood then I'd go with a larger evaporator You can buy a good used 3X8 or 3X10 for 3,000 plus or minus. But at the same point you dont want to outgrow what ever you do in a couple years.
Another factor is room. Do you have room for a larger evap. or do you have the electricity to run an ro and a heated building.
Many questions for you to think about
Keith

[Russell Lampron]

To figure out what size RO you will need multiply the gph rate of your evaporator by 4 to get the minimum size. For a 2x6 that will be about 150 gallons per hour or larger. The maple guys have a 300 gph machine for about $8000 which would allow you to tweak your 2x6 to get as many gallons per hour out of it as possible and not boil the concentrate faster than the RO can produce it.

I have a 2x6 evaporator and 150gph RO machine. I have about 500 taps now and plan on 1000 when I retire and have more time to boil. Right now I can process about 600 gallons of sap in 6 hours or less. Last season I made 80 gallons of syrup using 1-1/2 cords of wood and my electric bill was $80 for running the RO machine, a heater for the RO room, a vacuum pump and lights for the sugarhouse.

Russ

[802maple]

Just about any 150 can be converted easily( except for the money )to 300 down the road. I have expanded several r.o. 's and that is always a option

[Jim Brown]

Gentlemen: I have to agree that bigger is not always better. Smarter is better.
We will have 800 taps this year and 400 of those will be on vac.In two years we plan an RO We have a limited amount of room for an evaporator and we do have a heated garage attached to the evap room for the RO. We have hundreds of acres we can tap and only time will tell if smarter is really better.
Thanks
Jim

[Russell Lampron]

Like 802maple said a 150gph RO can be converted to 300 by adding another membrane. I am planning to do that to mine when my membrane gets clogged enough so that it isn't producing enough concentrate to keep up with my evaporator.

I overheard Bruce Bascom tell a customer that was asking about a steamaway that the RO was the best way to go. With the steamaway you gain 75% more efficiency and that is it. With the RO you gain 400% more efficiency and if you outgrow it you can add another membrane to increase it to 800% efficiency.

Russ

[Jim Brown]

Good thoughts Russ; 400% from RO, into the Steamaway and other 75% and into the 2x6 and it just became a big finish rig!
Jim

[white mt]

I use woodfire to boil now. i have some room for up to a 3x8, and the power could be done with no prob for an ro. Are their good used ROs out their at say 150-300 gph .whats the going price range. thanks

[Russell Lampron]

The demand for RO machines has risen with the price of fuel so it would probably be hard to find one used. Check the Maple guys web site www.mapleguys.com they sell Lapierre and CDL RO machines. The 300gph size would be the size to get so it won't be too small when you get a larger evaporator.

Russ

[802maple]

Also call Dealers like Mansfield Forest products 802 425 7900 he has good connections to some used machines sometimes