Do you need to clean the RO between runs?

[jdircksen]

I just have a small homemade RO unit similar to the RO bucket. After last season ended I let it sit for 4 weeks before cleaning it, and it picked up a terrible odor. It had been flushed with clean water but something caused it to smell. So realistically how long can it sit unused before it gets funky? Say there is a 2 week break between sap runs, is it ok to just leave the RO idle? Or should I put a timer on the pump and circulate permeate every few hours?

Thanks

[wiam]

How often do you do a “soap” wash?

[Russell Lampron]

You should rinse the RO with permeate after each use and do a soap wash when the performance slows down. You should do a combination of soap and acid washes at the end of the season and as needed during the season. After doing the after season washes the RO should be flushed with all of the permeate that you have left. You should use a membrane preservative too.

[maple flats]

Do a proper permeate rinse at the end of each day's use. If done right you will not need a daily soap wash. As Russel says, do a soap wash if performance slows down. Then at the end of the season, do a cold permeate rinse, then a soap wash, then another permeate rinse then an acid wash. The let that set in the membranes for up to 4 weeks. Then do a permeate rinse, a soap wash, another permeate rinse. Then add in preservative.

[jdircksen]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't do any soap washes last year since I thought those were for the real RO units. I'll get some RO soap and start doing that if I'm going more than a few days between boils.

[Russell Lampron]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't do any soap washes last year since I thought those were for the real RO units. I'll get some RO soap and start doing that if I'm going more than a few days between boils.

The membrane(s) will get fouled in any RO used to concentrate sap and will need to be cleaned on a regular basis. For the record I do a soap wash on my RO after every use.

[carls47807]

Hey Jacob,

I posted a video regarding membrane maintenance on our website. http://www.therobucket.com/Wordpress/resources/video-library/

Permeate rinses will hold you over for a couple days if
You get the old prefilter out and clean out the filter housing. It’s a good idea to leave the cover off as well when not in use.

Definitely agree with Russell, you can’t flush an RO too much. For small hobbyists like yourself, mix up a gallon of soap/preservative and use it when you notice an odor/aren’t using the ro for over 2 or 3 days. If you use it after your second rinse you can use it multiple times (it will slowly get diluted obviously). Hydrogen peroxide works for knocking out odors as well but has to be used immediately. Mix a cup of 3% drugstore peroxide into a gallon of water to make a .25% solution and let that circulate for 10 minutes or so.

Stick to peroxide and flushing with basic (high ph) solutions to take care of bacterial growth. Acid washes help improve
Membrane performance (from fouling, but with the inexpensive residential membranes it’s probably best to replace them at that point).

[jdircksen]

Thanks everyone.

Carl - the video is great, thanks. Last year I bought 3 vials of preservative from you. Is that what you mean by "mix up a gallon of soap/preservative". Just wondering of the vials are both soap and preservative, or just one of those.

[carls47807]

Yes, the vials we sell are both preservative and flush. Our single pack and 5 dose pack are the same concentrations.

Carl