4x40 (4) vs 8x40 (1) Homemade

[Mead Maple]

Hi guys,
Didnt want to piggy back off another thread so I figured I would start a new one. In my search capabilities I have not been able to locate a thread that compares having 4 smaller units vs 1 large unit. I would love to hear from folks who are or have used both. Obviously there is a lot to compare and some topics I would like to include for both are:

-ease of use and maintenance
-short comings
-price
-operating pressure
-permeate requirements for washing
-total area needed (dimensions)
-equipment (feed pump/high pressure pump)
-operation (start up/concentrating/wash etc)
-% Brix after first pass & second pass
-recirculating or not

Hoping to cover some of the aspects I havent seen talked about already in recent threads. Hoping to get a good detailed thread going here to help folks like myself who want some decent capacity and ability to run a decent amount of sap but not invest $5-$9k on a higher end hobby or low end commercial unit. Thanks a ton guys!


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[bill m]

I can't help much with any of your questions, I bought my RO and have no desire to build one. I think you need to include a little more info. How many taps now and in the future and will you have vacuum? How much sap per day on a good run do you expect and how fast do you want to process it? That will help determine how big of an RO you will need and what it may cost.

[fred]

more maintenance. and replacement for 4" is $300 each , 8" is 550. pumps also change everything- you have to have pressure for anything to work

[Shaun]

https://forest-farming.extension.org/youtube-channel-reverse-osmosis-series/

This has some info for a RO on the cheap. Option 3 uses a 8" membrane.

[Mead Maple]

Shaun, thanks for the link. That particular video is exactly why I put this question out there.

Fred, can you help clarify a bit for me? Are you suggesting it might be more cost efficient to go with an 8"?

bill, why not try and build one? Other than the pans I built my entire 2x8' oil fired rig and plan to build hoods and a preheater for it this coming year. The RO is just another build project. Plan to be around 500 taps max, currently at 200. The amount of time it takes to process isn't that big a deal to me, but obviously don't want to run it all night/day while I'm at work. Ideally I could concentrate to 8-12%, maybe a little higher. The whole idea for me is less boil time. The RO I can still be a dad and chores ETC without out having to worry like you do a set of pans. Like most, I'd rather let the RO do the work for me. I'm not really looking to purchase an RO because this is a hobby that funds itself for me and would progressively like to work my way up to where it could be profitable, if the RO takes a little longer to get to XX% that's fine with me, but if I was able to save $2k-$4k that's a good enough reason to put one together.

I can easily put together a single post unit that mimics CDL's hobby unit. How they justify almost $2,500 for it is beyond me but I get the retail gig. Was hoping folks would have some better insight on some of the specific topics. So even if you've got a little light to shed on any piece is good enough for me, thanks as always for the help and participation everyone!

[bill m]

Paul, you asked "Why not build one" I could but why would I want to? Just to possibly save a few bucks? No thanks, but that is just me. Go back through a few pages of threads in the RO section and see how many people are having problems and short comings with their home made units. When I bought mine all I had to do was plug it in and connect the piping. Your first question was "Ease of use and maintenance" With mine when I have sap I turn on a switch, adjust the pressure/concentrate level and walk away. It shuts off when out of sap. I then flush the sugar from the membrane ,start a wash cycle and walk away. When the wash cycle reaches temperature it shuts off. I then start a final rinse cycle. When it is out of permeate it shuts off. By the time you add everything together, low pressure shutoff, high pressure shutoff, high temperature shutoff, motor fault shutoff, wash tank you would be approaching the cost of one from a supplier. Maybe even more. And then there's your time putting this all together. I'm not trying to discourage you from building your own, just giving my reasons for buying one and not building one.

[Mead Maple]

Bill, I guess I should have rephrased. I wasnt asking why YOU wouldnt build one but why I wouldnt. While I wont deny that many folks are having a learning curve with their units, I personally enjoy the build aspect of things. And while I completely understand that time is money in every industry, theres certain gratification I get from building something that saves me time (fuel). All I was getting at was even putting together a low flow unit is a big help for processing. Right now starting out like most, I simply cant justify dropping a large amount of money on an RO. I definitely would love to get to the point where I can but that’s not right now. I certainly appreciate your input


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[fred]

fred, can you help clarify a bit for me? Are you suggesting it might be more cost efficient to go with an 8"?


yes. Cheaper to maintain/replace and less to look at and go wrong

[Mead Maple]

Well thats reassuring. I guess ill look into this set up being what I go with.


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