Looking to build an ro

[Jeff15]

I’m currently running a 2x6 cdl with raised flue pan and forced air, around 350 taps and I find when we get really good runs I spend every bit of my time just trying to stay ahead of the sap flow. I get tired of the 15 hours a day boiling, I’m looking at building an ro to save some time and a lot of wood, what would be a good setup as far as membranes and pumps in my situation, I have zero experience with an ro so I’m looking for suggestions on a setup. Thanks

[BRL]

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?29171-100-GPH-RO-Build-for-2-000-Pics-Video-Diagrams...-Oh-My!

[maple flats]

Do you have vacuum, either a pump or gravity using 3/16 laterals? If not a single 4x40 membrane unit will be OK, a 2 membrane would be better. A 1 membrane, if designed to run at 275 PSI, will remove about .75-1.0 gph of water, 2 can remove about twice that. Running either can take 2% sap from 2% to 7-8% concentrate, the single membrane would need 2 passes. If the RO is designed to run at a lower pressure the removal will be less.
If you have vacuum, I think the 2 membrane will be needed for best results, but that costs money. Even an RO bucket RB 25 will help a lot. The specs show it as removing half of the water on 40 gal/hr flow, reducing it to 20 gal, or think of it as removing about 20 gal/hr.. Check that option. Then if you grow, you can easily sell the bucket RO to another smaller producer.

[Keitha333]

I built and used this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s106bSrcfno&t=43s prior to this I only produced about 5-7 gallons of syrup in 3 full weekends of boiling. Last year in my first voyage with this I had 12 gallon in two weekends and not putting in full days.