modifing an r.o. machine

[jemsklein]

now the other day i was looking at an r.o machine at home depot and for $200 i can get one that doas 30 gph and i was wondering can they be modifed to work on sap or is it just as simple using the dischare as your concentrated sap thank you jemsklein

[maplekid]

it can be done but the factory membranes are not fine enough i think. i think they use like 500 micron membranes forsugaring or something along them lines. maplepancakeman has a clearwater system that he modified for sugaring.

[mountainvan]

You sure that's not 30 gallons/day? MK prefilters for ro's are 5 micron. Ro memranes are much finer, almost molecular. I think it depends on the membranes if you can use it.

[maplekid]

thanks mountainvan, i couldnt decide whether it was 5 or 500

[jemsklein]

well what size is your filter that you use in the big r.o. machine

[mountainvan]

20 inch 5 micron. my ro does 350gal/hr. bigger ro's use the same size filter, just several at a time.

[jemsklein]

thank you every one for clearing this up for me

[Zamboni Driver]

http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/filtercold-water-filters.asp

[Brent]

Right you are. Almost all the Home Depot style units are rated PER DAY at about 30 Gallons. The capture tanks are tiny, about one or two gallons and if you do not draw off the permeate, the system just stops. So you might only get 2 gallons in a day. For sap you would not use the capture tank but instead use a non-pressurized drum to capture the sap. The big question is, will it clean up at the end of the day so you could re-use it.

At that rate you'd be better off putting the money towards a pre-heater

But checking on the link provided above there is a tankless one call a GE Merlin that they rate at 720 Gallons per Day. Now that will make a dint in your boiling. You need a pressure pump to get up to 50 PSI. You could run with a tank or maybe just a pressure regulator but for $ 399 it is very interesting looking. Here's a copy of the text the add.

GE ® Merlin Reverse Osmosis Tankless RO System - Free Shipping * - GE-RO-M750 #1255052Point-of-use RO System. The Merlin tankless RO system for residential and light commercial applications is a breakthrough on-demand, continuous flow, RO system by GE Osmonics providing up to 720 gallons of purified water per day. Continuous flow - no storage tank necessary. Requires no pump or electricity. Includes air gap faucet. Uses line pressure only - >40 psi. 1/2 gpm permeate rate @ 50 psi. Compact design - fits easily under sink. Consistent TDS rejection and membrane efficiency. High recovery system - Multiple dispensing locations off one system. High durability Noryl and polypropylene construction provide years of dependable service. Engineered for the fewest number of connection points - less chance of leaks. System's support leg also serves as a handy sump wrench. This system requires a continuous, minimum 40-50 psi of pressure to operate properly. ANSI NSF 58 validated. WQA Gold Seal listed. Includes first set of filters and membranes. 17.05" wide x 20.34" tall x 9.68" deep.

[Brent]

This site has the full operator's manual for the Merlin
Minimum permeate flow 1/2 GPM
Maximum permeate flow 1 GPM
Concentrate flow min 1 GPM max 2 GPM

http://www.waterfiltersonline.com/reverse-osmosis-systems.asp

Now here's the catch. ... maybe base on 50 psi AND 77 degrees.
AND minimum temperature of 40 degrees

on the chart provided at 50 psi and 40 degrees the rate drops significantly.
At about 58PSI and 40 degrees you get 0.5 GPM

Thats 30 gallons an hour water removal. On a 2x6 that just about doubles the processing speed, with no fuel usage.

I'm very tempted.

[jemsklein]

you know i just figured this out bent i use to live close to you i use to live in caledon in a subdivision called vallywood have you herad of it

[royalmaple]

I'd be really curious how "loose" the membranes are.

The membranes in ro's are nano filtration, if you look at a membrane it looks like solid fiber glass and you wonder how anything gets through them.

Not to disrupt your plan but just one thing to consider, if it can't trap sugar you are not going to do yourself any good.

[jemsklein]

well i guest it would not be worth it this year cuz sugar season is coming up soon