What is the difference in reverse osmosis sytems

[butch361]

Will a reverse osmosis sytem, that is made for drinking water work?

[KenWP]

I have wondered if one could be changed over for sugar also. Need a mind more active then mine for that.

[Grade "A"]

Well, in a short answer, yes. But you need the right membrane for sugaring. Also the water that would be waisted and dumped when used for drinking is concentrated sap when used for sugaring. Check out Brent's treads on the GE Merlin RO. This unit is the smallest you can go and have it take out enough water to make it worth wild.

[WMF]

Maple Ro's are set up with high recirc rates across the membrane to help keep it clean and to be able to wash it when it does get fouled.

The Merlins and cheap water RO's don't have this and will not perform well when new and will quickly foul the membranes with no way to clean them as has been "discovered" by those that try them.

[Grade "A"]

I have had different luck with my two merlins. I recirculate sap around with mine and I also can clean mine, it is all in how you hook them up. I know that they are not as good as the $12,000 RO made for sugaring, but my works fine and like everyone says you need to clean them alot. The merlins even have a flush line built into them for a quick flush when needed. I get about 25 gph of water taken out with both merlins hook up, Thats half of what my 2x6 will boil so I'm happy.

[Brent]

While I had pretty good sucess with the Merlins and you will save some boil time and fuel if you nurse them along, BUT the bottom line would have to read something like this:

The pros that make maple RO systems for $ 7000 or whatever are in a competitive business. They would bust their asses to make on just as good as anyone else's for $ 5000. or $ 4000 or less, if it could be done. That's the nature of our free enterprise system.

So after they have been doing it 365 a year for 15 years, you're in never never land if you think you can discover something on the internet in 30 minutes that will work as good for only a few hundred dollars.

This year I will start up with a "real" 160 GPH unit that eats 4 Hp.

Amen

[Russell Lampron]

Well said Brent. If you are serious about making syrup you need the equipment that is designed to do the job. Water system RO's will work but take much longer to get the water out of the sap and you still can't concentrate to as high of a level. The maple equipment manufacturers figured this out long ago and almost all of the new maple RO's have a circulation pump on the membrane housing. Water system RO's don't need this and therefore don't have it. Save your pennies and get the real thing weither it be new or used.