Questions and concepts

[Amber Gold]

I'm applying for the USDA grant to get an RO for next season and I'm filling the paperwork now and I have some questions. I have a 2.5x8 evaporator (say 70 gph) and would like to stop expanding in the 1000-1500 tap range...don't know if I'll get there, but it would be nice.

I was looking at the different RO systems and from what I've read on here, Lapierre or CDL is the way to go. Everyone has their opinions on which is better, but what's the actual difference between the two?

What happened to the 150, 300, and 600 gph naming convention on the RO systems? They're all 125, 250, and 600 ratings. Did they drop the ratings down to what they actually do at sap temp.?

I'm thinking that a 250 would be good for now and a 5-600 would be too big. Is a 250 expandable to 500 (or 600)? I'm wondering if I started with the 250 now and I did get to 1500 taps if I could expand it to a 600 gph machine.

With the 250 gph machine, if I run it as a single pass to 8%, how much concentrate am I producing? I'm guessing it's around 60 gph.

If recirculating, how much water is actually removed per hour? If I got to 1500 taps, could I recirculate w/ the 250 during the day while I'm at work and boil for 4 hrs at night and be able to process it all in an average day? I'm thinking I'd also put a UV light in-line to kill any bacteria and maintain sap quality.

Do I have this concept correct? Using the rule of 86, if I have 1500 gal of 2% sap and I concentrate it to 10%, then I've reduced the 1500 gal of raw sap to 300 gal of 10% concentrate, so I'd boil that in 4-5 hrs and produce 35 gal of syrup. If I went to 14% then I'd be boiling 210 gal of concentrate producing 35 gal of syrup in 3 hrs.

Thanks

[maplecrest]

josh you want to get that grant??? do not write it yourself hire a grant writer. i tryed to do one and was turned down. if i have a pro do it i know it would have been different. they do it all the time and know how to word these correctly. it is a long process and is like a scavanger hunt. i did it all and i thought i had it.

[caseyssugarshack93]

I did one last year, i could of got a ro if i could of secured 22,000 dollors, They woudlnt just give me the grant untill you have the money scured to buy the r/o kinda messed up deal, atleast i think so,

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

Amber Gold,

I currenly have a 300gph Lapierre w/2 4" columns with the NF 270 membranes. If you can somehow afford it, I would strongly suggest getting a 600. You will be much happier with it's capabilities. The 300 was all i could afford at the time, but when I get things straightened out I am definately going to upgrade to the 600 machine. Not to say the 300 is a bad machine, but it will not make consistent concentrate to keep up with my 2.5x8. In another post though...Russ is right about starting the RO earlier or evaporator later once you have some concentrate built up. This is going to be my third year with that 300 machine and have no compaints about it one bit. It's just that I have to start it much earlier than I am going to boil if I want to boil 10% all night. But if I don't start it early enough, the sap feeding the arch starts a 10% but will creep down to 5-6% by the end of the boil because I have to increase concentrate flow to keep up with the boiling rate. now a 600 gph machine would be a perfect match for a 2.5x8 unless you were boiling over 3000 taps....then you might want 2-8"columns. Just my thoughts.

[sapman]

Amber, I've also got a 2.5X8, and the 500 unit I got was perfectly sized for it. With 450 on good vac, I think you'll wish you'd gone with a bigger unit if you get a 250 or 300. Of course, I do have a Steamaway, but you still want the bigger one. My 500 got way too small last year with 1400 taps, mostly on high vac, and pretty bad sugar content.

Tim

[Russell Lampron]

I'm feeling those pains now with my 150. A 600 would be overkill but I think that that would be the best move instead of upgrading mine to make it a 250/300. I plan to have 1000 plus taps some day and my 150 is struggling now with 500 taps. Anyone ever boil 20% in a 2x6? I'ld like to try but I can't get there with my RO.

[Homestead Maple]

I'm feeling those pains now with my 150. A 600 would be overkill but I think that that would be the best move instead of upgrading mine to make it a 250/300. I plan to have 1000 plus taps some day and my 150 is struggling now with 500 taps. Anyone ever boil 20% in a 2x6? I'ld like to try but I can't get there with my RO.
If you pass the concentrate through a second time will that help?

[caseyssugarshack93]

i boiled 18-20% russ, not sure what u did, i know i was starting to take brixs in the flue pan:D

[802maple]

Most any RO can be expanded to anything you want it to be, but it comes down to is it economcally smart to do this. I have expanded 150 gallon machines to 1200 gallon machines but it will cost you more in the end then if you had bought it in the first place unless you are lucky enough to get used columns and high pressure pumps. I would buy the 600 and get it out of the way if you can. In a RO there is no such thing as overkill LOL

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for the input. I'll compare costs of the 300 vs. 600 and see what I can afford.