trackerguy
02-23-2010, 08:25 PM
Hi There,
I've been lurking for a couple of years, lots of useful info from everyone, maybe someone will find this useful. The attached photo is a home made RO, which I'll describe.
Design: 125GPH in, 2.5x concenntration on 2% sap (2 in, 5 out). The unit is designed to freeze at night, my sugarhouse is unheated, remove membrane through top cap, open valve in lower housing cap, open all valves, run pumps for a few seconds, everything drains downhill. Runs on single 20A 120VAC breaker and 150 ft 12 gua extansion cord.
Feed pump is an ebay special 1/2HP jet pump, barely visible on lower rt. This pump was the sap transfer pump before the RO came along. Barely visible also is the filter, plain household type. feed pump recirculates through brass pop valve set to 60PSI. Food grade RV hose from filter output into hardware store 4 way manifold valve next to housing. This is 1 of 3 such valves and is the input source valve. Other input line goes to food grade 5 gal bucket wash tank. Mcmaster-carr garden hose to NPT adapter to 1/2" barb fitting up to procon series 3 125GPH pump w/1/2 HP 48YZ GE carbonator motor from Midwest RO (BILL, nice guy, sent to me by Brother Joe at atlantic RO). Pump output into 18" 3/8 NPT McMaster carr hose into Ebay recirc pump, webtrol H5B7 with 250PSI seals I ordered after buying the all stainless 3/4 HP pump for $75. Photo doesn't show the "tree" very well, but here goes. Feed line goes into tree behind (in a flow sense) Bypass relief set to 300PSI. Takeoff from bypass valve is the RO output, send to boil tank via 5/16 lateral tubing or recirc into holding tank. The horizontal orange handle selects the head tank or the holding tank. To the right of this handle is the 2nd manifold and the cutoff valve (vertical orange handle) This routes output to drain or cleaning tank via hose manifold. Orange handle valve used to regulate low pressure levels and to bring up pressure gradually until pop valve cuts in and output flow comes out of the previously mentioned pop valve outlet.
OK... flow has come into the tree, just after the outlet stuff, and gets sucked into the 12GPM booster pump with about 25PSI boost. Pressure gauge on outlet of pump 0-400PSI. Have run at 325. Down hose into bottom of 4" x 40 codeline ss housing and xle4040 membrane (both midwest RO) via 3/4 tee. one part of tee is hose, bottom is drain valve. through membrane, back out of housing top, around the top stainless tube loop, through pressure boost / membrane eject shutoff valve (orange handle at 45 angle), and into the tree for another loop.
Permeate goes from top of housing, into ebay flow meter in center via 5/16 drop tubing and down into permeate garden hose manifold. Can select permeate tank (100 gal, hose exits bottom left), wash tank, drain, or general purpose sugarhouse outlet.
this year it gets a second membrane to the left of the current one, should do 125GPH / 2% in at 10.5% out with no recrculation to gathering tank required. May add a 3rd membrane, 3/4HP pressure pump, and 190GPH pump and it should do 190GPH in at 2% in / 10+% output.
Gathering tank / permeate switch is done in front of the feed pump on lower right.
You guys can make this. This is the first plumbing thing I ever made and I hate plumbing. It looked like a garden sprinkler the first time I turned it on, had 500gals of sap (2x8 oil), had to rebuild the whole thing and re-tape every joint, took 2 hours. It's made on a piece of plywood with 2x4 bosses to hold the valve manifolds and flow meter. I carried it out, stood it up, and screwed it to the wall. As a testiment to my plumbing skills, the motors are up high so they don't get leaked on (yes, it leaks a little - I hate plumbing). Maybe I'll tighten it up when I put the larger pump, 3 phase motor, and motor control with low feed pressure shutoff (well pump shutoff into controller input) and high pressure switch (also to another input). Will also be able to adjust drive freq to set concentration - fixed displacement input pump.
Pressures: Procon used to be a fluid-o-tech pump with 250PSI max differential and 275 max output. I feed it 50PSI, make the output 300PSI, and then crank the recirc pump valve shut a bit for another 25PSI, watch the flow meter so the recirc doesn't get too low - flow will drop.
Cleans well - this thing WILL NOT self heat, it's way, way more efficient than a commercial unit, 8 hours it's at 90F. I feed it water from the preheater on the evaporator, immediatley to the left on the picture, get temp to 125F and bleed some aor into the intake to give a good scrub (try THAT with a commercial machine).
All fun aside, it's a bit intensive to operate but does work very, very well. Nothing like a commercial unit as far as professional appearance or features go, but I've got 2K into it with 2 membranes.
-Wes
I've been lurking for a couple of years, lots of useful info from everyone, maybe someone will find this useful. The attached photo is a home made RO, which I'll describe.
Design: 125GPH in, 2.5x concenntration on 2% sap (2 in, 5 out). The unit is designed to freeze at night, my sugarhouse is unheated, remove membrane through top cap, open valve in lower housing cap, open all valves, run pumps for a few seconds, everything drains downhill. Runs on single 20A 120VAC breaker and 150 ft 12 gua extansion cord.
Feed pump is an ebay special 1/2HP jet pump, barely visible on lower rt. This pump was the sap transfer pump before the RO came along. Barely visible also is the filter, plain household type. feed pump recirculates through brass pop valve set to 60PSI. Food grade RV hose from filter output into hardware store 4 way manifold valve next to housing. This is 1 of 3 such valves and is the input source valve. Other input line goes to food grade 5 gal bucket wash tank. Mcmaster-carr garden hose to NPT adapter to 1/2" barb fitting up to procon series 3 125GPH pump w/1/2 HP 48YZ GE carbonator motor from Midwest RO (BILL, nice guy, sent to me by Brother Joe at atlantic RO). Pump output into 18" 3/8 NPT McMaster carr hose into Ebay recirc pump, webtrol H5B7 with 250PSI seals I ordered after buying the all stainless 3/4 HP pump for $75. Photo doesn't show the "tree" very well, but here goes. Feed line goes into tree behind (in a flow sense) Bypass relief set to 300PSI. Takeoff from bypass valve is the RO output, send to boil tank via 5/16 lateral tubing or recirc into holding tank. The horizontal orange handle selects the head tank or the holding tank. To the right of this handle is the 2nd manifold and the cutoff valve (vertical orange handle) This routes output to drain or cleaning tank via hose manifold. Orange handle valve used to regulate low pressure levels and to bring up pressure gradually until pop valve cuts in and output flow comes out of the previously mentioned pop valve outlet.
OK... flow has come into the tree, just after the outlet stuff, and gets sucked into the 12GPM booster pump with about 25PSI boost. Pressure gauge on outlet of pump 0-400PSI. Have run at 325. Down hose into bottom of 4" x 40 codeline ss housing and xle4040 membrane (both midwest RO) via 3/4 tee. one part of tee is hose, bottom is drain valve. through membrane, back out of housing top, around the top stainless tube loop, through pressure boost / membrane eject shutoff valve (orange handle at 45 angle), and into the tree for another loop.
Permeate goes from top of housing, into ebay flow meter in center via 5/16 drop tubing and down into permeate garden hose manifold. Can select permeate tank (100 gal, hose exits bottom left), wash tank, drain, or general purpose sugarhouse outlet.
this year it gets a second membrane to the left of the current one, should do 125GPH / 2% in at 10.5% out with no recrculation to gathering tank required. May add a 3rd membrane, 3/4HP pressure pump, and 190GPH pump and it should do 190GPH in at 2% in / 10+% output.
Gathering tank / permeate switch is done in front of the feed pump on lower right.
You guys can make this. This is the first plumbing thing I ever made and I hate plumbing. It looked like a garden sprinkler the first time I turned it on, had 500gals of sap (2x8 oil), had to rebuild the whole thing and re-tape every joint, took 2 hours. It's made on a piece of plywood with 2x4 bosses to hold the valve manifolds and flow meter. I carried it out, stood it up, and screwed it to the wall. As a testiment to my plumbing skills, the motors are up high so they don't get leaked on (yes, it leaks a little - I hate plumbing). Maybe I'll tighten it up when I put the larger pump, 3 phase motor, and motor control with low feed pressure shutoff (well pump shutoff into controller input) and high pressure switch (also to another input). Will also be able to adjust drive freq to set concentration - fixed displacement input pump.
Pressures: Procon used to be a fluid-o-tech pump with 250PSI max differential and 275 max output. I feed it 50PSI, make the output 300PSI, and then crank the recirc pump valve shut a bit for another 25PSI, watch the flow meter so the recirc doesn't get too low - flow will drop.
Cleans well - this thing WILL NOT self heat, it's way, way more efficient than a commercial unit, 8 hours it's at 90F. I feed it water from the preheater on the evaporator, immediatley to the left on the picture, get temp to 125F and bleed some aor into the intake to give a good scrub (try THAT with a commercial machine).
All fun aside, it's a bit intensive to operate but does work very, very well. Nothing like a commercial unit as far as professional appearance or features go, but I've got 2K into it with 2 membranes.
-Wes