RO Prefilters

[Amber Gold]

Is there anything special about the sap prefilters in the RO? I have a Lapierre 250 with a 20" long filter (I think) and was wondering if I can get them from another source for cheaper money.

How many prefilters will I go through next season with up to 700 taps? I might buy in some sap as well. I've heard there's some kind of sock you can get to go over the prefilter to make it last longer, where do I get those?

[maplecrest]

fw webb can get them. forget the sock. change filter when pressure starts to drop or smell so bad you want to change it.do not use same filter to wash

[tuckermtn]

Josh- I got my filters and new filter housings off ebay. I have two really big "big Blue" filters- I know I may not be doing it right, but I didn't change my pre-filters all season- my flow rates were very stable all season- and I do not use the socks either...

[brookledge]

Quite frankly it depends on if those are the only filters you are going to use. Many big producers use other filters like DE filter to filter sap prior to going into the RO this allows a lot more sap through the 20" filters. But with only 700 taps I'd say just use the 20" filters.
I use the socks over the filter and rinse them daily to keep them cleaner and soak them in permiate over night. It is best to use two filter cartriges. One for when you are pushing sap through and then switch it with the other one when running the permiate through. Then switch them again to start over.
Keith

[Russell Lampron]

I get my filters by the case from Lapierre. I also use the cloth wraps from Lapierre. I keep the first filter of the season to use when washing. I replace the cloth wrap on the filter each time I use it and as needed if the sap is really slimy like at the end of the season. I think that I used about 6 filters last season and processed almost 12,000 gallons of sap.

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for the input.

If I go to Webb, Granite Group, and etc. what do I tell them for the filter? What's the media and micron rating?

All sap will be getting trucked, so it will be going through a sap filter during offloading.

[Mark]

I get mine from Atlantic RO.

http://www.formembranes.com/

[Jim Brown]

I use a 5 micron pre filter on my RO seems to work well

Jim

[tuckermtn]

yes 5 micron pre filter seems to be the norm. I put my sap through a looser (50 or 100 micon, can't remeber) pop-on sock filter before it goes in to the tank for feeding the RO

[maplwrks]

You can get most any filter you need from the Granite Group or Webbs---20" - 5 micron filters are pretty commomn. If you can get enough guys together to put together an order, you can get them for $3-$4 apiece off the web.

[Amber Gold]

In the stuff I got with the RO machine I found a new prefilter. In small, faded, fine print, the package reads PURTREX PX10-20, 10 Micron. Should I get 10 micron or 5 micron?

I found these online for ~$4 each in a 20 pack case, shipping brings it to almost $5 each. Slightly cheaper than Bascom's.

[Bucket Head]

I don't have an RO so I'm just wondering, how often do you have to change these? Each day with fresh sap? Would you use this same type filter to filter the sap before putting it in a tank even if you did'nt have an RO? Its good to get the "crud" out, right? The felt-like sap bag can not filter the sap enough for RO use? I was told filtering sap before running it through an ultraviolet light is standard practice too. What filter is reccomended for a UV light?

Steve

[Russell Lampron]

Josh 5 micron is what Lapierre recommends.

[Jeff E]

Just for fun I'll add my 2 cents.
I change the prefilter after every use. I use 5 micron filters, and the price of these from local suppliers is close to the best prices I find on line, so I just buy from the guys who take care of me.
I have 1 filter I use for the wash cycle, which is re-used all season.
I then put in a new filter for each processing day, which might be 2-4000 gallons of sap. I have never had a problem doing this, and there is no chance of a sap soaked prefilter getting sour on me waiting for the next processing day.
I dont use the socks. I do filter the sap as it goes into the storage tanks, so the big chunks are gone.

The prefilter is also 'insurance' against allowing some crap getting into the RO and wrecking a pump or something. Well worth the expense.

[Thad Blaisdell]

Jeff, If you use the same filter to wash with each time, why dont you use that filter to wash with, then use it for the sap, then throw it away and wash with a fresh filter. Just asking as it would seem to save a step and you would not have to keep the other filter around. Is there a reason you do it your way. I am still trying to figure out the best way. Some people use a filter for quite a few cycles and some only one. Last year I changed mine every 2-3 days and I am not sure that is best either.

[Jeff E]

The main reason I dont use the wash filter for the next batch of sap it that the wash solution goes through it. Granted, 500 gallons of rinse go through it after the wash, just like the membrane, but it is one more thing I can do to keep the sap pure and clean.

[Brent]

I tried 1 micron filters before my little RO a couple years and found that if the filter is in the RO heated room, the bacteria get concentrated on it and grow all night and all day and it gets really really rank after 24 hours. Now I put in a fresh one every day, only $8.

Maybe if the filter was in the cold part of the SH then it might last 2 or 3 days. ( hmmm modification number 321 for the next season. )

[sapman]

I usually find that my prefilters plug during the wash cycle. Guess removing the crud from the membrane has more junk than the raw sap! Atlantic RO just told me today he sells the 2.5x20" 5 micron for $3.77 each for the case of 20.

[Brent]

Tim
xxxxxxx paragraph deleted by Brent.

One of our larger local maple dealers sells the 5 micron 10" filters for $ 3.89 Cdn $. More or less the same. These will of course be standard rated filters that only trap about 90% of the 5 micron stuff. An "absolute rated" will trap 99.99% of the 5 micron stuff. McMaster-Carr's web site has some pretty good details on the difference and prices that are hard to beat.

[sapman]

Mine is an Airablo 600. The plumbing always directs the liquid through the feed pump, which then goes directly to the filter, then to the pressure pump. The only prefilter that is bypassed in this process is the Banjo strainer on the main feed line. I assumed they all work this way, but not sure.