hodorskib's Small Scale RO Build

Mine is all plumbed with 3/8" tubing and I have a reducer on the concentrate line that brings it down to 1/4". I did this so when I cleaning or flushing the system I have it at 3/8" but when operating it reducing to 1/4" makes it easier to control the flow with a smaller needle valve.

Thanks. I will run it this way and see how it does. Probably a couple weeks before I get to use it yet.


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Three membranes with a 400gpd booster or smaller will not need more than 1/4" hose. If you start getting to 60 or 70 f the membranes might pass enough permeate to require a 3/8 inlet. I tested it with both and there was no noticeable difference in flow/inlet pressures at 40f.

A huge thank you to hodorskib for posting the info. I built the RO according to the plans and I was able to take sap from 70- 1 ratio to an 11-1. Running 1.25% sap at 115 psi took me to 7.5%. Attachment 17817

note to self: overtorquing the compression fittings distorts the brass olives and causes leaks. I was only able to get to 10 PSI testing/washing the membranes before finding the warped olives in my pressure gauge and needle valve

clearly god does not WANT me to RO her sap.

Yeah I have been there with you over doing it with the fittings. I have found that it is easier to tighten a little more later than finding replacement fittings. Also, I have always used teflon tape on all my fittings and sometimes they need a lot of wraps. Came across this product from oatey the other day. It worked really well with fewer wraps. https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-2-in-x...6212/203529858

Ken - you are welcome and glad to hear everything went well. I will be posting everything I have been experimenting with at the end of the season.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hodorskib

The rate of process is 12 gallons total - since my sap has been running 1.2% or less I have been removing about 85% of the water (so around 2 gallons of concentrate to 10 gallons of permeate).

The soap I am using is from CDL - https://webstore.cdlusa.net/en/Catal...=022009001&ps= this is an organic product and was under 20 dollars so that is why I selected it.

The flushing and cleaning process I have been using this year:

After each time I run the RO I take 5 gallons of permeate in a bucket (1.5 - 2 gallons I put in a pot and bring to a boil then add it to the cold stuff - this gives me a temperature between 90-100 degrees *** don't go over 100 degrees) then run it through the system with the needle valve wide open and both the permeate and concentrate lines back in the bucket of warm water. I let this recirculate for at least an hour.

For cleaning - I have been doing after every two or three days of operation (this will increase as the season goes on with more bacteria building in the system) I take the same warm permeate but add the RO soap to it until it reaches a PH of 11. Then recirculate as above for 1-2 hours. It is amazing how this stuff works. For me I needed to about 1 level tablespoon of soap powder to achieve that level. So the 1kg container will be enough for me to do like 40 or 50 washings. Then I flush with permeate for at least an hour - this time letting it flow down the drain. If you don't have access to the soap right now I have heard back from some other folks who are using similar systems using 2 quarts of hydrogen peroxide instead and getting good results as well.

I have processed 400 gallons of sap this week and it seems to be working well. Last season as things went along the performance of my membranes deteriorated which is why I am trying the ro soap this year. I have also checked with the manufacturer specs on my membranes and 11ph is the max level.

I will be posting everything to my website at the end of the season to make sure it all works out - but there seems to be enough interest to put out what I am trying now.

The last question about letting the concentrate sit - yes I run my RO while I am sleeping or at work so yes it does sit sometimes for 12-16 hours. I wish I could boil right away but this is a hobby and not my job so I do what I can. It is stored either on the North side of my house in the shade or in my garage which is about 55 degrees. If we get warm weather I will freeze some concentrate in milk jugs and put them in the holding tank during the day. Over the past 6 years using the RO I would have to say 85% of syrup produced as been Amber with the rest being Dark and last year made some really dark stuff.

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How do you test your ph levels in your soap.

Jason

I picked up a digital ph meter for under 20 bucks but you can also use test strips that are only a few bucks.

does it take a while to get to 115 psi? Should I leave my needle valve closed all the way until the pressure gets up?

Are you running sap or just water to test?