hodorskib's Small Scale RO Build

Msboucha, how many taps are you at now? Are you still off the grid?
I only heat sap to 60 to 70 and same for flush, I guess I am lucky on membrane fouling but I try to dial into 50/50. Being small I have 5gallon buckets marked by gallons inside so I can see how close I am or if flow rate changes by the quarter hour of run time. Then I can stretch the time longer for checking. I will know next year since Carl says new membranes every 2 years. Time will tell. I have 1 1/2 % sap on average and have seen 4 to 5% concentrate but usually less.

We ran 24 taps last year and this year on buckets. This is the first year with the RO. It took me a few weeks to get it modified to where it was worth the running time/ouput. Being off-grid, I didn't want to run for hours on battery with low output, and I couldn't afford to leave it overnight and risk freezing, so I typically RO 35 gallon batches for a couple hours in the evening that is fed from a large extreme cooler (holds ice for days), with sap that I keep at air temp if it is cool or a jug of ice. I RO into another extreme cooler and add jugs of ice, which keeps the concentrate for a few days without issue, and boil when I have say 20gal concentrate at 8%. I installed in line flow meters on my system, and the concentrate one has a flow adjustment which replaced the original needle valve. So much easier than trying to measure all the time. I compared the meter rates with a measuring cup vs time and they are pretty spot on. Keep in mind that the concentrate has higher density, so if the float in the meter is the same as the permeate float, you are actually higher concentration than 50/50. I do my flush wide open after with my 40ish degree permeate. Usually about 10 gal. I have not seen any performance loss and I've put about 250gal sap through since getting it in mid March (not that much volume, but we've spent a lot of that time since then froze up with little sap flow). I also suck 1 gal of fresh well water through the system before I begin ROing after a shutdown the flush out any crud that might settle out of the membran/stale water. Also I would do membrane soap or peroxide wash at the end of the year. That will clean them better for storage and I expect greater than 2 year life. Others could chime in on that though.

I have updated the website here is the new address: https://sites.google.com/view/mattat...aplesyrup/home

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Originally Posted by Msboucha

We ran 24 taps last year and this year on buckets. This is the first year with the RO. It took me a few weeks to get it modified to where it was worth the running time/ouput. Being off-grid, I didn't want to run for hours on battery with low output....

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Msboucha
I am also off-grid. What pump are you using to process through your four 400gpd membranes?
I am finding a hard time locating a 24v DC Aquatec (8852-2J03-B594).
~Thank you

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Originally Posted by jcn055

Msboucha
I am also off-grid. What pump are you using to process through your four 400gpd membranes?
I am finding a hard time locating a 24v DC Aquatec (8852-2J03-B594).
~Thank you

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I'm using a 24vdc 1.3gpm Seaflo with adjustable pressure as a feed for a 400gpd boost pump. The seaflo cycles on/off based on the pressure cut-off and the booster stays constant. Not sure how long the Seaflo will last but it ran a season without issue.

Does anyone use Leader R/O Soap (Sodium Hydroxide) with hodorskib's setup? I see in his instructions that he uses a heaping tablespoon of CDL “Superflow Green”. I am trying to determine how much of the Leader R/O soap to use with mine.
Do I need some kind of pH meter? I see pH strips at drug stores but the range on them is only 4.5-9.0.

Jdircksen - it's not so much the soap or the quantity as it is getting the correct PH. You'll want to check the manufacturer recommended PH level for your membranes, which will dictate the amount of soap you use. The hardness or softness of your water will also influence the PH. They should tell you the temperature to wash at as well. You can grab a digital PH meter online for not too much, and calibrate it with the provided solution.

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Originally Posted by Msboucha

Jdircksen - it's not so much the soap or the quantity as it is getting the correct PH. You'll want to check the manufacturer recommended PH level for your membranes, which will dictate the amount of soap you use. The hardness or softness of your water will also influence the PH. They should tell you the temperature to wash at as well. You can grab a digital PH meter online for not too much, and calibrate it with the provided solution.

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I have the 150gpd one that runs about $25 each on eBay: https://www.membrane-solutions.com/r...ro-element.htm
Looking through the spec sheet shows this: pH Range of Feedwater during Continuous Operation: 3~10

so I imagine I should shoot for a pH of about 9?

I don't see it off hand on their spec sheet, but I think my membranes are the same (just branded under a different name but identical look and feel to the Membrane Solutions ones) and specifically give a chemical cleaning pH range of 2-12 (slightly higher than the continuous feed range of 3-10). For mine, I use the H2O bio soap, and it works out to be 2oz per 5 gal to get up to 11.75. My well water is about 8.25. I wash at the highest temp they are rated for which is 113F.

JCN055 - the aquatec 8800 series uses a universal motor, it can actually run off of AC or DC. A 24V DC transformer rated at 5 amps will suffice in place of the 24Vac transformer.