I only have 130 taps, so spending $5k+ makes no sense to me, but are there cheaper alternatives? I had RO in my house many years ago, it didn't cost $5k...??
Cheers,
Russ
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I only have 130 taps, so spending $5k+ makes no sense to me, but are there cheaper alternatives? I had RO in my house many years ago, it didn't cost $5k...??
Cheers,
Russ
there are many people using homemade RO's that have a lot less than 5 g in them. but you still need to use good sized membranes and several of them to do enough, fast enough to make it worthwhile.
several people have posted their plans and designs on this forum. just search "homemade RO"
I've built a small RO which is capable of 16 -17 GPH. It takes 2.5% sap to 7% once through yielding about 6 GPH of concentrate. It cost about $900 to build. I think you can double that capacity for about $1,200. I'd be happy to give you a list of the major pieces of equipment as an idea. Just give me a little information. How fast you want to process sap? Sap sugar level and how high you want to concentrate it on each pass. I would recommend matching the RO to the capacity of your evaporator so you don't have to store concentrate.
I built a 100GPD (about 4.5GPH of sap) RO system for less than $500, but a simpler one could be built for less than $300. I used the plans found on this site:
Homemade Reverse Osmosis System
I use 150GPD membranes that run about $45 each, and it concentrates my red maple sap from 2% up to about 7.5%.
I usually let it run overnight and then boil the concentrate on the evaporator the next day. During the colder parts of the season, I'll let it run a couple days before boiling. Concentrate spoils pretty quickly once the temperature gets much above 45F, but below that it seems to keep rather well. A few days at least.
My Ray Gingerich RO is a 250 GPH and they cost about $3500. Ray also makes a 125 GPH for about 5-600 less. I've heard he also makes one even smaller but I don't know the price. PM me and I'll send you his phone number. Also, Waterguy RO's are in that price range but are more. Unless you plan to get much bigger, an RO from one of the small producers in the 50-75 GPH range will be plenty big enough and will cost far less than those prices and it will be a tested design rather than trial and ERROR building your own. While many make their own RO's, I vote no on that, however I have made several other maple items.
In fact, for about $5000 you can get a 1000 GPH unit from Ray (in 2012 it was $4700 with high and low pressure shut offs).
I swear by Ray's RO! It has totally changed my operation for the better.
I bought a used machine that needed a lot of work. I took it apart and replaced all the hoses, seals, gaskets, high pressure line, a pressure gauge, etc., and came a way with a decent machine for a lot less than a new one. Maybe not the route you want to go, but its food for thought.
Steve
Bowhunter,Quote:
Originally Posted by bowhunter
Please do post your part list and if possible a little diagram, a photo, or a description! Your system is exactly the size and cost that I want for the one that I'm planning to build this year. I was hoping to hear whether it worked when you briefly outlined your plan to use a 140 GPH Procon pump and 580 GPD Axeon NFR in a thread last spring.
Spoke to Ray back in Jan at Verona. He mentioned working on a small RO around 50 GPH. Didn't say much about price but hinted at sub-$1k. May be worth a look for someone with 150 taps.