A small RO room is fine. It can be heated with 2 light bulbs @ 100 watts each, but I suggest 3. I started with 1, then added one more both at 100 watts each incandescent, when I found that 100 watts was not enough. Then one day I checked and one bulb had blown, that was when I added a third. I put them on a low temperature range line voltage thermostat. I kept it set at about 40F. I still have that in place as insurance but I added a wall mount 8000 BTU propane heater which is on a low temp t-stat too. My propane runs off a bulk tank that runs all propane items in the sugarhouse. I keep the propane set at 42F and in case that fails the 3 light bulbs are still at 40F. If that's all you will have in there, 3'x5.5' x6' high will do, but it would be tight. The 125 from deer run will come on a frame with large casters on it. There will be a mounted wash tank, 1 membrane @ 4x40", a low pressure feed pump and a high pressure pump. You will need a 3/4" concentrate hose to run to the head tank, that can be 3/4" braid reinforced flexible pipe. then you need a 1" supply hose to supply the feed pump from your sap tank and a potable water garden hose to run permeate to the permeate tank. For permeate storage you want at least 250 gal storage, any excess can just be run to drain. The head tank depends on how much concentrate you want max. On my 250 RO I originally had a 415 gal milk tank for concentrate on the north side of the sugarhouse on a platform to feed the evaporator. I later got a 200 gal and set that up there and moved the 415 to the ground for sap storage. then 2 years ago, I got a 150 gal tank and moved the 200 to ground for sap too. Those hoses or pipes can be PVC or milk line hose. If the sap in hose or pipe is where it could freeze, design it to drain completely so when yo get the next batch of sap you aren't faced with frozen lines. The concentrate line and the supply line will both have a cam lock fitting on the RO, the permeate is just garden hose thread. Then you will need a 15A 240V circuit to run it, wait for the RO to add the receptacle so you get it right.
That RO will be able to add 1 more membrane when you grow because it has the same motor and pumps as the 250 RO's, just but another membrane, canister and the high pressure lines and you can double the flow. A 125 or a 250 are numbered to indicate the sap flow in gal./hr at about 37-38F. As the temp rises or falls the flow is going to change a little. You made a good choice for a first RO with up to maybe 400 taps or so.
I have my plumbing set up so I run concentrate into the head tank, if that runs over, an overflow line goes back to the sap tank (but that has never happened. Then between the head tank and the evaporator, I have a Tee and one leg goes back and tee's into the sap supply line to the RO. Each line has a valve except the concentrate line. When I want to RO a second pass, I just close the sap supply valve and open the recirculate valve and instantly I an running concentrate from the head tank thru the RO and removing more permeate. With 2% sap I usually get to 7-8% concentrate, then if I recirculate it can go to 10-12 or even 14% sugar. The Deer run RO's will not go over 15% without plugging the membrane necessitating a permeate rinse, higher priced RO's that run at higher pressures can get higher concentrations.
Send me a PM with your email address and I'll email you back a copy of the RO manual to help you get familiar with it.
Last edited by maple flats; 09-26-2017 at 04:25 PM.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
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