Initial membrane rinse

[markcasper]

You should not run hard well water through membrane, whether the dealer tells you its ok or not. You should run close to the number of gallons per hour through your machine to get the preservative out. I keep a tank of permeate over every year just for this purpose.
I will run it through at startup, then start concentrating and run both permeate and concentrate on the ground for a few minutes to clear the lines.

I also have an old membrane I can use on the first batch to make permeate, but then you have to doink around and switch membranes when there is 75 other things that need your attention. You can run hard water, but your membrane s days are numbered if you do.....maybe you could find somebody with water softner, or get some permeate from a neighboring farmer.

[Windy Acres]

ok thank you, ill try to find someone with a water softener, and ill check our well water for hardness

[Waynehere]

So I just bought a 250 Deere Run last spring after the season, used. I pulled the membranes, which was supposed to be soaking in the preservative, and put them in pvc containers, along with the preservative, for the summer since I can't 'heat the RO room all winter. I just put them back in and found them with some spoilage, like them were not rinsed very well at the end of the season last spring. I rinsed, soaped and rinsed again with the recommended amount of water. Is the spoilage normal when pulling them out of storage like that? They also had an offensive smell too. I have not pulled them back out of their vessels after all the washing and rinsing. Should I take a look/smell again?

[Haynes Forest Products]

I start every year with my CDL600 by rinsing with 275 gallons of soft water. Like Casper I then concentrate down the drain for a few minuets. I also have 1000 gallon permeate storage and Im always rinsing between uses. I also wash it every day after I concentrate.

End of year I do a soap clean and then into the storage vessel with preservative and off to be cleaned Buy Roth my dealer for a good cleaning. My membrane is 6-7 years old and I get a report back saying its running like new.

My RO is the heart of my operation and without it I would quit making syrup. Spending $225.00 at the end of every year to keep it happy (plus they store it for me) is the best investment you could make.

[neil2fish]

we're going to be putting a homebuilt 200 into service for the first time. When I unwrap my new membranes and put them in the vessel for the first time do they need to be rinsed right away and how much? we have softened well water at the sugarhouse...

[Windy Acres]

Yes they need to be rinsed with however much the manufacturer recommends, then leave the vessels full of rinse water until you concentrate, they must always be kept wet and not allowed to freeze

[GeneralStark]

With new membranes it is also a good idea to wash after rinsing and then rinse again with new membranes. There is a sulfur based preservative used in the membrane that if not removed through washing will end up in your syrup.

[GeneralStark]

So I just bought a 250 Deere Run last spring after the season, used. I pulled the membranes, which was supposed to be soaking in the preservative, and put them in pvc containers, along with the preservative, for the summer since I can't 'heat the RO room all winter. I just put them back in and found them with some spoilage, like them were not rinsed very well at the end of the season last spring. I rinsed, soaped and rinsed again with the recommended amount of water. Is the spoilage normal when pulling them out of storage like that? They also had an offensive smell too. I have not pulled them back out of their vessels after all the washing and rinsing. Should I take a look/smell again?

The sulfur based preservative used in membranes has an offensive smell. Kind of like rotten eggs or septic. It is possible that this is what you were noticing. You should be fine by rinsing then washing and rinsing again before concentrating sap.

[maple flats]

I rinse with city water. Since it's chlorinated I fill 2 totes of 275 gal each and wait 3 days for the chlorine to evaporate. Then I run it thru my 250 GPH RO using about 400 gal of that. The rest is used to clean tanks.
I've only had my membranes professionally cleaned once, after I'd used the RO 3 seasons. The report came back as 100%. I'll send them in again after this season, which will be 3 seasons of use since I sent them in last time.
Because the first time I sent them in for cleaning came back with a good report, I felt that my methods were good.
At the end of each RO session I run a 5 minute cold permeate flush, pushing sugar into the head tank. Then I run 15-20 minutes hot permeate wash (no soap). When doing that as soon as the wash tank temp starts to fall because the hot is pushing cold from the membranes back into the wash tank, I turn the permeate component of the flush and send it thru my tankless hot water heater, until the temp gets back to 110-112F but not over 115F. and all thru that reheating the hot water wash is continuing. (The manual said 10 minutes, I like extra). Then I follow that with a cold rinse using permeate for 7-10 minutes (the manual says 5 minutes).
I only do a soap wash 2 or 3x during the season, but I always do a very long one after the season , a 400-500 gal permeate rinse (mine is a 250 GPH). Then I do an acid wash. Let it set 2-3 weeks, then another full sequence soap wash, rinse and finally a preservative rinse. After the preservative is in the membranes, I drain the wash tank and rinse that using a hose and hot water, drain and let it dry.
My feeling and practice has said that if the instructions that came with the RO say to do one part for X minutes, I'll do it for 1x5-2X minutes.
Just remember too, to change the prefilter after every step that the instructions tell you to, or you will contaminate the membranes with some gunk still in the pre-filter from the previous step. That is why I keep lots of pre-filters in stock. Buy them in bulk, they are far cheaper that way.
For those on well water, try to find someone on city water that does NOT come from a well and let it set at least 3 days. Membranes do not like chlorine.

[Waynehere]

The sulfur based preservative used in membranes has an offensive smell. Kind of like rotten eggs or septic. It is possible that this is what you were noticing. You should be fine by rinsing then washing and rinsing again before concentrating sap.

Well, there also some gunk in there as well. Rotten sap I am pretty sure. What does the acid rinse do? I was thinking I would wash them again, acid rinse, then rinse again.