Wow I'm RO happy!!

[5050racing]

image.jpgThanks John-NJ for all the help you just made it fun again to make syrup! Tapped Saturday afternoon and collected just my line trees 3/16 on full 29" vacuum 45 taps? 118gal sap put it through thr RO in about 1.5hrs removed 85gal of water then fired up evaporator for another 2hrs n shut it down for the night too about 6gal in pan.WOW!!! This is great,now I will collect Monday Tuesday put it through the RO an finish since the weather looks to freeze things which we need to start the next run. Can't thank John enough I met you on this site and really making it more enjoyable,my evaporator can knock off about 12-13gal/hr so when I was looking at 420gal at one time president weekend last year is when I said I have to do something thinking about my pan I have a flat pan and read about the RO, The way to go! Again thanks to friends on here that help make this addition fun!

[jerzeemaple]

That RO sounds like the ticket! Congrats and nice work, I’d love to see it and your operation some day. I’ve got to get working on my lines, went skiing with the kids this weekend so I missed this run. Hope to be ready for the next.

[Run Forest Run!]

Hey 5050! You sure have been improving your set-up every year since your first kick at things in 2012. Have a great season in NJ!!! I still have another month to wait before tapping.

[5050racing]

So far I'm learning the ropes with it but all I see it's the way to go,the woodpile stays full almost,the time cut drastically down by 75% for all things splitting n stacking cutting time spent boiling! I also heat my house with a central boiler at 7-9 cords! I really was looking into a better pan I have just flat one,but I think I'm good for now till I venture off n find more trees!! Good luck to you Run Forest! n Jerzee welcome to stop by,John is the smarts behind this but I think I have it now

[John-NJ]

WARNING!!!

You know what happens - make it easier and you then have to expand your operation till it is too much to handle!

[5050racing]

Yes as I said before it's a addiction!! A good one.

[sugarwoodacres]

Attachment 17319Thanks John-NJ for all the help you just made it fun again to make syrup! Tapped Saturday afternoon and collected just my line trees 3/16 on full 29" vacuum 45 taps? 118gal sap put it through thr RO in about 1.5hrs removed 85gal of water then fired up evaporator for another 2hrs n shut it down for the night too about 6gal in pan.WOW!!! This is great,now I will collect Monday Tuesday put it through the RO an finish since the weather looks to freeze things which we need to start the next run. Can't thank John enough I met you on this site and really making it more enjoyable,my evaporator can knock off about 12-13gal/hr so when I was looking at 420gal at one time president weekend last year is when I said I have to do something thinking about my pan I have a flat pan and read about the RO, The way to go! Again thanks to friends on here that help make this addition fun!

I would love some info on your RO. I'm going to tap next weekend and maybe I can put it together in a week. Thanks

[John-NJ]

Sugarwood

A week might be possible if you are a decent fabricator, and have the parts. However, if you don't have the parts, it will take a bit to collect them (Ebay, Amazon, etc.) If you look carefully for stuff, you can probably build one for around $1000. You need a skid (frame) to mount everything (some people use a hand truck), and you probably need to make a few mounting plates or fixtures. Teddy and I used extruded aluminum (80/20) frame. You could also weld up a steel frame.

Basic design is simple, a feed pump, both Teddy and I use a Goulds J5S (Ithink that is the model), a pressure pump (we both used a carbonator pump - Procon rotary vane pump). Membrane is a single 40 inch Dow Filmtec XLE membrane. 10 inch filter with 5 micron element to remove any junk in the sap. 1/2 inch SS needle valve to create the pressure drop needed. Various pressure gauges and flowmeters on the outputs so you know what is going on. It is nice to use quick disconnects on the membrane vessel for easy removal and maintenance.

You also need a wash tank that you can put into the system for cleaning the membrane after use.

Take a look at the manual for the micRO on the Leader website - the single membrane version is almost exactly what we built - they use multi-stage centrifugal pumps instead of the pumps we used so a bit different. They use a 5 gall bucket for washing.

For simplicity sake, we recirculate concentrate back into the sap tank, and do a multi-pass through the RO. This is most efficient for water removal, but requires time to slowly build sugar concentration before starting the boil.

All in all, I think it would be a stretch to get one done in a week - Depending on your time, your skill, parts, etc. It might be better to put your time in now on getting everything you already have going. It might be better as an after season project, like we did with Teddy.

If you want to try, I am more than willing to coach you, though my time is a little limited by work and with the season in swing.

Regards

[John-NJ]

Sugarwood


If you want to try, I am more than willing to coach you, though my time is a little limited by work and with the season in swing.

Regards

One more thing - If you haven't seen one, I suggest you take a look (You are welcome to stop by here - I am near Flemington) - and I am sure Teddy would also be willing for you to visit.

Best

[5050racing]

I'm in Asbury welcome to check it out but John is the brains of this I just turn wrenches