A Deer Run is the only RO I'm familiar with. Mine is a 250, so the numbers will not match yours, but the procedure should. When you start up, Open the high pressure valve about 2 full turns. Then only run the feed pump until you get at least 20 PSI on the low pressure gauge, then engage the high pressure pump. Give it 30-45 seconds then start closing the high pressure valve. I run mine at 270 PSI, +/- 5 PSI. On my 250 that give me about 3 gpm permeate and 1 GPM concentrate. A 125 has the same pumps so your totals it seems should be close, but the relationship of Permeate to Concentrate will not be 3 permeate/1 concentrate because you only have 1 membrane. While the total flow should be about 240-260 GPH depending on sap temperature, I suspect that will give you more like maybe 2/2.You just wo't squeeze as much water out with just 1 membrane 4x40". If you run it way down at 200 PSI your flow might even total higher but you will get fewer gal/hour of permeate out.
Make sure you never let the RO freeze, it must be stored above freezing all year or in the off season it can get both preservative and glycol to prevent freezing.
I only wash mine with soap before the season and after the season, I do not use soap in season unless performance drops. I do a permeate wash after every use. I start with a cold permeate flush, pushing the sugar into the head tank for 5 minutes. Then I do a hot permeate wash (110-113 F) for 10-12 minutes. During that I keep the pressure valve adjusted so both flow meters are essentially equal. As the membrane gets cleaned the valve needs to be adjusted several times. I then do a cold permeate rinse, until the concentrate discharge is cold, again, with the 2 flow meters equal. This time the flows do not keep changing. This may take 5 minutes, maybe 8 or 9 on a 250, likely less on a 125.
I did it this way for 3 seasons and then sent my membranes in to Lapierre for professional cleaning and performance testing. The report came back that they passed no sugar and the performance was at 103% (I'm not sure how it was over 100% but that's what the report stated. This is my 4th year since that cleaning, test and report. After the 2020 season I plan to again send them in, maybe 2021.
Once the RO is cleaned it can set (without freezing for at least 2 weeks, if longer I'd suggest another wash like the first way I stated. After the season, do a cold permeate rinse for 5 minutes, then a how soap wash (again 110-113 F) for at least 10 minutes, then follow that with a cold permeate rinse for a minimum of 5 min, I sometimes do that for 10 or even 15 minutes if I'm doing something in the sugarhouse. Many locations require the soap discharge to be vrought to the PH of your water source, use a PH meter or test strips to verify. Even areas that do not require it (yet), that's still a good practice.
Have I sent you an RO manual for the Deer Run RO? If not, send an email requesting one to: dave@cnymaple.com
Last edited by maple flats; 03-21-2019 at 08:47 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.