Just a few RO questions
I have finally bit the bullet and will be building a budget DYI RO.
It has an Aquatec 8800 pump, good for 200 GDP. I also, for the moment have two 150 GPD membranes. I may get a third membrane. This setup is what I could afford, I realize a more powerful pump and higher GPD membranes would be superior.
I will have two 55 gallon barrels one for the raw sap and concentrate and one for the permeate. The plan is to fill the first barrel with fresh sap around 3 pm, run the RO for 8 hours, returning the concentrate to the same barrel. At the end of the 8 hours, I would put the concentrate (25 gallons) into 5 gallon pails and store it in snowbanks near the evaporator. I would then refill the raw sap barrel and run the RO overnight and then take the concentrate (25 gallons) out again in pails to the evaporator. I would then boil the 50 gallons of concentrate.
First question, are there any fatal flaws in the plan.
Can I process 50 gallons of sap in 8 hours through 150 GDP membranes?
Having more membranes just increases the concentration of the sap? (4% concentration with one membrane, 6% with 2, 8% with 3?)
If I had enough sap for a third consecutive run, should I flush (clean) the membranes after the second run, or can I do it after the third?
Thanks
Gary
2022 - 5 pan block arch - 109 taps, 73 on 3/16 lines, 36 on drops into 5 gallon pails.
930 gallons boiled, 109 L (28.8 gals) of delicious syrup made.
DYI Vacuum Filter
2023 - 170 taps, mostly on lines, 1153 gallons boiled, 130 L (34.34 gals) of delicious syrup made, on a 2x4 divided pan and base stack, 8” pipe, on a block arch that boiled at a rate of 13 gallons per hour.
2024 - made 48 L, December to March, primarily over two fire bowls.