Just a few RO questions

[MajorWoodchuck]

Glad you moved up to a 400 GPD filter. I think there is alot of advise coming from collectors on all levels of the spectrum. We made friends wirh some people up the road that have been doing this for years and pride themselves with how sark their syrup looks. Last year I sugared only on weekends and collected sap in 5 gal pails from Mon to Friday. Then would collect sap Fri evening and let it RO overnight recirculating it in a 55 gal barrel. In the morning it would be reduced to 15 gal and I would start boiling it off while my RO worked on the next barrel if I had some.
I ran my RO at about 100 psi with a pretty good flow from the concentrate side compared to the permeate side to keep from clogging membranes. I would rinse my filters between batches wirh permeate and would run soap throuh them at the end of the weekend and start the next weekend with a new 5 micron pre filter. I saved the soap filter in a plastic bag for the next time I needed it.
My goal wasn't to make light or dark syrup but to make something that tasted good and was fun to do. Boiling for 30 hours in a weekend wasn't as much fun so hoping that adding another 400 membrane to my one I had and doubling my boiler will speed things up...or just double my output for the same amount of work.
This year I still plan to Ro overnight but might also try Ro straight into a preheater pan when I'm boiling. I am thinking about using a siphon hose between 2 barrels so I can concentrate 110 gal at a time.
Just remember to have fun in the process.

[Swingpure]

I may run the 400 gpd in series with the two 150’s. Depending on the concentrate output, I may RO from 7 am until 10 am to build up a starting supply of concentrate in the garage. By 10 am it should be above freezing and I will move the RO out to the sugar shed and start it up there. I then will start boiling, using the concentrate from earlier, then eventually the concentrate from the RO in the sugar shack. The goal is to go through 120 gals (if available) of sap/60 gallons of concentrate and make 3 gallons of syrup.

As long as there are no ill effects from lifting the steam pans, I will try and make three batches in order to keep the syrup lighter.

[Swingpure]

When I assemble my RO, I have the option of the membranes being vertical or horizontal. Does it matter to the effectiveness of the membranes, which way they are oriented?

Thanks

Gary

[darkmachine]

Might be messy to change membranes or filters if you mount them horizontally if you can't drain your housings before a change or storage. I see big commercial units with horizontal membranes so i don't think it matters functionally unless the housing has some special instructions.

[Swingpure]

Thanks.

I am on the same page as you. I saw the CDL Hobby RO’s and wondered if I should make something more compact, than running the components lengthwise on a board.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/059w...qC5j5UWK8VNHjw

Thanks I will stick with the original plan.

Gary

[darkmachine]

I would look at their operating manual and see what they do for off season storage. It may be that they leave them in unless they are being replaced, the pre-filter which gets changed more often is vertical which makes sense.

I mounted mine vertical just for space, but I have 2 4x40 housings. instead of laying them all out in a line you could put them together like a 6 pack or a 4 pack, just cut some round holes in a square of plywood and fit them through, maybe throw a handle on it, lol.

[Swingpure]

Reading old threads, I came across one where a person was having troubles with flow in their RO. One suggestion was that the feed tank had to be above the feed pump. Someone later on said they had no problem with the feed pump (Aquatec) above the feed tank.

Is there now a consensus on the position of the feed pump in regards to the feed tank?

My needle valve and pressure gauge arrived today, I am now just waiting for the 400 gpd membrane and housing to arrive, then I can assemble it.

Thanks for all of the tips.

Gary

[markgm]

Ideally, the pump is as low as possible.

[fireant911]

Reading old threads, I came across one where a person was having troubles with flow in their RO. One suggestion was that the feed tank had to be above the feed pump...

That is my understanding as well... I sure wish that I could post a picture of my setup in the cart for you. This situation, like so many others, leaves me confused... during research you will see people vehemently stating that you MUST do it in 'this' fashion while others have opposite opinions purportedly with evidence. After much reading, I designed what I think will be a good configuration - I will find out this Spring. If it does not work as intended I can easily reconfigure my machine until good (GREAT) results are achieved!

[Swingpure]

My very first post here so be gentle! Having moved from Alabama to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in Sept 2020, I had my first opportunity of tapping and making syrup last Spring. After three boiling sessions, I quickly came to the conclusion that there has to be a better way! I wanted a mobile unit so I built one on a cart. Also, I included a UV sterilizer that will (hopefully) do two things: sterilize, of course and maybe raise the temperature of the sap just a bit to the minimum temp required. I would love to include a picture of my 'attempt' but apparently I am too new here and cannot get a picture to load nor can I include it as an attachment??? Swingpure, I hope that it is okay that I piggybacked on your thread as I see that your proposed setup is not vastly different than mine and I really, really wanted to include a picture.

Fireant911 shared with me a picture of his RO setup. It is innovative and not something I ever would have thought of. I likely will still go with mounting mine on a flat board, because of space constraints in my sugar shack, but this RO on wheels, might be a good option for some people.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/00ef...zswiGHRcYuI_MA