Hi guys,
I have 80 taps. I bought a small RO system in a bucket at the end of last year and took everything out of the bucket and installed it on a board so I can see what’s happening. I added a third membrane and have three 312-400 membranes in series with a 5 micron sediment filter before the membranes. My pump is a Chinese brand says 70psi working pressure and max < 150psi. It usually runs at about 85-90psi on 2.5% sap and I usually get ~ 7.5% out.

I’ve done a lot of experiment with water before the season to learn the system. Then when the season started, I changed my sediment filter and I used 5-10 gal of permeate to rinse after each runs (usually between 5-35 gal sap runs). I had the brilliant idea (lesson’s learned) to heat up my perm on my turkey burner for the rinse, then I learned that I should not go over ~100-110F. I probably did…
On my first few runs, it was taking about an hour per 5 gallon to process.. too slow. But now it’s getting even slower and taking forever and I’m looking for advice to speed things up.

1.I read that I should clean with soap for membranes every 4-5 runs but I have to take into account the pH (https://sites.google.com/view/mattat...g-ro-membranes) I’m not sure if that’s the case for me given the small size of my runs (5-35 gal)

2.How often should I change my sediment filter? Given that me pressure is still around 85-90psi I would think it’s still ok?

3. I got a feeling that I should get a different pump with a higher psi? My tubing is rated at 125psi so if I push at 110-115psi I supposed it would make a good difference? Any recommendation for another pump? psi? link?

4. I also have an auto shut-off valve in the system. I’d like to use it and not wait until it’s all processed but I wonder if I can let the “semi-emptied” system sit all night until I start a perm rinse in the morning? Or should I even perm rinse it after every runs?

5. I process in my garage but I keep the bottom of my door slightly open to keep the temp down to about 5-6C (41-43F) and I put frozen concentrated in my concentrated barrel to keep it cool until morning where it moves to my shed that keeps it even cooler. Does the temp of the sap being process influence the speed of processing? Any suggestions?

Link to my RO system and Membranes
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0QGFqhgJJqEjxe

I would appreciate any advice/comments?
Thanks
Rej