hodorskib's Small Scale RO Build

[jplewes]

Just wanted to chime in and say thanks for these great plans.. I built this system for my tiny hobby setup here in Quebec, Canada. I'm not as deep into the technical yet to determine % sugar yields or flow performance, but i do know it saves me a bunch of hardwood and time!

Here is a photo of the rig on the inside door of my shed.. 3 x 45 gallon drums inside to hold the sap, permeate, and concentrate. There is a small heater to keep the room just the right temp and a bunch of float switches to turn the pump off by relay if the levels are about to run out or overflow.

IMG_5060.jpg

-Jeff

[hodorskib]

I have had many people send me pics of their setups from the plan but I have to say yours is at the top of the list! That is a nice setup.

[wlatrout]

Wanted to post a picture of my sugar room earlier but couldn't get it to work.So here it is.IMG_20170219_172658.jpg

[wobbletop]

^^^ Very nice!

[SDdave]

wlatrout: very nice set up. Always looking for a nice and neat way for the RO system.

To everyone who has more than 3 membranes in series: What's the advantage? What size of membranes are you using? Operating PSI? GPH of raw sap? I ask because I use the 150 gpd membranes at 125 to 130 PSI and get 9-10 gph of raw sap to around 7%. I do have extra housings and membranes to use, just have never considered adding them; except for another RO setup. More curious than anything.

SDdave

[hodorskib]

Very nice setup - I have 6 150gpd membranes in series and was taking 1.3% sap to 7-7.5% in a single pass at a rate of about 10 gallons per hour and running at around 145psi. Just be careful on what your membranes are rated for - some are 150 and others are 125.

[Mark B]

New to the boards here, but after visiting a couple local sugar houses, I thought, why cant I do this small scale. This discussion is exactly what I was looking for. My Uncle, who has a quaint little sugar shack here in Maine, passed away this year in January and while Id never sugared before, I figured I would try it out. I came to the dance a week or two late, but had fun working his lines. However his stove is way small and I spent too much time burning wood and gas to get my 7.5 gallons so far. The wife now considers me obsessed. Found a cheap stove ($40) that I can fit a roughly 2 x 3 pan to, with plans to modify and use next year. (Looking for a cheap 20-24" x 36" pan for it, and for the right price I will travel or pay shipping)

Then I started thinking RO and ran across hodorskib's RO build on Pinterest which eventually led me here. Awesome discussion and very easily understood. Wife has given in on my idea to build a small scale RO before next season as long as I come up with a way to pay for it. I guess I'll part with a couple of deep sea reels and a couple of collectibles I'm hoarding. Anyway, gonna clear out the garage this year and convert it to my shack for next season. Thanks again, Mark

[jplewes]

I have had many people send me pics of their setups from the plan but I have to say yours is at the top of the list! That is a nice setup.

Thanks! It doesn't hurt that the other side of the shed is a sauna Gotta do something while the evaporator is running right?

IMG_5093.jpgIMG_5094.jpg

[Mark B]

Has anyone looked into the Membrane Solutions ro membranes on EBAY? Investigated online and they are supposed to ptfe-tfc membranes. I know the parts list shows Axeon membranes. I'm slowly aquiring parts to build the ro this fall but don't want to drop money on a product that isn't quality or applicable. It appears they can operate in the 125-150 psi range. And if applicable could you plumb in a couple of the 10"x3" 300 or 400 gpd to increase flow over the 150's? New to this technology, so I'm asking here, cause the only dumb question is the one you don't ask and then end up paying for later. Thxs, Mark

[hodorskib]

Just checked them out and they should work - just don't exceed the maximum psi.