riciculation location
I am building a new 2 by 4 by 40 inch RO and just have the wiring of the 1 hp motor and plumbing of the recirculation line left. My question is where to put the ricirc , should it be in front of the pump ( feed side) which is a procon, or the discharge side . I have a single post now and its on the feed side, but I feel that it might flow to the feed tank with the stronger pump . What do ya think. TIA
44 27'08/71 27'56
300 totalish taps 250 on tube and bosworth sap sucker
50 bucket and bags about 40-50 gallons a season
on a 2 by 7 home made evaporator and sugar shack
1st gen circa 1966 still learning stuff
the output to be recirculated should be from a tee just before the main needle valve (where you create and adjust the pressure) pump. This needle valve is after the membranes, the recirculation line needs no extra pump, because where you are taking off the pressure is there from the high pressure pump it's own small needle valve, then it should tee into the feed line just before the high preesure pump.
On my commercially made 250 (2 membranes 4x40") the recirculation line is 5/16" with a small needle valve to control the flow, then it enters the main pressure pump feed line just before it enters the pump at another tee. The only valve is the needle valve.
On larger commercial RO's they do use a seperate pump but on units like you are building one is not needed. On those larger ones I can't tell you how they plumb them, my only experience is with my 250 gph unit (I've had 2 over the years,both wee the same design.)
I hope this helps
Dave Klish, I recently bought 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.
Agree with Dave. You will need a needle valve on the recirc line in this configuration and i believe the combination of needle valves will influence your operating pressure and how much is being recirculated.
Alternatively, you could split the output AFTER your final pressure needle valve: (1) feed some back to the inlet side of the pump and (2) your final concentrate output. A needle valve on the recirc line in this configuration is also encouraged so you can control the recirc flow and final concentrate output flow independent of the overall pressure (controlled by main needle valve).
This is how I built mine so I can tweak the recirc line without effecting pressure and match my RO output to my evaporation rate.
Last edited by DRoseum; 09-30-2024 at 03:08 PM.
D. Roseum
www.roseummaple.com | https://youtube.com/@roseummaplesyrup
~112 taps on 3/16 custom temp controlled vacuum; shurflo vacuum #2; custom nat gas evap with auto-drawoff and tank level gas shut-off controller; homemade RO #1; homemade RO #2; SL SS filter press
~30 gallons / year
Thanks, I have the needle valve in place . I will plumb to the inlet/feed side of pump. One more question, any reasons to not test the unit with say 45 psi of air to check for leaks?
Thanks
44 27'08/71 27'56
300 totalish taps 250 on tube and bosworth sap sucker
50 bucket and bags about 40-50 gallons a season
on a 2 by 7 home made evaporator and sugar shack
1st gen circa 1966 still learning stuff
I have no idea, I never tested either of my 2 RO's except with sap in season.
Dave Klish, I recently bought 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.
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