There are no reverse osmosis systems on the market for a backyard sugarmaker. Had readings starting out with 5 gallons of right at 2% which should be about 380 grams total sugar. About quick connects: Like other RO machines, the sugar cube has an intake tube that goes into your collected sap, a filter system that the sap runs through, and two tubes that come out the other end. btw, if you dont already have Amazon Prime, I highly recommend it. The RO pump draws the sap in, via the tubing we place in the can of sap. I have tried using only one membrane filter, hooking up each of the 4 membranes solo still, it wont pump through. What pressure do you run at? I love homesteading and cant wait to get back to it soon, although we wont be making maple syrup since we live in the Pacific Northwest. Look into a refractometer. I did find this suggestion for the seasonal storage of RO membranes: Storing your membranes in the off season: Traditional Daiquiri. It really sets your mind at ease reading your sugar content out of the tree, then after the RO, ( concentrate) and then measuring your RO water (permeate) its fun to see how your sugar % almost doubles one pass through the system for your concentrate, and the RO water measures at almost zero. I and two others donate sap to our county park district to boil down. The sap will be filtered again later, after it's boiled. I cant wait to hear what you do with the permeate, and or what you use it for! Then checked the permeate and it was 0.3%. At the end of every season, we run 5-10 gallons of permeate through the system, then we remove the filters from their casings and mark where each filter was in the system (so we can change their position each year, to hopefully give them a longer life) Then we put them in a ziplock bag and store them in the refrigerator until the next sugar season. And check for a leak on your vacuum side (the unfiltered sap side). I can, however, connect the smaller 1/4 tubing to the pump, the OD is 3/8. We wont cover the full instructions for building your system in this article, but this set of instructions from Souly Rested offers great guidance on how to do so. Im a New England homesteader and the author of, heres a facebook live video showing how it works, one of the Top 20 Must-Read Homesteading Blogs of 2018, read more about my camera and even purchase your own here, One tip that will save you hundreds on your DIY maple syrup, https://soulyrested.com/2017/04/12/make-maple-syrup-step-step/, https://soulyrested.com/snag-free-ebooks/, https://soulyrested.com/2020/01/25/how-to-make-syrup-what-tools-do-you-need/, https://soulyrested.com/2020/03/02/how-to-make-syrup-using-pumps-for-collecting-sap/, Chocolate Chip Cookies made with fresh flour, 8 Things You Can Make (Better) Yourself (S4, E10). Or does it not matter? Thanks for doing the legwork to find the correct tubing. Sadly, yes, you have to filter many other times throughout the whole process. Bill confuses me sometimes too. Hi Bill, Im not sure Im understanding your question but the 50% is the increase in sugar content. Visit our affiliate disclosure page to learn more. Hi Jason, A box end wrench works well to press in on the release collar in tight spots. Nope, thats all my husbands ingenuity. I have assembled the RO setup like yours. Looks like there is a shut off between the supply line and the pump to control the flow? Im so glad we could help, Larry. Suggested uses (non-specific recipe uses): Use birch syrup to enhance sandwiches, using a hearty bread like sourdough or peasant bread makes the experience even better. I flushed the system after each run. We run it at 60/70. Man I wish I could have Bill on video chat! Hi Michelle, I have built your RO and have come across a problem. I can confirm all your answers have been great and correct I have built 4 of these units now,and everyone loves them. Happy sugaring!! Open the tops and add additional solution if needed. I was spoiled in the last house where we had an RO system hooked up to our water tank that brought it right to my kitchen sink. Thats just the one Bill chose. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Go here to read the full (ultra fun) legal disclosure about that. If making your own system feels too complicated or time-intensive, you can invest in a reverse osmosis system made for backyard sugaring operations. I also list, below, every single item Bill bought to build our system. The only problem I run into is getting the pump primed and pulling in the sap, but a little elevation does the trick! ), I was wondering if can you drink the permeate. Thank you. Hi, love what you have come up with. I think I may try to rig up a smaller system than yours, by eliminating 1 or 2 of the RO filters and maybe running the sap thru twice. Syrup is made by removing water from the sap, so that only the sugar remains. Great questions. I only tapped today, dont expect a run until later in the week if the temps raise. We only tap 50 trees and burn with wood, but anything that saves time is going to be very much appreciated. Thats what we boil down to make syrup. I hope you LOVE your RO and all the money it saves you! Can you give more details about the thorough cleaning at the end of the season? , Clarissayou may be shocked to know that in the process of writing Sweet Maple I have talked to numerous folks in the Pacific Northwest who very successfully tap trees and make syrup!! This is really interesting! Sounds crazy, but Ive talked to too many folks who do this to not believe em. }); Im interested in making an RO machine from the plans you show here. Thanks. Your RO filter looks fantastic. The plywood base is roughly 3 foot by 3 foot. We set this little baby up right in the kitchen every night, if were collecting the permeate. Thanks so much. Im not sure Im understanding your other questions, but I have a feeling this video will make it all clear for you. Separation by reverse osmosis Up to two-thirds of the water in maple sap can be separated by using reverse osmosis before the boiling process, which will Heat olive oil and butter in large frying pan over high heat. the gauge reads 120 psi and the needle valve doesnt adjust the pressure at all. process that can speed up syrup production by removing a significant Give a couple of wraps of teflon tape and seal. I currently only have 1 tree that gave me 60 gallons this season. 3 PVC pipe works well I made 2 40 canisters because they are easier than one long one. Looks like we will need a bigger system next year. Thank you for taking the time to share all this information. Click either the item name or the picture for ordering information. Thanks in advance. The floorboards creak, the barn roof sags, and the rocky land seems unforgiving. Do the limbs of the trees hold up well? I just received all the parts today and hope to assemble over the holidays. I realized I had things set up all wrong. Seriously. 2. (Easier to tell if one of the membranes is plugged as each has a separate discharge line that you can monitor). . Ill say that getting the right hardware was quite difficult. They said they could see the difference. $8.99. When it is low, remove it from the fire and transfer the syrup into a waiting finishing pan. You could also reach in and remove large pieces of debris with a slotted spoon. Of course, no matter what you use for fuel, cuddling with a barn cat while you watch the sap boil makes everything a little more puuurfect. I built it exactly like yours so Im a bit confused. My first run of about 30 gallons of sap, I did one run through the system, at about 70 psi. I think Im removing maybe 10% of the water and am running at 70psi. I saw on line there are 400gpd membranes and housings available. Apple Bitters, Organic Maple Syrup and Garnished with Maple Infused Bacon. I literally know nothing about this unit aside from what you read here. 0; . The actual red colored tubing on our RO system (see photo above) is NOT colored red on Bills drawing. Webboiled to syrup, causing an off-flavor. then go bake some maple cookies while they do the hard work. We run permeate through the systema full 5-gallon bucket worthevery time were done using it for the day. Its being hailed at the Book of Knowledge of all Things Maple., But maybe you stumbled here wondering what an ro system is, Ill explain, An RO system is exactly like a water filtering system. Do you run the permeant through in reverse to flush? Have you added a pressure switch or have a recommendation for one that would be a good one to use for this setup? Plenty of elbow grease and lots of clean, hot water are the best cleaning agents for maple syrup equipment. I have quadruple-checked everything and cant seem to find the problem. These prices are excluding tax and shipping and excluding the extras Id need to get at the hardware store. Good Luckthis a great little unit and has saved me so many hours of boiling. (And heres a facebook live video showing how it works.) I think it is 33 by 30 to be exact. Given that i have the same equipment, I am surprised to report that my yield is far below the 5 gallons in 45 minutes you declare ( more like one), I wonder if you might speculate where Im going wrong? These items, which I couldnt find on Amazon, I list below, along with where I did find them and the item #s or purchasing info youll need. Step 4 As soon as the cream is ready, transfer it to a glass jar with a lid. Look up a group called the Vancouver Island Sapsuckers. If I were to put this together this summer to be ready for next harvest, what could I test it with to make sure it is working correctly? To build a reverse osmosis set up of your ownand seriously slash your fuel costsyoull need a piece of plywood, or something similar, for mounting everything, and youll need the following items, which are all pictured below as well, in the order theyre listed. Thanks so much for your information. Follow up questions re: cleaning. Thank you Michelle & Bill for sharing this information! Im building one but now I see the challenge with the first filter change. Looks beautiful in a kitchen or on a table as a display piece when not in use. I just found your post this a.m. after writing Michelle this weekend with the same issues. So happy sugaring and thanks for the simple RO. (Bill said youre welcome. its nice for him to know its helping others after it took him 2 years to break down and put it all on paper for me. I do have a couple of questions though. Will the water be coming out of the tube marked permeate? Build a fire to boil the sap. How long does it take for a 5-gallon bucket of sap to go through the system? I put my sap into a 50 gallon drum and recirculate for the day. Please let us know how it works for you! Ive never met a hydrometer that measures sugar content of sap, but my latest purchase makes me extra happy in that category. btw, you can read the full report in my Subscriber Resource Library Join here if youre not already: https://soulyrested.com/snag-free-ebooks/. And, yes, the refractometer is AMAZING! (Read about Ray Inghams ro experiences below.). Halekulani. Why four membranes? Im wondering if your system would cope? I have about 80 red maples some are huge and some are younger. So weve actually never tried to run it in an unheated area. Post author: Post published: February 27, 2023 Post category: simon the zealot symbol Post comments: 21 signs you've met someone from a past life 21 signs you've met someone from a past life Thanks for any suggestions. Looking forward to next year. But after the sap has run through the ro system, we can spend a lot less time, energy, and fuel to boil it. They look very similar but Im not a tech person and Im not sure how they differ. Thanks again for sharing all this info.. Great to hear from you Gordie! This article goes over how to use reverse osmosis in a sugaring operation using a few different methods. Maybe I need even SMALLER tubing for the filters? I have never run an RO system and am not quite sure how to run it. Glance at myResource Pageif youd like to get a glimpse of other supplies I use for maple syrup making (as well as gardening, homeschooling, homesteading topics, nature journaling, and more). I got it all through amazon, eventually (after returns for having the wrong size fittings thank you Kohls). At the end I was up to 5.5. This video shows you our DIY reverse osmosis (RO) filter, which cuts our family's costs in LESS THAN HALF when we make maple syrup. If the weather is going to be particularly warm, we can take this smaller amount of sap and pop it in a cooler or the fridge so it doesnt warm up too much. Im a New England homesteader and the author of Sweet Maple. This is the 3rd year of tapping. lol. I am excited to get this working and I am determined to figure it out. It does cope well, and efficiently. Ill try to remember to get back to you! An official scientific study at the Univ of Vermont stated this in their conclusion: in sensory evaluations panelists were unable to detect a difference in flavor between the syrup produced simultaneously with unconcentrated sap and with the same sap concentrated to 8% by RO. After running your sap through your RO (you can run it through twice if you want) you want to IMMEDIATELY process it. 2. The frame is a rectangular base welded from 1 1/2 in angle iron. It measures 18 inches wide by 24 inches long. It has a mounting plate for the h Hi Jim. Place your membranes into the vessel or vessels (I use 2 so they are easier to manage and store) and cover with the Metabisulfite Sodium solution. We use the 150 gpd filters. We always, always run the sap through twice, even with the 4 membranes. If you mean needle valve, its on the permeate side. My name is Carrie Williams Howe and I am the founder and editor of Homestead How-To. To test, i just ran tap water through. It will cut your fuel costs in half, if not more. Mark & Colleen Falardeau, backyard sugarmakers who built this RO system, explain, It cost us roughly $300 to make our RO and it takes sap from 2-3% sugar content to 7-8% in one pass! Never ever occurred to me that an RO system could be used in this manner. Otherwise, read on. Also, is there something magic about that particular pump? Required fields are marked *. (We use the 150 gpd filters. But Im a little slow. Every (Id love to keep it all.) Great article and I am ordering supplies today. Our family lives on 14 wooded acres, and we cut and store a lot of wood. Chris M. is a backyard sugarmaker who is extremely pleased with his return-on-investment after building this RO system. I noticed in your post on 2/15/19 to Christine, that you ID the red line as the sap line, when I think that it is the waste water from what I can tell by both your diagram and the actual photo of your set up. Im retired and a one-man band. This post contains affiliate links & I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. The line with the needle valve is the line that carries the ROd sap that then is boiled. 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