I hooked it up with the three I have and was getting 1% sugar in my permeate. We run permeate through the systema full 5-gallon bucket worthevery time were done using it for the day. ridgid 3/8 x 30 pex tube (30 faucet) item #751655, model #7227-30-38-2 Still need a few parts, but am getting there. We dont feed our sap directly into our RO. Every detail you need If not, well prop it up in the bathroom, by the tub, to let the permeate run down the drain. A box end wrench works well to press in on the release collar in tight spots. 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. 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! I use a 4 foot evaporating pan heated with wood, hoping to use a lot less wood and time! Webboiled to syrup, causing an off-flavor. Yes!! I will more than likely build it. When its time to start up the RO again the next year, all we do is take the filters out of the fridge and use them. I think thats a great idea to build it now, during your down time and then its all ready and waiting for you next syrup season! Your tubing from the sap to the pump and then pump to filter you Likewise, as much as we love sitting outside by the evaporator with friends, there comes a point where 18 hours of boiling each weekend can feel cumbersome; getting to syrup faster is not a bad thing. I just received all the parts today and hope to assemble over the holidays. Plan on doing this well ahead of time. Weba maple syrup producer records the amount. This post may contain affiliate links and/or advertisements, which means that Homestead How-To earns advertising fees or commissions if you click on a link or make a purchase. We dont want that syrup to end up costing us more than if we bought it from another sugaring operation. Then keep scrolling for a totally unprofessional, hope-you-understand-what-hes-talking-about drawing of Bills design. So weve actually never tried to run it in an unheated area. Sadly it would be a few decades before you can tap a young maple. Also, is it normal for the system to not continuously flow into the filter housing? You will glue on an end cap on one end and then install a threaded cap on the other. How do you find the pump? All this and so much more is explained in Sweet Maple. Happy boiling! Do you run the permeant through in reverse to flush? I got a 0 to 10% refractometer that resolves considerably better than my old 0 to 32 job. At the end of the season, after flushing them well, we then place the filters in a large ziploc bag in the freezer until the following season. No, weve never needed to do any needle valve maintanence. Ill try to remember to get back to you! Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trialby clicking through this link. Me? [68] In 2019 it led with over 7.8million litres (2.07million US gallons), followed by New York with 3.1millionL (820,000USgal) and Maine with 2.2millionL (580,000USgal). IS THAT MY PROBLEM? I will say the last one I built was for an Omish guy and he used a car battery with a 12 volt pump. WebConsisting of one sediment filter and two reverse osmosis filters, the Sugar Cube RO Replacement Filter Kit contains everything you need for the annual maintenance of your prototype Sugar Cube RO. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Wow, 3 days of banging my head against a wall trying to get it working and it came down to the one-way valve and having the needle valve hooked up to the wrong outlet of the 4th membrane. I have about 80 red maples some are huge and some are younger. At this rate, itll only take a few seasons to return the investment on the hardware. I saved a incredible amount of time and firewood.. Yet it is perfect. This kit is indeed awesome! Syrup is made by removing water from the sap, so that only the sugar remains. Dont use rusty or corroded spouts, buckets, or other maple utensils. But for now, our little homemade one gets the job done. If you have a refractometer (I explain that tool here: https://soulyrested.com/2020/01/25/how-to-make-syrup-what-tools-do-you-need/), you should measure your brix (sugar content) before and after the RO. Its all Bills work. Any addivce? Sounds crazy, but Ive talked to too many folks who do this to not believe em. After seeing loss, I checked calibration with distilled water and got 0%. 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. tanks of propane. Maybe some day we will upgrade to that fancy-shamancy gorgeous thing. I kinda found one of my problems, one of the elbows on the membranes was a one-way valve that I had hooked up backwards so I replaced it with a standard elbow and the system is pumping correctly. Follow up questions re: cleaning. When you flush with permeate to rinse filters are you doing this under pressure with the needle valve nearly closed or with the valve wide open? You do need the needle valve. I made my first syrup this spring and quickly came to the realization that ROing the syrup first is essential to cut down the time spent boiling. I and two others donate sap to our county park district to boil down. It wouldnt much less expensive 115V direct plug (i.e., not needing a transformer) be a simpler and effective option? lol. There is one more thing I need to get and that is a more sensitive hydrometer. Michelle. Hi Jim. If nothing else, sign up and get all these goodies delivered to your door for free shipping, right away, so you can start saving money on your propane. Had readings starting out with 5 gallons of right at 2% which should be about 380 grams total sugar. I have to run the sap through twice in order to get a good reduction. Hi Gordie We have 100 taps and the wood saved and time saved in one season has made it worth every penny!!. Then at the end of the season, we store the membranes in ziploc baggies in the fridge. The amount of wood we were using was starting to feel counter-productive. Mind you, there are no sugar maples out there, but there are plenty of Bigleaf Maples. Killer Key Lime Pie. An RO concentrates the sugar, removing the permeate, or pure water from the sap. And great question about what we run it at! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Trying to figure out which tube the water will come out of and which the concentrated sap. I had no Idea what it was going to do when I built it.. His pump is pushing up to 140 PSI . (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. 1654 Queen St, New Dundee. WebAs a result, not all maple equipment (reverse osmosis, evaporators, filters, etc.) 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. Go here to read the full (ultra fun) legal disclosure about that. Free samples of maple products and maple baked goods will be available. Are you building your own RO for this year? So we persoanlly choose to boil our sap with propane. Im a New England homesteader and the author of Sweet Maple. Thanks again for the help. I priced your unit in Canada and its around the $650 mark (for 2 filters that is $1300). Your blog is so interesting. Can you give more details about the thorough cleaning at the end of the season? I literally know nothing about this unit aside from what you read here. RO Maple systems enhance the syrup 6. I unhooked most of it many times until I sorted it out. My primary limitation is sap storage. containerEl: '#fd-form-608a538fe8b3a8e1e4d62a1d' Reverse osmosis is a process that can speed up syrup production by removing a significant amount of water from the sap before you put it in your evaporator. We dont often have time to boil more than once a week. Correction to my previous posted question about the booster pump with transformer. About - Build Your Own Reverse Osmosis System For Maple Syrup And were left with pure, cool permeate but well talk more about the permeate and how we like to use it in another post, later this season. 1. Attached is a pdf of the components you'll need. I have no particular relationship with the suppliers or brands listed, they just happened to be Im elated that you found this page. 9. Cleaning Between Batches. End of Season Cleaning and Next Season Start-upCLEANING AFTER USE DURING THE SEASON After you process a batch of sap f How long does it take to put it all together? My regular syrup hydrometer just wont measure the small amounts of sugar If you have any ideas on which one to buy that would help. Hi Michelle, I was setting up my RO. How often have you have to change filters? At what pressure do we run our RO? That would still account for only 60 of the missing 130 grams. Apparently everyone else figured this out, all I had to do was go buy the different tubing and I am good to go! Required fields are marked *. Luckily, there are other options for obtaining a reserve osmosis set-up. . Im still a little unclear on the cleaning procedure after each run during the season. Im wanting to do up to 200-300 trees this year. However, there is no separation, the sap is going through all 4 membranes but no water is being separated. Good luck this season. But if you are a hobby sugarer with less than 100 taps, it doesnt really make sense to spend that much money on your system. I currently only have 1 tree that gave me 60 gallons this season. Hi, Im Michelle. a maple syrup producer records the amount. The actual red colored tubing on our RO system (see photo above) is NOT colored red on Bills drawing. Ive had this bookmarked for a while and finally made mine. Im going to really look into RO and save some time and $$$. Out of stock Categories: DIY Maple Syrup Supplies, Packages Wed love to hear from you! 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 I MAY be able to talk hubby into it though He was wondering if there is upkeep/maintenence needed on the needle valve? I have quadruple-checked everything and cant seem to find the problem. 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 Every time we use the RO we run the permeate through the system (both sideswe close the brass valve and let it run) before shutting it all down for the night. To find me in some otherneck of the woods, just click any (or every!) 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. Im pretty sure sugar maple trees would grow here, but in zone 8, would they make syrup? Have you noticed your syrup having a Different taste when you started using an ros system. process that can speed up syrup production by removing a significant I think the beauty of making it yourself is totally tweaking it to fit your needs. Next to the prairie river in Bloomvile Wisconsin. ), If you wanna read more about why we ro,go here. How do you adjust the pressure; is that what the needle valve is for? I started producing maple syrup as a hobby over 20 years ago. Im a wife to my high school sweetheart, mom to four daughters, and ardent fan of all things maple-flavored. We have 110 taps and process roughly 5 gallons of sap through the RO every 45 minutes.). Thanks for making me not look wrong. 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. 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