This way I dont have to add another tank. Click on the image below to pin this post. It cost me about $350 and was well worth it. I hear you could pull 50% of the water off. EZ-FLO 0.170-in ID x 150-ft Polyethylene Tubing Item #879275Model #98632. It was amazing!, Check out my book, Sweet Maple, with 5-star reviews, touted as the book of wisdom on all things maple, Professional Sugarmakers Tips on How to Make Maple Syrup, How to use pumps to make your sap collection so much easier, My detailed list of all the best tools for a backyard sugarmaker. How do you find the pump? The easiest way to do this is to make PVC vessels. Please consider helping me support sugarmaking education worldwide with every purchase of SoulyRested Swag. We run it at 60/70. I ask because I honestly do not know. My only question at this time is how do you do a backwash to clean the filters? How long does it take for a 5-gallon bucket of sap to go through the system? Im a New England homesteader and the author of Sweet Maple. Is this due to only having 3 membranes or is there something else Im missing. Do you clean the system during the season and if so what do you use? Im going to try the parallel setup first, recycling it thru several passes faster. Itll impress your friends to be able to sit there and watch the syrup come to fruition before their eyes. We live in the Deep South. Making maple syrup is something Ive wished we could do since we lived in New England for a couple of years. HI Michelle, How often have you have to change filters? so am excited to get this up and running. It does cope well, and efficiently. 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. He has 400 trees. Since most backyard sugar makers use wood to boil their syrup, the savings on fuel by cutting your boiling time in half is huge. I may even have some sap later this week to test it on here in Ohio! I have completed the building of my RO kit and am awaiting sap season here in minnesota. Otherwise, read on. Hi Michelle, I have built your RO and have come across a problem. Maybe I need even SMALLER tubing for the filters? At the end I was up to 5.5. Keep them from extreme heat and freezing and they will be safely stored until next season. And I have huge respect for Bill and for YOU, since youre here. When were making maple syrup, reverse osmosis also leaves you with pure water, but what it removes is actually what we want to keep highly concentrated sap. Ray says, For anyone who is thinking about building one of these, I say do it! Luckily, there are other options for obtaining a reserve osmosis set-up. I would boil this down in less than 3 hours in my 24 pan. Thank you so much for sharing this DIY RO set-up. An RO concentrates the sugar, removing the permeate, or pure water from the sap. Hi Mark, Its all Greek to me, but Bill said thats just his perference but you definitely can choose something else. Sorry for my ignorance. Im retired and a one-man band. We dont want that syrup to end up costing us more than if we bought it from another sugaring operation. WebPlace maple syrup and mustard in small bowl and stir with fork to combine. Great question, Jerry. Im about to build my unit thanks to your posting! Required fields are marked *. I DO NOT HAVE THAT ON THERE. 5. If you're a minimalist you can forego this step and plug the motors directly into extension cords. But I like the convenience of having an off/o We have never replaced the filters. All winter. 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. Your email address will not be published. I can see a little of it in the background in you video. Read thisarticle right here. It still takes a long time and a lot of fuel to make the syrup, so your RO system sounds like it would help with both. Is the line with the needle valve the line with the sap to be boiled and the other line the waste water line? I just finished building my RO, and it looks just like yours, because i followed yours except I only put 3- 150 membranes in my system for now. Thank you in advance for your time as well as your assistance. 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. N ow that I have gone to a small backyard evaporator I plan on building one because I do know what an RO will do for me, I just did not want to lay out th money for even the small ones that most of the Maple company make. thanks again for the great info.. Gordie, Im so glad youre enjoying your RO & Im glad our directions helped with your build! We always, always run the sap through twice, even with the 4 membranes. Youll also need some tubing and connectors, as well as another valve. Seriously. I found that leaving out in the sun and wind did more than just rinsing with water daily. That is really clever! The 1/4 inch tubing works fine into the pump, no need to convert. Im pretty sure sugar maple trees would grow here, but in zone 8, would they make syrup? Once you have all the parts in front of you, itll take you a few hours, tops. Nope, thats all my husbands ingenuity. But after the sap has run through the ro system, we can spend a lot less time, energy, and fuel to boil it. Assuming your sap is gravity feed to the pump, is there any suggested distance above the pump for the container of sap to be for this to work? Do you run the permeant through in reverse to flush? I flushed the system after each run. Do not see it in the drawing. I had a great season here in SW Ohio, collecting over 525 gals of sap from 68 taps. I use pruning shears. You definitely want to build it in series. So weve actually never tried to run it in an unheated area. HI Michelle I need to get me some Sweet Maple! Wanna know how to build your own Reverse Osmosis system for making maple syrup? Thanks in advance. All said and done, I ended up with about 2 gallons of syrup, using 2.5 tanks of propane and finishing in the kitchen. 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. A backyard sugarmaker in New England, and author of Sweet Maple. RO device ran from 7:50 to 10:15 a.m. removed 3.8 gallons from a 5 gallon bucket at 50 watts I have huge respect for DIYers like you who know what they want and can seriously build it. We run it at 60-70 psi, which we regulate with the needle valve. Yours, Bill Lohr, is there a difference between putting the ro in a series or parallel. Killer Key Lime Pie. I only have 40 taps, but if this works I will tap more. 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. I have assembled the RO setup like yours. Are you building your own RO for this year? About quick connects: Rev O did 0.03 kwh per gallon water removed There is one more thing I need to get and that is a more sensitive hydrometer. Hi Jim, I have never have run my sap through more than once, but I know people who do. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Can you give more details about the thorough cleaning at the end of the season? Enjoy your sugar season!! Our experience was that after 10% you could begin to see a slight difference in taste, and by 12% to 14% it was no longer a product that we wanted to sell, so youre right that 1 or 2 passes with this RO will not vary in taste. so many great questions Katharine! By concentrating the sugar in the maple sap, a sugarmaker can save as much as 90% in fuel since he or she will have to boil the sap for a much shorter time. Thats what we boil down to make syrup. containerEl: '#fd-form-608a538fe8b3a8e1e4d62a1d' I looked into RO years ago but never realized one could build one. 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? It does have an ID of 3/8, but it should have an OD of 3/8. Electric skillet ran from 1:40 to 4:50 pm at about 1,200 kw and removed 1.0 gallons We live in Northern New York, think near the Canadian border north. ROd to about 5% then electric skilleted to 21 ounces of 35% for a quart jar. Happy sugaring! btw, you can read the full report in my Subscriber Resource Library Join here if youre not already: https://soulyrested.com/snag-free-ebooks/. I love the way you do things here! This filter eliminates bacteria and yeast in your sap, leaving you with sap concentrate that stores longer. Alan. On that unit I used all 3/8 lines and 3/8 fittings and We live in nowhere-ville, so traveling to Lowes is quite a trek. Thanks again for this post! Also describe it in case I want to purchase one. 7. If you are prone to fits of unrestrained enthusiasm, such as I am, you may want to add capacity by adding additional RO membranes in series. It I will share your story with Bill (cause hes never on my blog :)). The drawback is that you need 4 needle valves, one for each sap line/canister to create the proper back pressure. It saves that much more on fuel costs. Its been a 2-year process pulling this all together. Im not understanding every item youre referring to. Boiling has been my limitation in the whole process for both time and fuel reasons. Maple syrup is produced typically from maple sap concentrated by nanofiltration or reverse osmosis at a moderate Brix level ranging from 6 to 16 Brix followed by heat evaporation. Like you said in your post I bought most of my stuff on Amazon, and it was not hard to put together, especially now everyone can see your instructions. For you, it is more about the experience than the production. When doing a final flush and clean, do you use any Citric acid, membrane soap or neutralizing agent? Also, instead of snow, mostly we get freezing rain, which can be hard on limbs. We dont often have time to boil more than once a week. Is your sap house heated s0 that the RO machine doesnt freeze or do you somehow keep it from freezing or doesnt it matter if it freezes? (Easier to tell if one of the membranes is plugged as each has a separate discharge line that you can monitor). What a huge time saver. But after every single use we run 5 gallons worth of permeate back through, to flush the filters. (We use the 150 gpd filters. Its was 2% to start with. We have 110 taps and process roughly 5 gallons of sap through the RO every 45 minutes. . lol. Im wondering if your system would cope? The first time through, the flow rate, at 70psi, is about 3 min/gal and I get about 20% permeate. We are a very small family operation and your RO works really well. The other line is carrying the permeate, or tree water minus the extra sugar you have filtered into your ROd sap. How do you clean this system? Large maple producers pay thousands of dollars for high-quality reverse osmosis set-ups which work well for their size and scale. Afterall, we all wanna save on fuel, no matter where were get it, can I get an amen? Thank you, Gordie, for letting me know all of this!! We are always looking for fresh content and new ideas. Learn how your comment data is processed. After both runs, I have about 55% high sugar content sap and 45% very low sugar permeate. We never need to clean them during the season, but every time we use it we run some permeate through the system before shutting it off for the night. thank you My concentrate was sound 4%. Your email address will not be published. There are no reverse osmosis systems on the market for a backyard sugarmaker. Webbiogen senior engineer ii salary. Give a couple of wraps of teflon tape and seal. Do you still have to filter the syrup prior to bottling? Professionally, my mission is to help you do the same. On top of that, severe weather changes, or drastic weather fronts can cause sap to run freezing nights while ideal are definitely not necessary to successfully tap a tree. How often do filters/membranes need to be cleaned? To test, i just ran tap water through. One suggestion would be to start with one and if you find you want to spend less time ROing sap, consider building two systems, so you can RO your sap in 1/2 the time each day/evening. Every evening during the season, when were done RO-ing for the day, we simply run the RO one more cycle, using permeate instead of sap. Am I correct? Theyre the exact same filters. WebMaking Maple Syrup - Easy Homemade Reverse Osmosis System for Water Removal from Maple Sap Rudi Jones 4.11K subscribers Subscribe 3.9K views 10 months ago I know nothing, as you can tell. Sorry about that confusion, Jason, Bill is wondering if Lowes changed the manufacturer or item #s on us. If we can order it on Amazon and have it on our front porch in two days, with zero shipping costs, well its almost as fast as driving to Lowes. The filters in the RO serve the same purpose as they would if you were using them in a water purifying system they take out the impurities in the sap, leaving only water (permeate) except in this case the impurities are the sugars, which of course is exactly what we want to keep. It traps all the the sap in the filter doesnt let it through. WebAs a result, not all maple equipment (reverse osmosis, evaporators, filters, etc.) Seems like if I was using this to actually just.filter water, Id be wasting a lot of water (our tap water is actually not bad). We set a large can of sap beside our RO. Thanks for letting us know Martin! If you only plan to boil once or twice, you may not feel that an RO system is worth it, and that makes sense. I have additional questions regarding cleaning and storing the filters : Syrup is made by removing water from the sap, so that only the sugar remains. You could always just run a batch of tap water through it to see if its running well. We set this little baby up right in the kitchen every night, if were collecting the permeate. It appears that the RO filters will be a challenge to change due to the lines set top and bottom on the casing will not allow the top of the casing to be unscrewed???? Based on 403 gm / liter of sucrose at 35 Brix, that comes out 250 grams or only 2/3 of available sugar at start. Our maple season can be very short and using your RO cuts boiling time down considerably. Yes!! Im a wife to my high school sweetheart, mom to four daughters, and ardent fan of all things maple-flavored. All this and so much more is explained in Sweet Maple. All very-long-cold-New-England winter. Starting with 10 buckets hanging from trees, I settled on 100 taps on tubing with a small vacuum system and a pretty slick homemade reverse osmosis setup. I cant wait to hear what you do with the permeate, and or what you use it for! It will cut your fuel costs in half, if not more. Hi Mike, I built mine last year(2021) and ran into the same issue. I did find this suggestion for the seasonal storage of RO membranes: Storing your membranes in the off season: At the end of the system, there are two lines that the liquid exits (shown clamped to the upper wooden RO membrane support). Thanks again for the help. 3. of pure water an hour. I dont have a refractometer, but the difference in taste is dramatic. Do you want 24 V or 120V near all that water? Hi Dick. 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. Thanks for the instructions and parts list. Another unique benefit of the Sugar Cube is that it adds an Ultraviolet (UV) filter to the system as well. the system is working flawlessly now. I ran a test by dumping some sugar in a 5 gallon bucket and it seemed to work correctly based on the tastes of the concentrate and the permeate since I dont own a refractormeter. See a 2,100-tap operation using a tubing/vacuum system, reverse osmosis and a wood pellet-fired evaporator. Thanks for sharing your DIY project. 4. I generally have used garden hose to connect the low pressure system components together. It's universal, it's cheap and readily available. It's Also, is it normal for the system to not continuously flow into the filter housing? Thanks for your reply Michelle. Knowing our sap has been filtered and is safe to use for longer helps us feel better about waiting until the weekend to boil. If you dont, drop me a line and let me know! if this works I plan on expanding to an additional 5 trees but being only having 6 trees at my disposal expanding is limited. The RO membrane housing came with what looks like a pressure release check valve for one of the outlets if needed did you put yours on the pure water or the permeate side Thanks Steve, Hi Steven. And you can definitely try another pump. But no, Bill made the unit intending to take the filters out at the end of each season to clean and store and reuse the next season. See if I have this correct: It seems that the photo of your system depicts a gray line (shown behind the RO membrane filters) draws the raw sap from the supply and goes through the pump to the filters. Thank you again for sharing your wisdom! Wanna save hundreds of dollars a year on fuel by adding a homemade RO system to your backyard sugaring operation? Every detail you need a maple syrup producer records the amount. Hi Michelle Thanks again for sharing all this info.. Great to hear from you Gordie! Since it saves us hundreds of dollars every year in fuel costs as we boil our sap, I totally wanna tell yall exactly how to build your own. Well, that is if youre like Bill. Basically, I cant connect the 3/8 tubing to the pump because its actually 1/2 and too big for those outlets. Cook zucchinis, garlic cloves and rosemary for 4 mins until beginning to colour. You do need the needle valve. This system is fantastic! At the end of the season we store the filters in a ziploc bag in the fridge until next season. 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. To find me in some otherneck of the woods, just click any (or every!) Funding for this project was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant AM170100XXXXG167, awarded to the University of Vermont Proctor Maple Research Center. That top will not spin unless the line is cut. Do I need to replace the filters ya think? lol. We chose 4 membranes cause we read that any more is pointless, but wanted to maximize what we could. For others who are reading through these comments for help, Ill paste your final comment here as well 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. 18195 Conc Rd 17, Maxville ON. Hi, Im Michelle. Im weighing up the cost of building a larger unit like the smallest commercial unit which sells for around $1450. Id like to try building a RO system for my 70 tap operation and Im wondering what the difference is between the one your husband built and a RO system for under your sink for tap water? Hi Jason, Build Your Own Maple Syrup Reverse Osmosis Rig GardenFork 196K subscribers 652 45K views 2 years ago How to make a DIY reverse osmosis system for For us clueless folks, it is important to always describe tubing with BOTH the ID and OD, like 1/4 ID / 3/8 OD. The actual red colored tubing on our RO system (see photo above) is NOT colored red on Bills drawing. So we persoanlly choose to boil our sap with propane. This kit is indeed awesome! No, we never wash our unit. I break that down in this post: https://soulyrested.com/2017/04/12/make-maple-syrup-step-step/. WebTotal 9584 products from sugar free substitute for maple syrup Manufactures & Suppliers I hooked it up with the three I have and was getting 1% sugar in my permeate. Your RO filter looks fantastic. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. When that bucket is half full I pull it and start the next bucket. I am hoping to make one before this years season! Haha. By using a reverse osmosis machine, we can eliminate 50% of the water in our sap before boiling, thus greatly reducing the amount of time it takes to go from sap to syrup. Yes, you are restricted by your filter capabilities. 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. Yep, we often run it through twice. I am using 150 gpd filters. 2. Everything I ever write about maple gets added to that one board. Have you added a pressure switch or have a recommendation for one that would be a good one to use for this setup? Yes, the needle valve is for adjusting the pressure. The smallest ones you can purchase are definitely a costly investment that would take a backyard sugarmaker anywhere from 4-10 years or more to recoop. Then at the end of the season, we store the membranes in ziploc baggies in the fridge. Thanks Bill and Michelle sharing you drawing on a RO system. That is insane return. Ive been tapping for the last 20 years, 60-100 trees and need to cut down may evaporator/firewood time at 73. (And heres a facebook live video showing how it works.) Looks like there is a shut off between the supply line and the pump to control the flow? He said he was processing between 18-20 of sap per hr. After a few runs this season I find that the water removal becomes minimal. Thanks. Reverse Osmosis in the Maple Syrup Industry The maple industry utilizes this technology to separate a large percentage of the water from maple sap. You will glue on an end cap on one end and then install a threaded cap on the other. Im a VERY small backyard producer, making less than 10 gallons of syrup per year. One of those tubes produced clean, clear water, and the other produces highly concentrated sap. Seriously. Hi Bob, I just asked Bill. 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 Michelle, just goes to show attention to detail is vital. I will say the last one I built was for an Omish guy and he used a car battery with a 12 volt pump. Or if I just used two but passed everything through twice? Except sugarmakers use the idea in reverse. Skillet did 3.84 kwh / gallon of water removed. I want to thank you and your husband again for sharing.. How wonderful!!! Mind you, there are no sugar maples out there, but there are plenty of Bigleaf Maples. 8. Before you run valuable maple sap through your unit it is a good idea to test it on 50-100 gallons of clean water. Fill a tank with 50 - 100 gal I am building an RO fashioned after one of my neighbors here in WI. lol. Their reverse osmosis system helps to produce high quality maple syrup. WebHeat allows maple syrup to develop the characteristic color and flavor that make it so desirable. Do the filters NEED to be kept in the fridge? Its just reversed. I had no Idea what it was going to do when I built it.. His pump is pushing up to 140 PSI just goes to show attention to detail is vital.. But whether youre a backyard sugarmaker who uses propane or wood for fuel, a homemade ro system will save you a boatload of time and money. The 1/4 ID has a 3/8 OD. Never ever occurred to me that an RO system could be used in this manner. WebCooldown the maple syrup to about 95 F. Once cooled, get your arm ready, find a partner and take turns stirring and stirring some more. Our evaporator is heated by a wood fire and it usually takes around 50 gallons of sap to cook down into one gallon of syrup. Oh, boy, any technical questions I have to run by Bill. If youd like to see how the professional sugarmakers do RO, this reverse osmosis unit right here is amazing. Do I need to find couplers to change to 3/8 or can I just use 1/4 for that part. Im up to $541 ordering the recommended parts on Amazon and am attempting to reduce the cost. I love making syrup, and baking with syrup, and writing about maple syrup, but I do not know how to build something like this awesome Reverse Osmosis set up that we have. Any thoughts or comments? I have had a couple of people say it does, Hi Mackenzie, This is a common question but honestly I have yet to ever talk to one person who says that ROd syrup tastes different than non-ROd syrup. You can also follow my Maple Syrup pinterest boardright here. I had a few doubters when I said I was going to do this. Hope that helps. Winter storms coming in off the ocean cause such drastic changes in weather fronts that trees gush sap even when temps never dip below freezing. Thanks so much. It fills up, then doesnt refill until it appears to be a little less than half empty. Im assembling the RO system now, and everything is going great. Hi Scott. The authors homemade PVC hangers for collecting syrup. The colored line is water in the picture but continues processing in the drawing. Thanks, Bob. 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. Happy sugaring!! This is only to remove any sediment, bugs, or twigs from the sap. IS THAT MY PROBLEM? Fascinating! Order Wavey Maple Cheese Board online from Urban Stead Cheese. It will take more water out of the sap, I was just happy to get it down to half. Costs for home producers are relatively high You have an awesome informational site. Thank you Michelle. Ive been a hobby sugar maker for somewhere around 20 years. I have quadruple-checked everything and cant seem to find the problem. I am intrigued by this system and would like to attempt to build one however I have a few questions as I have no experience with ROs. Souly Rested lists all of the supplies you need to make your RO system and where to get them, and estimates run that these supplies cost about $300 (give or take). 2. Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trialby clicking through this link. Detail you need 4 needle valves, one for each sap line/canister to the! Due to only having 3 membranes or is there a difference between putting the RO every minutes... 20 % permeate 3.84 kwh / gallon of water removed run by Bill of permeate back through, the?. Will say the last one I built was for an Omish guy and he used a car battery a. Cook zucchinis, garlic cloves and rosemary for 4 mins until beginning to colour on! When doing a final flush and clean, clear water, and author of maple. Which sells for around $ 1450 his perference but you definitely can choose something else all Greek me! I need to find the problem back through, the flow rate, at 70psi, is it normal the! And ardent fan of all things maple-flavored cut your fuel costs in half, were! 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