Ive been a hobby sugar maker for somewhere around 20 years. I am using 150 gpd filters. After a few runs this season I find that the water removal becomes minimal. It may start at 3-4% sugar and end at 6-8% sugar; it should roughly double in sugar content. Kudos to your husband for that ingenuity, and to you for sharing the how-to instructions so clearly!! I cant wait to hear what you do with the permeate, and or what you use it for! Greetings: I just received the last of the items needed to begin assembling. I fill up my PVC vessels with water and measure how much they hold so I know how much solution to make. Hi Sheila, three cheers for awesome husbands! 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. Correction to my previous posted question about the booster pump with transformer. 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. Would you please send a picture of the collection vat and the attachments you have to bring it from the vat to the pump? Im not like you. WebHomemade Maple Syrup Reverse Osmosis Water Reverse Osmosis System Canning Syrup Maple Syrup Evaporator Maple Tapping Maple Syrup Grades Syrup Labels More information More information Build your own Reverse Osmosis system for maple syrup SoulyRested More like this W Water Filtration System L 1 Hi, love what you have come up with. I looked into RO years ago but never realized one could build one. Wanna know how we even do some natural ro for FREE? Oh, boy, any technical questions I have to run by Bill. Next to the prairie river in Bloomvile Wisconsin. Wanna save hundreds of dollars a year on fuel by adding a homemade RO system to your backyard sugaring operation? When ready to boil I run it into Hi Jason, Keep them from extreme heat and freezing and they will be safely stored until next season. Its all Bills work. Sadly, yes, you have to filter many other times throughout the whole process. Alan. 3. You will need to attach the high pressure Procon pump to your motor.Before you mount the pump, wire the motor for 220V temporarily so you can te RO device ran from 7:50 to 10:15 a.m. removed 3.8 gallons from a 5 gallon bucket at 50 watts Webboiled to syrup, causing an off-flavor. Yet it is perfect. What a huge time saver. 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. Heres our Reverse Osmosis set up. 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. 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. Visit our affiliate disclosure page to learn more. We live in nowhere-ville, so traveling to Lowes is quite a trek. Sap can be put through the system repeatedly and becomes more concentrated with each pass through the RO membrane. Thank you Michelle. Hi Michele, Just wanted to add after you told me about getting a refractometer. Me? I will share your story with Bill (cause hes never on my blog :)). I DO NOT HAVE THAT ON THERE. Wanna know how to build your own Reverse Osmosis system for making maple syrup? Its been a 2-year process pulling this all together. Just follow their directions and it will work for you.. 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. 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. Im building one but now I see the challenge with the first filter change. It traps all the the sap in the filter doesnt let it through. . Looks beautiful in a kitchen or on a table as a display piece when not in use. Click on the image below to pin this post. How do you clean the membranes for storage off season? Haha. I do have a couple of questions though. Your tubing from the sap to the pump and then pump to filter you You can try a 0-10% refractometer you can find these for 20-30 bucks on Amazon! 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. Maple syrup producers use an evaporator to boil the sap into syrup, and doing so can take quite a long time (read more about how to boil here). Your email address will not be published. (Id love to keep it all.) ), I was wondering if can you drink the permeate. My questions are. Maybe Im blind. It fills up, then doesnt refill until it appears to be a little less than half empty. Looking forward to next year. I have huge respect for DIYers like you who know what they want and can seriously build it. Many readers often ask what camera I use to take the images you find here on SoulyRested. If so, I hope you love it. the system is working flawlessly now. But Im a little slow. I asked Bill but sadly he said no, he hasnt tried that. 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. You know the ones that that filter out the impurities and leave you with wonderfully pure drinking water? I read somewhere that there are special chemicals for that. We live in Northern New York, think near the Canadian border north. a five gallon bucket at around 7%. Its rather simple, its rather small, but its totally huge on savings. Excited to start using this. By morning I would have 30 40 gallons of sap to boil down. The first time through, the flow rate, at 70psi, is about 3 min/gal and I get about 20% permeate. Also describe it in case I want to purchase one. Honestly, getting all the pieces is the largest drain on your time. icon below: window.fd('form', { then go bake some maple cookies while they do the hard work. Ill get it. Thanks for making me not look wrong. 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 RO pump draws the sap in, via the tubing we place in the can of sap. I found that leaving out in the sun and wind did more than just rinsing with water daily. Hi noah. I hope you LOVE your RO and all the money it saves you! Michelle, fyi my issue was a bad membrane. 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 Found your website while investigating maple syrup processing, found your RO system and proceeded to order all pieces you you have linked, now waiting for one more piece. What happens if you use fewer membranes? in the sense that we keep the waste (the sugar) and toss the water (permeate). Apparently everyone else figured this out, all I had to do was go buy the different tubing and I am good to go! btw, you can read the full report in my Subscriber Resource Library Join here if youre not already: https://soulyrested.com/snag-free-ebooks/. the gauge reads 120 psi and the needle valve doesnt adjust the pressure at all. Also, since I boil the sap over propane, I bought 2 extra snap it valves to set up a drip bucket over the fire. I keep having to relearn to push the tubing ALL THE WAY IN. I will more than likely build it. Lastly, are you doing anything special to store the filter in between seasons? lol. Great question. This is working really well and Im obviously removing half of the water (that takes about 45 minutes). For that reason, it actually makes more sense for a backyard operation. This kit is indeed awesome! Cover and let stand overnight. just goes to show attention to detail is vital. 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. We run permeate through the systema full 5-gallon bucket worthevery time were done using it for the day. Taste and see that theLordis good. Then checked the permeate and it was 0.3%. Im doing a pretty small operation, but getting just large enough that my fire cant keep up, so wondering if I can cut a few corners and come up with something for closer to $200. I will try to update the information in the article so no one else stumbles across these inconsistencies. , 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!! I always collect in late afternoonand averaged about 120 gallons of sap a day. Ill try to remember to get back to you! I just received all the parts today and hope to assemble over the holidays. WebTotal 9584 products from sugar free substitute for maple syrup Manufactures & Suppliers This is only to remove any sediment, bugs, or twigs from the sap. Im retired and a one-man band. 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. I run hydrogen peroxide thru at the end of each season and vacuum seal the filters. I put my sap into a 50 gallon drum and recirculate for the day. February 23, 2023. Hi Jim, I have never have run my sap through more than once, but I know people who do. Works great. 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. Thanks for all the hard work you do to spread the sweetness! Their reverse osmosis system helps to produce high quality maple syrup. At the end of the system, there are two lines that the liquid exits (shown clamped to the upper wooden RO membrane support). Hi, So I basically clicked all the links you provided and bought all the stuff, and ordered the part numbers from Lowes.. Sorry if that is confusing. Im blessed to live in an old farmhouse, by a mountain lake, on acres of stone walls and sugar maples. I think Im removing maybe 10% of the water and am running at 70psi. . Notes from the reverse osmosis system build we are planning: Ideally, we run RO inside lose 3% efficiency on RO for every degree drop, and systems are rated at 77 F. DIY Reverse Osmosis Filter for Maple Sap Notes from the reverse osmosis system build we are planning: maple; maple sap; maple syrup; Post navigation. Any thoughts or comments? Free samples of maple products and maple baked goods will be available. (Sorry, bad pun. Required fields are marked *. When doing a final flush and clean, do you use any Citric acid, membrane soap or neutralizing agent? Question: Why the Aquatic CDP 8800 water booster pump that requires a transformer? The 1/4 inch tubing works fine into the pump, no need to convert. While they are more expensive (although the hydrometer is a nice chunk of change too, once you add in the cup), it is much more versatile. Do the limbs of the trees hold up well? 1/4 T (youll need 4 of them) Sharkbite item # 835039, model #25427Z, 1/4 male x 1/4 quick connect 90 (youll need 5 of them) Sharkbite item #83500, model #25433, 1/4 male x 1/4quick connect straight (youll need 8 of these) Sharkbite item #835025, model #25413Z, 3/8 x 1/4 male quick connect (just 1) Sharkbite item #835028, model #25416Z, 3/8polyethylene tubing (25 of it) item #879277, model #98634, 1/4polyethylene tubing (25 of it) item #814305, model #98584, 3/8 quick connect ball valve (just 1) Sharkbite item #835049, model #25438Z, ridgid 3/8 x 30 pex tube (30 faucet) item #751655, model #7227-30-38-2, *NOTE: the red lines in Bills drawing represent clear tubing connecting the filters in sequence above. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Taste the maple syrup, cream and buckwheat pancake mix, all available for sale. Im curious as to what effect that would have. See a 2,100-tap operation using a tubing/vacuum system, reverse osmosis and a wood pellet-fired evaporator. (In fact, youll see below thats exactly what were usingfilters from a water purifying system.). You are very welcome Jill just 4 years ago I was someone like you and needed all the help I could get. I am sure that this will only be first of many questions. Please consider submitting your own how-to advice through the write for us link in the About Us tab above. 0; . 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? I have run straight hot water thru and the water drain flows freely. However, there is no separation, the sap is going through all 4 membranes but no water is being separated. And you can definitely try another pump. Hi Marlowe. I got a 0 to 10% refractometer that resolves considerably better than my old 0 to 32 job. Feed your Family: How to Start a Vegetable Garden from Scratch, this set of instructions from Souly Rested, Sugar Cube Reverse Osmosis System from Vermont Evaporator Company, How to Prepare your Vegetable Garden for Winter (Fall Garden Checklist). To test, i just ran tap water through. the system is working flawlessly now. Its just reversed. I hooked it up with the three I have and was getting 1% sugar in my permeate. The other line is carrying the permeate, or tree water minus the extra sugar you have filtered into your ROd sap. 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. He wound up making twice as much syrup using almost half the amount of propane: I made 2 gallons of syrup this year, using 2.5 tanks of propane. You definitely want to build it in series. Hope that helps! Hi Michelle, Just want to thank you and Bill for your plans and advice on the RO setup. True story. and it is exactly like your Hubbys setup. I may try that this year.. Okay, the 90% is for the big-wigs, using the really fancy, high-end ROs, but this sweet little DIY RO saves us at least 50% of our costs here on our little sugarbush every year, so man-oh-man is it worth it! Bill confuses me sometimes too. 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. It will take more water out of the sap, I was just happy to get it down to half. Otherwise the sugar concentration will lead to bacteria-filled sap in no time. Our maple season can be very short and using your RO cuts boiling time down considerably. The other item you listed, 1/4 polyethylene tubing (25 of it) item #814305, model #98584, Is correct, but technically it has an OD of 3/8 and the ID is 1/4. Just wanted to thank you for the great instructions on building an RO. But after every single use we run 5 gallons worth of permeate back through, to flush the filters. You could also reach in and remove large pieces of debris with a slotted spoon. If I use a cheaper RV pump that can get up to 60 PSI would I run into trouble? Hi Lucas, glad you solved your problem before I even saw your comment. Open the tops and add additional solution if needed. ) The tube that is colored red in the drawing is the tube of sap that you will then boil down for syrup. No, reverse osmosis doesnt remove sugar from your sap. Hopefully, Bill or another crafter can offer advice on this issue. Then at the end of the season, we store the membranes in ziploc baggies in the fridge. Im assembling the RO system now, and everything is going great. 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. 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