Im not understanding every item youre referring to. How often have you have to change filters? I am excited to get this working and I am determined to figure it out. So, the last year of making maple syrup at home, we tried a 4 by 40 with the 330 gallons per hour pump and it performed very well, delivering 80 to 100 gallons per <3. Am I correct? . 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. ) The tube that is colored red in the drawing is the tube of sap that you will then boil down for syrup. Please consider helping me support sugarmaking education worldwide with every purchase of SoulyRested Swag. Thus, if you have an RO and enough birch trees, its likely that you could produce some high quality birch syrup. Michelle. Otherwise, read on. Thanks so much. Thats what we boil down to make syrup. 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 I am sure that this will only be first of many questions. I put my sap into a 50 gallon drum and recirculate for the day. the gauge reads 120 psi and the needle valve doesnt adjust the pressure at all. }); Im interested in making an RO machine from the plans you show here. Im elated that you found this page. From the photo it looks like you connected the larger tubing to the pump, wondering if maybe I am missing something? lol. Does any body know what pressure setting to use when running permeate thru for the daily cleaning? At what pressure do we run our RO? I always collect in late afternoonand averaged about 120 gallons of sap a day. Ive been a hobby sugar maker for somewhere around 20 years. The 1/4 inch tubing works fine into the pump, no need to convert. There just arent enough hours in the day or trees in the woods to do it all. 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. 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 They said they could see the difference. Hi Gordie Hi Mark, Its all Greek to me, but Bill said thats just his perference but you definitely can choose something else. Thanks for any suggestions. Thank you so much for sharing this DIY RO set-up. The drawback is that you need 4 needle valves, one for each sap line/canister to create the proper back pressure. The only problem I run into is getting the pump primed and pulling in the sap, but a little elevation does the trick! 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. Fascinating! It will cut your fuel costs in half, if not more. 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. Plan on doing this well ahead of time. If I use a cheaper RV pump that can get up to 60 PSI would I run into trouble? WebTotal 9584 products from sugar free substitute for maple syrup Manufactures & Suppliers I run hydrogen peroxide thru at the end of each season and vacuum seal the filters. (If you need a giant cookie fixand I do mean giantyoull want this recipe.). Im assembling the RO system now, and everything is going great. Hi Bill, Im not sure Im understanding your question but the 50% is the increase in sugar content. Hi Michelle, Thanks, Bob. After both runs, I have about 55% high sugar content sap and 45% very low sugar permeate. You can put your sap through the RO system on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday and then more easily and safely save it up for the weekend. Im up to $541 ordering the recommended parts on Amazon and am attempting to reduce the cost. Knowing our sap has been filtered and is safe to use for longer helps us feel better about waiting until the weekend to boil. To find me in some otherneck of the woods, just click any (or every!) A friend is using this system and says it works great. If you only plan to boil once or twice, you may not feel that an RO system is worth it, and that makes sense. Im a VERY small backyard producer, making less than 10 gallons of syrup per year. 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 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). , So interesting!! The mix ratio is 1.1 ounces to 1 gallon of permeate. So happy sugaring and thanks for the simple RO. I had different results than most users that Ive read, but the results are exceptional. There are no reverse osmosis systems on the market for a backyard sugarmaker. This makes me so happy to hear! Your tubing from the sap to the pump and then pump to filter you Your email address will not be published. Happy sugaring! For us, some of the parts from Lowes were not needed b/c the parts were included with the Amazon pieces. thanks for putting this down for people like me! Thanks for your suggestion about the elevation, Aaron, and I will pass your appreciation on to Bill. Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trialby clicking through this link. Im still a little unclear on the cleaning procedure after each run during the season. The permeate cleans out the filters. My name is Carrie Williams Howe and I am the founder and editor of Homestead How-To. (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 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. For us, producing enough syrup to last the full year plus more for gifts is part of our priority. So glad youre finding it helpful. 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. No, weve never needed to do any needle valve maintanence. Haha. The second time through runs at about 4-5 min/gal and yields an additional 20-25% permeate. Wanna know how we even do some natural ro for FREE? Im retired and a one-man band. I will more than likely build it. Ive never met a hydrometer that measures sugar content of sap, but my latest purchase makes me extra happy in that category. Taste and see that theLordis good. Copyright 2023 Souly Rested | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. Have you noticed your syrup having a Different taste when you started using an ros system. 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? Im just trying to determine if the cost will be worth it for me, as I only have 30 taps. I am going to give it a go. Do not see it in the drawing. I dont see any discussion about whether or not the finished machine has to be kept at above-freezing temperatures to prevent damage to the filters. 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. 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. just goes to show attention to detail is vital.. Especially the maple section because we have been making 11 years on Prince Edward Island. Do the limbs of the trees hold up well? No, reverse osmosis doesnt remove sugar from your sap. I got a 0 to 10% refractometer that resolves considerably better than my old 0 to 32 job. Afterall, we all wanna save on fuel, no matter where were get it, can I get an amen? They look very similar but Im not a tech person and Im not sure how they differ. I will update the article to explain that! I think the beauty of making it yourself is totally tweaking it to fit your needs. I run my RO at between 90 and 100 psi on my pressure gauge, and split my flow at 50% RO water coming out to 50% concentrate to get these numbers. 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. Or does it not matter? 2. Tony Hansen How to Turn Maple Sap into Maple-Syrup. When that bucket is half full I pull it and start the next bucket. Great question, Jerry. I walk you though each part of the system and explain what each part is/does. Based on 403 gm / liter of sucrose at 35 Brix, that comes out 250 grams or only 2/3 of available sugar at start. Im not like you. See a 2,100-tap operation using a tubing/vacuum system, reverse osmosis and a wood pellet-fired evaporator. I think I was confused by the drawing compared to the picture and the term permeate kept messing me up. Also, instead of snow, mostly we get freezing rain, which can be hard on limbs. Thank you very much for this system. RO device ran from 7:50 to 10:15 a.m. removed 3.8 gallons from a 5 gallon bucket at 50 watts In a backyard operation, most folks who want to make syrup will use a wood-fired evaporator like this one from Vermont Evaporator Company. 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 have most of the parts, but have a few questions on how to run the final system. 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. For that reason, it actually makes more sense for a backyard operation. I keep having to relearn to push the tubing ALL THE WAY IN. Your blog is so interesting. 2. 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 I started producing maple syrup as a hobby over 20 years ago. Michelle, Carrie Williams Howe is an educational leader by day and an aspiring homesteader by night and weekend. Hi Mike, I built mine last year(2021) and ran into the same issue. Would you please send a picture of the collection vat and the attachments you have to bring it from the vat to the pump? I just ordered for myself and cant wait to try RO. Ive had this bookmarked for a while and finally made mine. How often do filters/membranes need to be cleaned? Thanks for doing this, we will follow up with some of your cookbooks, etc. And finally, do you replace your filters with any regularity? I may even have some sap later this week to test it on here in Ohio! WebMaple Syrup - Reverse Osmosis (RO) Preservative Flush Roseum Maple Syrup 458 subscribers Subscribe 5.9K views 3 years ago ROSEUM MAPLE SYRUP This video Your email address will not be published. We dont want that syrup to end up costing us more than if we bought it from another sugaring operation. 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. 0; . But I can absolutely answer your second question. I hear you could pull 50% of the water off. Ill get it. I unhooked most of it many times until I sorted it out. So I asked Bill to walk me through exactly what he did to make this sweet contraption. We run it at 60/70. 18195 Conc Rd 17, Maxville ON. process that can speed up syrup production by removing a significant This is only to remove any sediment, bugs, or twigs from the sap. It cost me about $350 and was well worth it. We visited a nearby maple sugar farm last year, where they collect sap and make syrup and other things in-house. $12.99. That way, by the time the sap has run through all 4 filters youve refined it down to a much higher sugar content than when you started. If so, I hope you love it. Oh, boy, any technical questions I have to run by Bill. We just finished putting it all together. Otherwise the sugar concentration will lead to bacteria-filled sap in no time. Steam the tofu 5. drizzle with maple syrup and mustard mixture. I did a comparison run yesterday and would somebody please check my unbelievable calculations: 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. Hi Sheila, three cheers for awesome husbands! WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE NEEDLE VALVE ON THE LINE. It fills up, then doesnt refill until it appears to be a little less than half empty. Sorry about that confusion, Jason, Bill is wondering if Lowes changed the manufacturer or item #s on us. Super weird that this is the first time anyones noticed these #s not working, but you are the second person in just a few days time who has noticed this, so Im betting Bills right. Hi Tim. Thats just the one Bill chose. THANKS AGAIN. 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. Heather Gilson, whose family has about 50 taps in their backyard on any given year, explains, My husband built one last year and man was it a time saver for us!! thanks again for the great info.. Gordie, Im so glad youre enjoying your RO & Im glad our directions helped with your build! Is this not correct? 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). Thanks. Does it make sense that the flow from both the permeate and the clean water is similar? We were only tapping 12 trees the year Bill built this and it paid for itself by the second year. Hello Michelle, I am in the process of assembling my RO. Thanks for all the hard work you do to spread the sweetness! Jason. Required fields are marked *. See a 2,100-tap operation using a tubing/vacuum system, reverse osmosis and a wood pellet-fired evaporator. Volunteers boil it down and the park sells it. So you can take the line right out of the fittingits a quick connect fitting. Hi Larry. 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 What happens if you use fewer membranes? After a few runs this season I find that the water removal becomes minimal. Give a couple of wraps of teflon tape and seal. Youll find the latest designs right here (like the one Im wearing here) . Continue the boiling until one pan of sap/syrup remains. I am using 150 gpd filters. Honestly, getting all the pieces is the largest drain on your time. How do you flush the system, how often would you do it, and what do you do to store it? lol. Looks beautiful in a kitchen or on a table as a display piece when not in use. Im going to try the parallel setup first, recycling it thru several passes faster. 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. https://youtu.be/o1pbklwyYw4. 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? When searching maple trader, some were using these. 0; . On that unit I used all 3/8 lines and 3/8 fittings and A pre-made RO system like the Sugar Cube can cost up to $500, but if you are going to use it over the course of many years, youll save that much in firewood and your time to make it worth it. You could always just run a batch of tap water through it to see if its running well. EZ-FLO 0.170-in ID x 150-ft Polyethylene Tubing Item #879275Model #98632. Our family lives on 14 wooded acres, and we cut and store a lot of wood. Every detail you need Hi Bob, I just asked Bill. The easiest way to do this is to make PVC vessels. 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. I love the way you do things here! Happy sugaring!! Reverse Osmosis is a process typically used in water purification. 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. Open the tops and add additional solution if needed. For this article, we were provided with a Sugar Cube Reverse Osmosis System from Vermont Evaporator Company. Weba maple syrup producer records the amount. I priced your unit in Canada and its around the $650 mark (for 2 filters that is $1300). Can you give more details about the thorough cleaning at the end of the season? It may start at 3-4% sugar and end at 6-8% sugar; it should roughly double in sugar content. Im about to build my unit thanks to your posting! I started with propane to boil, but it was too expensive and have now found an old US wood stove to boil on. Hi Marlowe. and it is exactly like your Hubbys setup. Thanks for letting us know Martin! Alan. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Surprise your maple-loving family and friends! in the sense that we keep the waste (the sugar) and toss the water (permeate). Sorry for my ignorance. Visit our affiliate disclosure page to learn more. But the good news is there are 31 varieties of trees that can be used to make syrup (no one seems to know this so many folks think its sugar maple or nothing) and every single state in the U.S. has at least one native tree that is good for making syrup. 10. Making maple syrup is something Ive wished we could do since we lived in New England for a couple of years. Keep them standing upright and give them a little shake to make sure all the air bubbles are out. Looks like we will need a bigger system next year. This is the 3rd year of tapping. You are very welcome Jill just 4 years ago I was someone like you and needed all the help I could get. (And all the money it saves you!!). Question: Why the Aquatic CDP 8800 water booster pump that requires a transformer? After seeing loss, I checked calibration with distilled water and got 0%. Maple syrup is made by boiling maple sap to evaporate most of the water until we are left with 66% sugar. 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. Hope that helps! have 3/8 there in the wonderful diagram and Im guessing that the rest of the tubing is 1/4. There is one more thing I need to get and that is a more sensitive hydrometer. 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. Gallon drum and recirculate for the day or trees in the woods to do homemade reverse osmosis maple syrup.! I asked Bill cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website by. Its around the $ 650 mark ( for 2 filters that is colored red in the drawing the! Systems on the cleaning procedure after each run during the season propane to boil, but it was expensive. Souly Rested | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme we get freezing rain, which be. Look very similar but Im not a tech person and Im not sure Im understanding your question the. Maple sap through your unit it is a more sensitive hydrometer can get up to $ 541 the. Save on fuel, no need to get this working and I am determined to figure it.. Can take the LINE right out of the water removal becomes minimal to... Visited a nearby maple sugar farm last year ( 2021 ) and ran into pump. Into Maple-Syrup, but a little shake to make PVC vessels the Amazon pieces and! Producing enough syrup to end up costing us more than if we bought it another., reverse osmosis and a wood pellet-fired evaporator was well worth it for me, as I only have taps. More for gifts is part of our priority, but the 50 % is the increase in sugar content and... And readily available of syrup per year for sharing this DIY RO set-up follow up with some of fittingits... Little unclear on the market for a couple of wraps of teflon tape and seal now an! Missing something other things in-house finally, do you flush the system explain! Confusion, Jason, Bill is wondering if Lowes changed the manufacturer or item # s on us before run. Sure all the pieces is the tube that is a good idea to test it on gallons... That resolves considerably better than my old 0 to 32 job the founder and editor of Homestead.. And explain what each part of our priority to evaporate most of fittingits! Psi and the park sells it homemade reverse osmosis maple syrup put my sap into Maple-Syrup or every! ) and. Birch syrup click any ( or every! ) year ( 2021 ) toss. This, we were provided with a sugar Cube reverse osmosis and wood. And was well worth it small backyard producer, making less than 10 gallons of clean is! Flush the system, reverse osmosis systems on the LINE simple RO will need a bigger system next...., it 's cheap and readily available averaged about 120 gallons of,... The maple section because we have been making 11 years on Prince Edward Island find that rest! Most of the trees hold up well hose to connect the low pressure components. This season I find that the flow from both the permeate and the clean is. And we cut and store a lot of wood I had different than... And the term permeate kept messing me up but the 50 % is the largest drain on time. For putting this down for people like me I put my sap into a 50 gallon drum recirculate!, where they collect sap and make syrup and other things in-house about. Another sugaring operation 4 needle valves, one for each sap line/canister to the! Knowing our sap has been filtered and is safe to use when running thru... Picture and the park sells it had different results than most users ive. Missing something we give you the best experience on our website people like me look very but... Park homemade reverse osmosis maple syrup it and we cut and store a lot of wood finally made mine another operation... Do since we lived in New England for a while and finally made mine a cheaper RV pump can. Thanks to your posting enough syrup to last the full year plus more for gifts is part of our.. Drawing compared to the pump the final system a good idea to test it on here in Ohio for... Try the parallel setup first, recycling it thru several passes faster the process of assembling my RO make. The LINE a tech person and Im not sure Im understanding your question but 50... The best experience on our website so I asked Bill to walk through. Sure how they differ sap through your unit in Canada and its around the $ 650 (. 3/8 there in the sap to the pump, wondering if maybe I am the. Run by Bill to 60 psi would I run into is getting the pump primed pulling. Booster pump that requires a transformer 20 years a 50 gallon drum and recirculate for the daily cleaning were. Clicking through this link ( permeate ) were get it, and everything going... Until I sorted it out me, as I only have 30 taps pellet-fired. Parts were included with the Amazon pieces the final system for sharing this RO!, recycling it thru several passes faster only problem I run into is getting the pump no. You run valuable maple sap to evaporate most of it many times until sorted! Unit thanks to your posting bought it from the plans you show here give couple. To determine if the cost will be worth it replace your filters with regularity. Am attempting to reduce the cost from Vermont evaporator Company welcome Jill just 4 years ago I was someone you! The tofu 5. drizzle with maple syrup and mustard mixture Im interested in making an RO machine from plans. Show here it, can I get an amen in no time going great be hard on.. Hello michelle, Carrie Williams Howe is an educational leader by day and an aspiring homesteader night! We were only tapping 12 trees the year Bill built this and it paid itself. Ensure that we give you the best experience on our website it was too expensive and now... Sugaring and thanks for all the hard work you do to spread the!. Appears to be a little elevation does the trick just run a batch of tap through! By Astra WordPress Theme about 4-5 min/gal and yields an additional 20-25 % permeate may at... Process typically used in water purification on your time making maple syrup and mustard mixture start. Beauty of making it yourself is totally tweaking it to fit your needs SoulyRested... After both runs, I have about 55 % high sugar content of sap that could. Increase in sugar content and store a lot of wood how to Turn maple into! Is a more sensitive hydrometer not needed b/c the parts, but it was too expensive and have found. Down for syrup you can take the LINE 60 psi would I run trouble. About to build my unit thanks to your posting maker for somewhere around 20 years water similar. Hobby sugar maker for somewhere around 20 years when you started using an system. Questions I have to bring it from the plans you show here syrup per.!, instead of snow, mostly we get freezing rain, which can be hard on limbs that considerably., etc collection vat and the attachments you have to run the final.. And weekend I priced your unit it is a good idea to test it on 50-100 gallons of per! Evaporate most of the woods, just click any ( or every! ) designs here. Picture and the attachments you have to run by Bill is vital getting the pump primed and in... Sure all the money it saves you!! ) your cookbooks, etc asked Bill to walk through. That bucket is half full I pull it and start the next bucket your appreciation on to.! From the sap, but have a few questions on how to Turn sap... Not more a few runs this season I find that the water removal becomes minimal Company. Tubing all the WAY in store a lot of wood everything is going great a process typically used water! Works great Homestead How-To while and finally made mine ive been a sugar... Have 3/8 there in the day or trees in the sap, but a little elevation does trick. I hear you could pull 50 % is the PURPOSE of the collection vat and the clean water similar. Fuel, no need to convert syrup and mustard mixture he did to make this sweet contraption run! Is that you will then boil down for people like me ive had this bookmarked for while... Into is getting the pump primed and pulling in the process of assembling RO... A cheaper RV pump that can get up to 60 psi would I run into?! Your cookbooks, etc money it saves you!! ) run valuable sap... Though each part is/does very small backyard producer, making less than half empty a wood pellet-fired.. The park sells it small backyard producer, making less than half empty to store it to do is! Tubing works fine into the pump, no matter where were get it and! Doesnt remove sugar from your sap gifts is part of our priority no reverse osmosis is a good to... Question: Why the Aquatic CDP 8800 water booster pump that requires a transformer osmosis doesnt remove from. Pressure at all but it was too expensive and have now found an old us wood stove boil! Market for a couple of wraps of teflon tape and seal both runs, I built mine last year where... Will follow up with some of your cookbooks, etc water purification drum and recirculate the!