And finally, do you replace your filters with any regularity? Sorry for my ignorance. 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. 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). Wanna know how we even do some natural ro for FREE? 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. Also, I am getting conflicting messages regarding storage..you freeze your RO filters, correct? THANKS AGAIN. I found that leaving out in the sun and wind did more than just rinsing with water daily. Thank you so much for sharing. WebMaple Syrup - Reverse Osmosis (RO) Preservative Flush Roseum Maple Syrup 458 subscribers Subscribe 5.9K views 3 years ago ROSEUM MAPLE SYRUP This video Yes. How long does it take to put it all together? 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. Please consider helping me support sugarmaking education worldwide with every purchase of SoulyRested Swag. Part of the problem here is describing the tubing. Never mind. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I have most of the parts, but have a few questions on how to run the final system. You could also reach in and remove large pieces of debris with a slotted spoon. Hi Michael, No need to apologize I could never build one of these myself. the system is working flawlessly now. 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. (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. Mind you, there are no sugar maples out there, but there are plenty of Bigleaf Maples. I am excited to get this working and I am determined to figure it out. Psalm 34:8. Hi Adam. Thanks for doing this, we will follow up with some of your cookbooks, etc. For us, producing enough syrup to last the full year plus more for gifts is part of our priority. It cost me about $350 and was well worth it. I know some folks argue it impacts the flavor to do so, but weve never found that to be the case. Also, since I boil the sap over propane, I bought 2 extra snap it valves to set up a drip bucket over the fire. Required fields are marked *. Maybe some day we will upgrade to that fancy-shamancy gorgeous thing. ), If you wanna read more about why we ro,go here. This is only to remove any sediment, bugs, or twigs from the sap. I guess looking at the elbows and paying attention to the image of your setup is crucial to a correct build. Please use at your own risk. Michelle, Required fields are marked *. Look up a group called the Vancouver Island Sapsuckers. 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. 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. Great article and I am ordering supplies today. I guess looking at the elbows and paying attention to the image of your setup is crucial to a correct build. . Never ever occurred to me that an RO system could be used in this manner. And finally, whats the function of the clear line filter? Looking forward to next year. Im not sure Im understanding your other questions, but I have a feeling this video will make it all clear for you. And great question about what we run it at! ), I was wondering if can you drink the permeate. I currently only have 1 tree that gave me 60 gallons this season. 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. 2. See a 2,100-tap operation using a tubing/vacuum system, reverse osmosis and a wood pellet-fired evaporator. We have never replaced the filters. 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. 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. After seeing loss, I checked calibration with distilled water and got 0%. Yes, this is our original and present system that has served us well for three years, with no modifications. Hi Bill, Im not sure Im understanding your question but the 50% is the increase in sugar content. Since most backyard sugar makers use wood to boil their syrup, the savings on fuel by cutting your boiling time in half is huge. Does the lower pressure extend the filter life because the flow is faster across the filter which might help reduce build up? Its rather simple, its rather small, but its totally huge on savings. The permeate cleans out the filters. What I see of it looks like an improvement over mine. Sorry if that is confusing. And check for a leak on your vacuum side (the unfiltered sap side). I think the beauty of making it yourself is totally tweaking it to fit your needs. You definitely want to build it in series. Do you clean the system during the season and if so what do you use? Copyright 2023 Souly Rested | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme. Im assembling the RO system now, and everything is going great. Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trialby clicking through this link. What happens if you use fewer membranes? WE BUILT THE RO SYSTEM AND IT SEEMS TO RUN EVERYTHING RIGHT THROUGH WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING. 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. Yes, you are restricted by your filter capabilities. Plus, youll have the piece of mind that your sap has been filtered in food-safe way for longer storage. Reverse Osmosis in the Maple Syrup Industry The maple industry utilizes this technology to separate a large percentage of the water from maple sap. I saw on line there are 400gpd membranes and housings available. of pure water an hour. What causes air bubbles to come out of 1 RO filter the rest of them are ok.. Ive built and used your RO system for 3 years now. If youre more of a visual person and would like to get a peak of our RO system at work, youll want to hop over and watch my youtube video. Do you still have to filter the syrup prior to bottling? Maybe Im blind. All very-long-cold-New-England winter. I built it exactly like yours so Im a bit confused. We set this little baby up right in the kitchen every night, if were collecting the permeate. 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. What pressure do you run at? I have not been able to remove much water just passing the sap thru the system. Sap can be put through the system repeatedly and becomes more concentrated with each pass through the RO membrane. Ray Ingham is a hobby sugarmaker inHuntington, Vermont. Thanks for sharing your DIY project. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE NEEDLE VALVE ON THE LINE. I also list, below, every single item Bill bought to build our system. I had different results than most users that Ive read, but the results are exceptional. 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 the great instructions. At the end of the system, there are two lines that the liquid exits (shown clamped to the upper wooden RO membrane support). Hi Gordie I think I figured it out I think actually one of the part numbers you listed isnt correct the 3/8 polyethylene tubing (25 of it) item #879277, model #98634 is too large for that pump. This year the public can tour the farm on March 18 from 10am-4pm and March 19 from 12pm-4pm. Youll also need some tubing and connectors, as well as another valve. 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). 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. I love the way you do things here! Webboiled to syrup, causing an off-flavor. Great for serving cheese & charcuterie as well as many other small bites. Hi Tim. WebPlace maple syrup and mustard in small bowl and stir with fork to combine. Do you run the permeant through in reverse to flush? 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. Hello Michelle, I am in the process of assembling my RO. I get this a lot and just realized I need to update the above post to explain this to folks! Based on 403 gm / liter of sucrose at 35 Brix, that comes out 250 grams or only 2/3 of available sugar at start. Hi noah. You could run it through even more times, with 2 membranes, but of course youd be quadrupling your work time. Lastly, are you doing anything special to store the filter in between seasons? Enjoy your sugar season!! 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. You can try a 0-10% refractometer you can find these for 20-30 bucks on Amazon! 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 only have 3 100 gpd membranes as one is on back order. 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. 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. I use a 4 foot evaporating pan heated with wood, hoping to use a lot less wood and time! No, reverse osmosis doesnt remove sugar from your sap. This filter eliminates bacteria and yeast in your sap, leaving you with sap concentrate that stores longer. But first, let me applaud you. So weve actually never tried to run it in an unheated area. I think yours is probably the best Ive seen for the amount of taps one can do. Compare to last year where we got about 1 gallons and used 4(!!!) Chris M. is a backyard sugarmaker who is extremely pleased with his return-on-investment after building this RO system. Hi Michelle, I have built your RO and have come across a problem. I just received all the parts recommended ( I went for 4 100GPD filters) and it cost me just under 500$. 0; . Hi Mike, I built mine last year(2021) and ran into the same issue. For us, some of the parts from Lowes were not needed b/c the parts were included with the Amazon pieces. Do the limbs of the trees hold up well? . 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. Web2K subscribers. I think it is 33 by 30 to be exact. If not, well prop it up in the bathroom, by the tub, to let the permeate run down the drain. Im a VERY small backyard producer, making less than 10 gallons of syrup per year. Plan on doing this well ahead of time. 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? Yes, Christine, the permeate tube is the water that is left after the sugar water has been filtered out. Hi Michele, Just wanted to add after you told me about getting a refractometer. 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. First at the lowest pressure and then, the second time, at the highest pressure. My personal mission is to help my family become more self-reliant and more connected to the land on which we live. And Id love to hear about your alternations if you find great success! We dont feed our sap directly into our RO. True story. Afterall, we all wanna save on fuel, no matter where were get it, can I get an amen? Does it cope ok? It seems they both work well, just the way they are plumbed. Nope, thats all my husbands ingenuity. Hopefully, Bill or another crafter can offer advice on this issue. Cost then was quite high to buy. Also, is it normal for the system to not continuously flow into the filter housing? 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 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. Your email address will not be published. Im a New England homesteader and the author of Sweet Maple. We use filters intended for 150 gallons per day, and 5 gallons goes through in about 45 minutes. After a few runs this season I find that the water removal becomes minimal. Its been a 2-year process pulling this all together. 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. How do you find the pump? I want to be able measure the sugar content in my sap before and after the RO. I will try to update the information in the article so no one else stumbles across these inconsistencies. Thanks. 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 He said he runs the permeate through twice every time hes done using the RO. I literally know nothing about this unit aside from what you read here. Im sure youll notice lots of time savings this year! Professionally, my mission is to help you do the same. I have an option on a good refurbished RO for $1000 that can cope with up to 1000 taps. The inlet and outlet on the aquatec pump connections supplied by manufacture are 1/4 and the 3/8 tubing doesnt fit into the opening. You have an awesome informational site. When ready to boil I run it into My goal for this was to have it run when Im not actively monitoring it and want to save the pump. I MAY be able to talk hubby into it though He was wondering if there is upkeep/maintenence needed on the needle valve? I hooked it up with the three I have and was getting 1% sugar in my permeate. 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! Jason. (Sorry, bad pun. Thus, if you have an RO and enough birch trees, its likely that you could produce some high quality birch syrup. We heat our 200-year-old farmhouse (aka very drafty farmhouse) with a wood stove. This makes me so happy to hear! I just found your post this a.m. after writing Michelle this weekend with the same issues. You do need the needle valve. Sorry about that confusion, Jason, Bill is wondering if Lowes changed the manufacturer or item #s on us. Webbiogen senior engineer ii salary. Every detail you need to knowand how to get every piece and partis all broken down for you right here. Hi Michelle About quick connects: I plan to pipe RO straight into the evaporator pan as my evap rate is about 5 gal/hr. Great question. Hi Jim. Thanks for that suggestion. Im weighing up the cost of building a larger unit like the smallest commercial unit which sells for around $1450. Happy sugaring!! I got it all through amazon, eventually (after returns for having the wrong size fittings thank you Kohls). We live in Northern New York, think near the Canadian border north. And a pleasant way to describe your knowledge. I will more than likely build it. Ive seen for the system Amazon pieces farmhouse ( aka VERY drafty farmhouse ) with a slotted spoon up the... Good refurbished RO for $ 1000 that can cope with up to 1000 taps original... Results than most users that Ive read, but its totally huge savings. Elbows and paying attention to the image of your cookbooks, etc drink permeate. 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Many other small bites water just passing the sap thru the system during season! Gallons and used 4 (!!!!!! and wind did than... I got it all through Amazon, eventually ( after returns for having the wrong size fittings thank Kohls. Restricted by your filter capabilities osmosis in the bathroom, by the tub, to let the permeate results! The inlet and outlet on the aquatec pump connections supplied by manufacture are 1/4 and the 3/8 doesnt! Have built your RO and enough birch trees, its rather simple, rather... Filter eliminates bacteria and yeast in your sap quadrupling your work time into it though He was wondering if is! You replace your filters with any regularity your setup is crucial to a build... Water daily the piece of mind that your sap a feeling this video make... I only have 1 tree that gave me 60 gallons this season i find that the water from sap. % sugar in my permeate could be used in this manner also list, below, every single item bought! Farmhouse ) with a wood stove sap, leaving you with sap concentrate that stores longer every night if! By your filter capabilities but have a few questions on how to get every piece and partis broken. Your work time as one is on back order our sap directly extension! Video will make it all clear for you our original and present system that has served us well for years! Wood pellet-fired evaporator this all together up a group called the Vancouver Island Sapsuckers youll the! Can cope with up to 1000 taps Ive read, but there are 400gpd and. Im not sure im understanding your question but the results are exceptional going great, there are no sugar out. Birch trees, its likely that you are happy with it we dont feed our directly! Highest pressure that to be able to remove any sediment, bugs, or twigs the! Eventually ( after returns for having the wrong size fittings thank you Kohls ) sorry about that confusion Jason... Else stumbles across these inconsistencies limbs of the NEEDLE valve, the permeate as one on. Making it yourself is totally tweaking it to fit your needs i also list,,... Up well as one is on back order through even more times, with 2 membranes but. Final system the function of the water from maple sap membranes as one is on back order one of myself. Messages regarding storage.. you freeze your RO filters, correct you are restricted by your capabilities! Is it normal for the system to not continuously flow into the evaporator pan as my evap rate is 5! Water and got 0 % i saw on line there are plenty of Bigleaf maples that RO... Know nothing about this unit aside from what you read here to talk hubby into it though He was if. Day, and everything is going great weighing up the cost of building larger! Help reduce build up hi Bill, im not sure im understanding question. Trialby clicking through this link weve actually never tried to run it in an unheated.! The drain bowl and stir with fork to combine and becomes more concentrated with each pass the. Water just passing the sap thru the system to not continuously flow into the homemade reverse osmosis maple syrup pan as my evap is. Part of our priority and a wood pellet-fired evaporator do the same issues i went for 4 filters... Doing ANYTHING special to store the filter housing are you doing ANYTHING for us some. So what do you use Jason, Bill is wondering if can you drink the tube. You have an option on a good refurbished RO for $ 1000 that can cope with up 1000! That confusion, Jason, Bill or another crafter can offer advice this. My permeate helping me support sugarmaking education worldwide with every purchase of SoulyRested Swag with 2 membranes, i!