Hi Michelle, At the end of every season, we run 5-10 gallons of permeate through the system, then we remove the filters from their casings and mark where each filter was in the system (so we can change their position each year, to hopefully give them a longer life) Then we put them in a ziplock bag and store them in the refrigerator until the next sugar season. I dont have a refractometer, but the difference in taste is dramatic. Happy boiling! We chose 4 membranes cause we read that any more is pointless, but wanted to maximize what we could. The next two weekends I recirculated the sap at 80-90 psi and the difference was incredible. WebTotal 9584 products from sugar free substitute for maple syrup Manufactures & Suppliers The links were particularly useful, and i made good use of them.. As we speak, I am three gallons of concentrate to the good, and am planning double my taps. My concentrate was sound 4%. Ray Ingham is a hobby sugarmaker inHuntington, Vermont. I put my sap into a 50 gallon drum and recirculate for the day. First at the lowest pressure and then, the second time, at the highest pressure. 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. Every detail you need to knowand how to get every piece and partis all broken down for you right here. Me? Thanks and happy sugaring!! yay! Wanna save hundreds of dollars a year on fuel by adding a homemade RO system to your backyard sugaring operation? I did a comparison run yesterday and would somebody please check my unbelievable calculations: Im pretty sure sugar maple trees would grow here, but in zone 8, would they make syrup? The whole point of boiling sap is to evaporate water and be left with a thick, sugary maple syrup. , So interesting!! Welcome to Homestead How-To, a virtual learning community those who want to live a more rustic and self-reliant life! To test, i just ran tap water through. 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. Open the tops and add additional solution if needed. He has 400 trees. Every detail you need That is insane return on my investment!. But Im a little slow. even read about storing the filters in permeate. Im not sure Im understanding your other questions, but I have a feeling this video will make it all clear for you. Order Wavey Maple Cheese Board online from Urban Stead Cheese. You could also reach in and remove large pieces of debris with a slotted spoon. I meant to ask, Wouldnt the less expensive 115V direct plug booster pump (i.e., not needing a transformer) be a simpler and effective option? Our family makes anywhere from 15 to 25 gallons of syrup each year. I have about 80 red maples some are huge and some are younger. At the end of the system, there are two lines that the liquid exits (shown clamped to the upper wooden RO membrane support). Thank you again for sharing your wisdom! Hi Michele, Just wanted to add after you told me about getting a refractometer. Thank you, Gordie, for letting me know all of this!! 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. 9. Cleaning Between Batches. End of Season Cleaning and Next Season Start-upCLEANING AFTER USE DURING THE SEASON After you process a batch of sap f Weba maple syrup producer records the amount. We collected over 3000 gals of sap this year in 5 weeks. HI Michelle, 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. 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. WebMaple Syrup - Reverse Osmosis (RO) Preservative Flush Roseum Maple Syrup 458 subscribers Subscribe 5.9K views 3 years ago ROSEUM MAPLE SYRUP This video Never ever occurred to me that an RO system could be used in this manner. I have completed the building of my RO kit and am awaiting sap season here in minnesota. Ray says, For anyone who is thinking about building one of these, I say do it! You can try a 0-10% refractometer you can find these for 20-30 bucks on Amazon! It took about a week of rinsing with water to get the smell from the pvc primer and glue to go away. I know nothing, as you can tell. Looks like there is a shut off between the supply line and the pump to control the flow? I started producing maple syrup as a hobby over 20 years ago. Spendy at $30 each. My primary limitation is sap storage. We heat our 200-year-old farmhouse (aka very drafty farmhouse) with a wood stove. 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? Skillet did 3.84 kwh / gallon of water removed. For instance, if I planted a maple, how long before I could tap it? If you dont, drop me a line and let me know! Follow up questions re: cleaning. 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. The 1/4 ID has a 3/8 OD. I also list, below, every single item Bill bought to build our system. 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. We live in nowhere-ville, so traveling to Lowes is quite a trek. I have huge respect for DIYers like you who know what they want and can seriously build it. Man I wish I could have Bill on video chat! Steam the tofu 5. drizzle with maple syrup and mustard mixture. This post contains affiliate links & I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Thats what we boil down to make syrup. Looks like we will need a bigger system next year. just goes to show attention to detail is vital.. Listing . It will take more water out of the sap, I was just happy to get it down to half. That would still account for only 60 of the missing 130 grams. If I were to put this together this summer to be ready for next harvest, what could I test it with to make sure it is working correctly? Thanks for the great instructions. Cost-wise, the investment can pay for itself in just a few years with this savings. 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. WebHeat allows maple syrup to develop the characteristic color and flavor that make it so desirable. Hi Adam. 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. I run hydrogen peroxide thru at the end of each season and vacuum seal the filters. Keep them standing upright and give them a little shake to make sure all the air bubbles are out. (And heres a facebook live video showing how it works.) Then at the end of the season, we store the membranes in ziploc baggies in the fridge. An RO concentrates the sugar, removing the permeate, or pure water from the sap. My setup is nearly the exact same as yours. And I have huge respect for Bill and for YOU, since youre here. Heat olive oil and butter in large frying pan over high heat. How long are they typically good for? We filter out the impurities (aka the sugars in the sap) and keep them. Basically, I cant connect the 3/8 tubing to the pump because its actually 1/2 and too big for those outlets. Seriously. 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. Its been a 2-year process pulling this all together. Hi Michelle, Just want to thank you and Bill for your plans and advice on the RO setup. You need to check out this article where I describe Bills system in detail: https://soulyrested.com/2020/03/02/how-to-make-syrup-using-pumps-for-collecting-sap/ Hope that helps! If you are still learning how to collect, boil, and bottle maple syrup, head over here to this article about making syrup, step-by-step or, better yet, pick up a copy of Sweet Maple. If so, I hope you love it. Fascinating! Luckily, there are other options for obtaining a reserve osmosis set-up. 2. The frame is a rectangular base welded from 1 1/2 in angle iron. It measures 18 inches wide by 24 inches long. It has a mounting plate for the h 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. I think it is 33 by 30 to be exact. I think yours is probably the best Ive seen for the amount of taps one can do. I am building an RO fashioned after one of my neighbors here in WI. Every time we use the RO we run the permeate through the system (both sideswe close the brass valve and let it run) before shutting it all down for the night. This means less time monitoring the evaporator and, importantly, less wood needed to boil and make our syrup. And Id love to hear about your alternations if you find great success! I was in the shade and busy. could you explain how you first startup the system and shut it down for storage at the end of the maple season. He said he was processing between 18-20 of sap per hr. All this and so much more is explained in Sweet Maple. Jason. Thanks for doing this, we will follow up with some of your cookbooks, etc. The actual red colored tubing on our RO system (see photo above) is NOT colored red on Bills drawing. Your RO filter looks fantastic. (We use the 150 gpd filters. Im elated that you found this page. I noticed in your post on 2/15/19 to Christine, that you ID the red line as the sap line, when I think that it is the waste water from what I can tell by both your diagram and the actual photo of your set up. Well, that is if youre like Bill. Thanks in advance. Free samples of maple products and maple baked goods will be available. Hi Wayne, Maybe you need to play with your needle valve and adjust the pressure? Ive been a hobby sugar maker for somewhere around 20 years. Our goal is to create a curated library of how-to information by and for homesteaders of all varieties. This is the 3rd year of tapping. At 70 psi I am getting 3 gals of sugar water every 10 minutes with 20 to 25% water coming off the sap. We live in Northern New York, think near the Canadian border north. You really only need one to measure the low numbers up to 15 % sugar, I purchased one yesterday and it is to arrive today. when you say running a bucket of permeate ., Im assuming you mean going through the bucket using the system the same way you use it to go through your SAP. We dont want that syrup to end up costing us more than if we bought it from another sugaring operation. Thats just the one Bill chose. I have no idea what to expect it to look like while running. Im just trying to determine if the cost will be worth it for me, as I only have 30 taps. I think I was confused by the drawing compared to the picture and the term permeate kept messing me up. No, weve never needed to do any needle valve maintanence. thanks for putting this down for people like me! I love the way you do things here! . For you, it is more about the experience than the production. Maybe I need even SMALLER tubing for the filters? Thanks for your info. Have you done any upgrades to your present listed system at all? Seriously. Yes!! HI Michelle Do I need to find couplers to change to 3/8 or can I just use 1/4 for that part. So I asked Bill to walk me through exactly what he did to make this sweet contraption. Or if youd like to read through the process we go through to actually bottle our maple syrup,go here. Hi Jason, WE BUILT THE RO SYSTEM AND IT SEEMS TO RUN EVERYTHING RIGHT THROUGH WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING. Do the filters NEED to be kept in the fridge? Excited to start using this. I would run the RO over night and extract about 7 gals. Would you please send a picture of the collection vat and the attachments you have to bring it from the vat to the pump? 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. We are a very small family operation and your RO works really well. tanks of propane. It will cut your fuel costs in half, if not more. If youre like me. Also, is there something magic about that particular pump? When that bucket is half full I pull it and start the next bucket. But after the sap has run through the ro system, we can spend a lot less time, energy, and fuel to boil it. This system is fantastic! Web2K subscribers. I have never run an RO system and am not quite sure how to run it. tanks of propane. Sounds crazy, but Ive talked to too many folks who do this to not believe em. Psalm 34:8. Michelle. Hopefully, Bill or another crafter can offer advice on this issue. I got a lot of wet. Works great. We use the 150 gpd filters. Hi noah. Then see what the system does under various operating conditions. Id sure like to reduce my energy cost. The pump is available for sale on line; I linked to the one we use above. Thanks for making me not look wrong. I only tapped today, dont expect a run until later in the week if the temps raise. What is the function of the 5 micron filter? Its was 2% to start with. 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 dont feed our sap directly into our RO. Also, is it normal for the system to not continuously flow into the filter housing? Please consider submitting your own how-to advice through the write for us link in the About Us tab above. Plenty of elbow grease and lots of clean, hot water are the best cleaning agents for maple syrup equipment. I think I may try to rig up a smaller system than yours, by eliminating 1 or 2 of the RO filters and maybe running the sap thru twice. Costs for home producers are relatively high Volunteers boil it down and the park sells it. 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 Im up to $541 ordering the recommended parts on Amazon and am attempting to reduce the cost. 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. When it is low, remove it from the fire and transfer the syrup into a waiting finishing pan. But after every single use we run 5 gallons worth of permeate back through, to flush the filters. If you have a new parts list that you used, with the corrected item #s and details, that would be helpful. I have not been able to remove much water just passing the sap thru the system. Thanks for that suggestion. Thanks, Bob. Hmmmm, maybe if I ask around I can get an answer for you and Ill get back to you if I do. The product you will use it called membrane preservative (Metabisulfite Sodium). 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. Dont use rusty or corroded spouts, buckets, or other maple utensils. The authors homemade PVC hangers for collecting syrup. On that unit I used all 3/8 lines and 3/8 fittings and Try setting you brass valve (petcock) to around 70-80 psi. Great article and I am ordering supplies today. The views expressed by authors on this site are based on their experiences only; Homestead-How To in no way provides any warranty, expressed or implied, toward the content of these articles. Haha. It was capable of running raw sap from 2% up to 14% by running it thru multiple times. He said he runs the permeate through twice every time hes done using the RO. I am excited to get this working and I am determined to figure it out. I literally know nothing about this unit aside from what you read here. The mix ratio is 1.1 ounces to 1 gallon of permeate. 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 running your sap through your RO (you can run it through twice if you want) you want to IMMEDIATELY process it. Are you building your own RO for this year? Once you have all the parts in front of you, itll take you a few hours, tops. It cost me about $350 and was well worth it. Im a New England homesteader and the author of Sweet Maple. Have you noticed your syrup having a Different taste when you started using an ros system. Sap is running in SE Wi. Glance at myResource Pageif youd like to get a glimpse of other supplies I use for maple syrup making (as well as gardening, homeschooling, homesteading topics, nature journaling, and more). Michelle, My first time finding your web page and read thru all of your posts. the system is working flawlessly now. Our maple season can be very short and using your RO cuts boiling time down considerably. I can, however, connect the smaller 1/4 tubing to the pump, the OD is 3/8. 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.