User Instructions
RB5, RB10, RB15
Maple Sap Buckets
Visit us at www.therobucket.com
E-mail us at sales@therobucket.com
Responsible Use and Liability Disclaimer
The products offered by The RO Bucket LLC are intended for
use by individuals who have become knowledgeable regarding
the reverse osmosis process as it relates to maple syrup
production. Follow all indications and directions and
observe reasonable care when utilizing this
product. Possible hazards associated with the use of the
product include, but are not limited to:
Shock/Electrocution - Always use a ground fault
outlet and surge protector. Always wear shoes and
keep electrical cord away from wet/moist surfaces.
Always run discharge hoses into containers. Never
allow them to spill onto nearby surfaces.
Fire - Do not use the product in potentially
explosive, flammable, or corrosive
environments. In the event the thermal protection
function is enabled, unplug the unit and wait one
hour before using again. Do not disassemble or
alter the motor or driver. Use only the provided
transformer.
Physical hazards - The product works under high
pressure. Always wear safety goggles and point
hoses away from your body and face.
Leaks – Closely monitor the operation of the
product. Regularly inspect and repair any
components that are leaking.
In no event shall The RO Bucket LLC be liable for any direct,
indirect, punitive, incidental, special, or consequential
damages to property or life whatsoever arising out of or
connected with the use or misuse of our products.
The RO Bucket – User Instructions
1. Introduction to RO for tree sap
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction to RO for tree sap
2. Diagram of The RO Bucket
3. Instructions for sap processing/water removal
4. System maintenance
a. How to remove quick-connect fittings
b. Installing/changing pre-filters
c. Removing RO membranes from their
housings
d. Repairing leaking fittings
5. Membrane flushing/cleaning
6. End-of-season storage
7. Warranty information
The pre-treatment of tree sap through reverse osmosis has
been revolutionary in the syrup industry. The ability to remove
large amounts of water prior to boiling greatly reduces the
amount of time and energy required to make syrup. The RO
Bucket is specifically designed for smaller scale maple
producers. As you begin planning your first batch of syrup
with your RO Bucket, consider:
a. Pre-concentrating sap before you boil – If your
boiling rate is greater than your RO Bucket’s
processing rate, you should concentrate some sap
ahead of time so you don’t run out during your
boil. The amount you need to concentrate will
depend on your boiling rate and the capabilities of
your RO Bucket. An example scenario is outlined
below:
You want to boil for 8 hours and you boil at 5
gallons per hour. You have an RO Bucket that will
process 7 gallons of sap per hour, making 3.5
gallons of concentrate per hour. Since you will
boil 40 gallons of sap for this session, and will only
make 28 gallons of concentrate if you run the RO
while you are boiling, you will need to have 12
gallons of concentrate on hand as “make up sap”
during your boil.
1. Bucket
6. Membrane Housing(s)
7. Needle restriction valve
10. Concentrate (sap) outlet
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b. Batch size – The darkness and flavor of maple
syrup, in part, is a result of the long boiling
process required to make it. When utilizing
reverse osmosis, it is important to remember that
you will not be boiling your syrup as long. These
shorter boils tend to produce syrup that is lighter in
color. While this is generally a good thing, a boil
that is too short may not allow certain compounds
to break down properly. “Metabolism off-flavor” is
a characteristic of syrup that is not boiled long
enough. It has a butterscotch smell and gives the
syrup an astringent flavor. If you are experiencing
any unfavorable smells or flavors, consider
doubling your batch size. This will ensure
adequate boiling time and will help maintain good
syrup quality as it allows any negative compounds
to break down.
c. Permeate liquid (pure water) – The importance of
properly maintaining your RO should not be
overlooked. The RO needs to be flushed with
permeate water after every use and a strict
flushing schedule should be followed to ensure
maximum efficiency and prolonged membrane
life. Plan on saving at least 10 gallons of
permeate water every time you use the machine.
Permeate water has a shelf life of two days. If no
permeate water is available for flushing, nonchlorinated water can be used (distilled water,
spring water, or well water).
2. Diagram of The RO Bucket
2. Separator Plate
3. Booster Pump
4. Transformer
5. Water Filter Housing
8. Intake (suction) hose
9. Permeate (water) outlet
Plumbing Reference
Scan for a
demonstration video.
3. Instructions for sap
processing/water removal:
*Note*
Fittings should be removed and re-sealed with Teflon tape if
there is significant leakage (see directions in 4. System
Maintenance). Tiny drips (amounting to less than one cup per
hour) are normal and do not need to be repaired.
The RO Bucket generally comes ready-to-use out of the
box. Unpacking involves removing the 110v transformer,
intake suction hose, membrane preservative, extra prefilter, any accessories purchased, and packing material.
The 5 micron pre-filter and membranes are already
installed in their corresponding housings.
Initial setup and startup is described below.
1. Place the 3/8” plastic
intake tube into the 3/8”
intake bulkhead fitting on
the outside of the bucket.
Place the other end of the
intake suction tube in the
sap you would like to
concentrate.
2. Plug the 110v transformer
into the power jack fitting
on the outside of the
bucket.
3. Place the two (permeate and concentrate) outlet
lines into the same bucket as your intake suction
hose.
4. Plug the 110v transformer into a grounded GFI
outlet.
5. Sap will begin to saturate the system. Once sap is
flowing out of the concentrate tube without any air
bubbles, you can begin water removal.
6. Turn the needle valve clockwise slowly until the
stream of sap is significantly smaller than it was
before. In about 30 seconds, the pump will begin
getting louder and pure water (permeate) will
begin to flow out of the other ¼” (RB5) or 3/8”
(RB10 and RB15) tube (permeate tube).
7. Adjust the needle valve so that both streams
(concentrate and permeate) are flowing at the
same rate. An equal rate of discharge from both
hoses will mean you are removing 50% of water
from your sap, or doubling the sugar
concentration.
*Note*
At no time should the concentrate tube be
flowing less volume than the permeate outlet
tube. This could result in rapid deterioration of
the reverse osmosis membranes.
Higher sugar concentrations (up to 8%) can be
achieved by running existing concentrate through
the system in a subsequent pass.
4. System Maintenance
The consumables in the RO Bucket have varying life
expectancies. Many factors, including sugar
concentration, sap quality, temperature, and time, can all
affect the replacement intervals for pre-filters and reverse
osmosis membranes. The following general guidelines
should give you an idea of how frequently you should be
replacing these items:
Pre-filters – Designed to be a single use filter. Usually
needs to be discarded due to bacterial growth. If
adequately flushed and refrigerated between uses, can
last up to a week. If processing large amounts of sap
uninterrupted, change every 300 gallons.
Always replace with a quality, 5 micron or less, 10” prefilter.
Reverse Osmosis Membranes – Provide adequate
performance for up to two years, or 1000 gallons of sap
per membrane. Never allow water to flow at a faster rate
than concentrate. Membrane life can be prolonged by
occasionally running concentrate at a faster rate than
permeate water for 30 minutes. Liberal water flushing
between uses will also help maintain membrane
performance.
Membranes that begin to show performance decreases
can be flushed with our membrane preservative
according to the procedure outlined in Section 6
“Instructions for End-of-Season Storage”. Flush
membranes with water for at least 30 minutes before
processing any sap.
a. How to remove quick connect fittings:
Quick connect fittings, commonly called “push to
connect” fittings, feature a movable collar that
allows the inserted hose to be easily removed. To
remove a hose from a quick connect fitting, simply
push the collar against the fitting with one hand.
Use the other hand to pull the hose out of the
fitting. It should pull out easily. Excessive force
could ruin the fitting.
b. Installing/Changing pre-filters:
To install or change a pre-filter, locate the pre-filter
housing and remove the two 3/8” hoses from their
quick connect fittings. Pull the entire filter housing
out of the RO Bucket. Twist the top lid of the filter
housing counter-clockwise to remove it. After
replacing the filter, replace the lid and insert it
back into the RO Bucket. Re-install the two 3/8”
hoses into their quick connect fittings.
from its quick connect fitting. Remove the RO
membrane housing from the RO Bucket. Using
membrane housing wrenches, twist the lid of the
membrane housing counter-clockwise to remove
it. (If you do not have membrane housing
wrenches, you can use strap-style wrenches found
at any hardware store to hold the membrane
housing and lid).
Once the lid is removed, pry the membrane out of
the housing by inserting a round bar (or Phillips
head screwdriver) into the hole in the top of the
membrane and pry using the side of the
membrane housing.
d. Repairing leaking fittings
Leaking fittings can be easily repaired using Teflon
sealing tape. Our housing manufacturers
recommend 25 turns of teflon tape to seal plastic
fittings.
O-ring style fittings that have developed leaks can
be repaired by replacing the o-ring or discarding it
and using Teflon tape in its place.
c. Removing RO membranes from their housings:
To remove RO membranes from their housings,
you will need to remove them from the RO Bucket.
To do so, remove the two lower hoses from their
quick connect fittings. Also remove the top hose
5. Instructions for cleaning unit
after sap processing/water
removal:
1. If unit will be used within two days:
After processing all of your sap, the unit needs to be
flushed with permeate water (RO water) if it is not to
be used again within 24 hours. The following
procedure should be followed:
a. Remove the 3/8” intake tube from sap and allow
unit to run dry (it will begin gurgling and pushing
air).
b. Remove the 5 micron pre-filter, empty contents of
filter housing, and install a new pre-filter and
reinstall the filter housing. (Note: the old pre-filter
can be saved in the refrigerator for future use.
The new pre-filter can be reused for subsequent
flushes).
c. Place the 3/8” intake tube into RO water that has
been saved from sap processing (DO NOT USE
MUNICIPAL TAP WATER OR WATER
CONTAINING CHLORINE AS IT WILL RUIN THE
MEMBRANES). Run at least 10 gallons of RO
water through the unit before storing it.
2. If unit will not be used within two days, but will be
used within a week:
After processing all of your sap, the unit needs to be
flushed with permeate water (RO water) if it is not to
be used again within 24 hours. The following
procedure should be followed:
a. Remove the 3/8” intake tube from sap and allow
unit to run dry (it will begin gurgling and pushing
air).
b. Remove the 5 micron pre-filter, empty contents of
filter housing, and install a new pre-filter and
reinstall the filter housing. (Note: the old pre-filter
can be saved in the refrigerator for future use.
The new pre-filter can be reused for subsequent
flushes).
c. Place the 3/8” intake tube into RO water that has
been saved from sap processing (DO NOT USE
MUNICIPAL TAP WATER OR WATER
CONTAINING CHLORINE AS IT WILL RUIN THE
MEMBRANES). Run at least 10 gallons of RO
water through the unit before storing it.
d. Remove the pre-filter from the filter housing,
empty the housing of water, and leave it open
until the next use.
3. If unit will not be used for an extended period of
time, but is not being stored for end-of-season.
The unit will need to be flushed according to section 5,
step 2 above. In addition, every week it isn’t used, you
must run 10 gallons of water through it until it is
flushed for end-of-season storage (See Section 6
below).
If at any time you notice odors developing, or
performance decreasing, it would be advisable to do a
flush with membrane preservative. Do so by
dissolving membrane preservative into 5 gallons of
water and recirculating it through the system for 20
minutes. Rinse the system thoroughly before
continuing to process sap. This may require 20 to 30
gallons of water.
6. Instructions for End-of-Season
Storage
For end-of-season storage, flush according to
“Instructions for Cleaning” section 5, step 2.
After you have completed the flush, re-install a new prefilter into the water filter housing.
Prepare 5 gallons of warm water (~80F), and dissolve our
membrane preservative in it. Re-circulate the 5 gallons
of solution through the system for 30 minutes. After that,
pull the intake suction hose and allow the unit to run dry.
Re-insert the intake suction hose into clean water and
rinse the system for 2 minutes (approximately 2 gallons).
Remove the pre-filter from the filter housing. Also,
remove the RO membranes from their housings. To do
so, remove the quick connect hoses from the tops of
each housing. Unscrew the housing caps and use a
small tool to pry the membrane from the housing (there is
a small hole you can grab onto).
Rinse the membranes with water and place them in
refrigerated storage bags. Do not allow the membranes
to dry out.
Let the rest of the system drain and dry out. Leave the
lid off the bucket until the unit is completely dry. Do not
let the pump sit in a humid environment during storage.
7. Warranty Information
The majority of components comprising our products are
intended to be easily replaceable and relatively
inexpensive. It is expected that the user becomes
familiar with how the product functions and has the ability
to repair broken fittings, hoses, and leaks. Furthermore,
the user must perform routine maintenance (filter and
membrane changes, routine membrane flushing, etc.).
Membrane fouling, bacterial growth, and unpleasant
odors can all develop due to improper maintenance and
handling. While membrane degradation is not covered
by a warranty, our customer service team will gladly help
you determine the cause of such issues and help you
improve product performance moving forward.
The booster pump and transformer have a one-year
warranty from the date of purchase. This warranty
covers manufacturer defects. It does not cover damage
caused by freezing, submersion in water, or rough
handling.
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