Most seasons we are scrambling to get the R/O ready while have a tank or more of sap to cook. We are ahead of the curve this season. The R/O has all the hoses connected and is ready for the membrane. We also have tank of water to rinse the membrane. There is still apprehension about it starting properly. We’ve had troubles some seasons, specifically, two feed pumps in five years.
Into the woods by 8:30 AM to connect the R/O and connect the tanks to the evaporator. It took too long to connect the tank valves to the outlet pipe. If the valve isn’t correctly aligned, the threads won’t catch. The valves also use reverse threads (tighten to the left) adding to the challenge. It was close to 45 minutes to get both valves connected. The trick seems to be treading the nut on the outlet first, then thread the valve into the nut. That method worked on the first or second attempt.
Collected at 2:00 PM. The run was over by then as the weather changed from partly cloudy to cloudy and windy. Tonight’s temperatures are in the 20s. It was 50 today. Collected 235 gallons. Liquid today, ice tomorrow.
We plan to start cooking early in the morning because the temperature falls after midnight and we want to try to avoid ice in the tanks and froze pipes.
Back to the farmhouse by 4:45 PM