Comments on: Build your own Reverse Osmosis system for maple syrup

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 14:22:43 +0000

In reply to Kare.

Hi Kara, I’m so glad the book is helpful for you! Making syrup is AMAZING. I’m sorry, we’ve never perfected those plans to the point we were ready to share them… sorry the book mentions something we were never able to do. 🙁

By: Kare

Kare — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:46:33 +0000

I have your book and we use it constantly. On page 214 the very bottom sentence says “instructions for making a DIY filter press, shown on page 97”.
I have searched your entire site and cannot find the instructions.
Please help!
Thank You

By: Dave Karr

Dave Karr — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 01:02:56 +0000

I built your system. While testing it the pump cycles off and on. The pressure gauge vibrate so badly I can’t read it while it’s running. When pump shuts off it shows 40 PSI and drops from there. I’m getting liquid through both sides of the RO. So the needle valve should be on the sap side and the water should run free?

By: Mcl

Mcl — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:30:40 +0000

So lost here. I’ve put it together (I think correctly) despite no real instructions. I zoomed in on the few photos to try and figure it out. But it won’t move any water through. I can’t figure out what could be wrong.

By: Dave Clarke

Dave Clarke — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:07:25 +0000

Does it matter which line goes to the outlet ports at the bottom of casing. I have followed your diagram and setup with the sap line on the left and permeate line on the right. I have noticed other people have their lines in the opposite outlets ?

By: Carl

Carl — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 16:13:57 +0000

The tubing sizing is wrong. You need 1/4 outter diameter tubing (and 3/8 OD which is in there, just not the 1/2″) I wish I had read these comments before ordering. Other than that, helpful article. would be helpful to have video putting it together as well as when first running it.

By: john

john — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:16:34 +0000

In reply to Todd Winkler. Todd. I am ordering. The tubing is the incorrect diameter; what about all of the connecting parts? Are they the right size? Please explain what I need to order 3/8” 25’ and 1/4” 25’. OUTTER or INNER Diameter for each of those?

By: Todd Winkler

Todd Winkler — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:15:13 +0000

Thanks for the RO info. I’d like to point out that the tubing on the parts list is incorrect. Both the 3/8 and 1/4 inch tubing should be OD (outside diameter) measurements. The specified tubing is for ID (inside diameter) which is too large. It’s an easy mistake to make. OD vs. ID can be counter-intuitive.
I am building mine to be portable and eventually would like to run it at my evaporator pre-heating my sap from a coil around my stove pipe. I’ll either power it with a long extension cord or a battery and inverter (the pump is only 48w and easy to power).
I can send you schematics and pictures when complete if you like.
Thanks again for the info. I had been meaning to do this and this got me going.

By: Matthew Mallory

Matthew Mallory — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 01:46:20 +0000

In reply to Dominic GG. No that is just to filter out more water. The more RO membranes you add the more water and sugar is separates out.

By: Joshua henderson

Joshua henderson — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:58:00 +0000

We followed the exact build but for some reason our Brix-refractometer reads the same sugar content on both the “clean and dirty” sides of the water

Any ideas on how to resolve it would be greatly appreciated