RO Bucket is a GAME CHANGER for the hobbyist!
2025 was our first sugaring season with 11 trees. We cooked on a steam table pan over a turkey fryer (can’t use wood – long story). The first day we cooked 13 gallons in 10+ hours. Then a fellow scoutmaster let me run some of my sap through his RB5 and we cooked 18 gallons in 11 hours. I was sold! So much faster and much less propane! I got in touch with Carl and he expedited an RB5 to me. It was easy to setup and use. 4 days later I ran 39 gallons of sap through 2 RO cycles down to 10 gallons and cooked that in 8 hours vs the 30+ without RO. No wonder why commercial operations use RO.
For 2026 we’re tapping 40 trees. I wouldn’t try that without my RO Bucket. I’m adding a 10 GPH membrane to my RB5 so I’ll get 18 GPH. I asked a question about the upgrade on Carl’s Facebook group and he asked me to call for info. He educated me on the upgrade options and how to use the RB5 with large drums of sap. I asked about filtering and canning with his system which looks like a game changer for that end of the process.
Carl provides great customer service and products. People in various Facebook groups praise Carl’s products and service. He’s got my back when I need support and is innovating solutions for the full sugaring life cycle.
Rich B.
Northeastern Massachusetts
First Year, Huge Savings
Carl is fantastic at communicating with users of any skill level. As a first-year maple syruper handling 35–50 gallons of sap a week, I immediately noticed huge savings in both time and fuel. The RO Bucket was easy to set up and use thanks to the clear instructions provided. It’s been a game-changer for my sugaring season.
Jake S.
Best Customer Service
I purchased a RB10 on my 3rd year of making maple syrup and doubled my quantity of syrup for the year. Then after 2 years I purchased a 60 gallon single post unit and made more syrup than I knew what to do with. I have since bought a Maple syrup filter system and it has been so easy to use and makes beautiful clear syrup that I am proud to put in a clear bottle and sell.
Carl’s customer services are Number 1 in the Maple Syrup community and does not hesitate to help anyone in need.
Keep up the great work and look forward to your future products.
Jason Oxley
Wisconsin
Less Time Boiling
I have the RB15 and it has allowed me to cut my boiling time in half. Very easy to use and the Customer service is fantastic.
Pat Brunette
Wisconsin
I Wish I Had More Trees!
I decided to get an RO system after only one year of making maple syrup in my backyard. The first year I tapped around 10 trees and go just under two gallons of syrup. I was hooked and after talking to family and some neighbors that asked about it, I had the ability to increase to 30 taps my second year. I knew something in my process would have to change if I had any hope in tripling my production for the next year.
I researched everything from larger pans to full on hobby evaporators (I used steam pans on cinder blocks). Nothing seemed like it would allow me to produce that much more without greatly increasing my time. Since I could only boil on the weekends and could not commit to spending ALL weekend boiling, I thought I was going to just have to not tap everything I had access to. Then I remember hearing about a filter someone had made that used reverse osmosis. Being a do-it-yourselfer I researched making my own and eventually came across RO Bucket.
After hearing many people say it was way cheaper to build your own than buy a RO Bucket kit I decided to calculate what the REAL price difference was. After doing more research I realized the people saying you could make you own for much less were also creating a lesser quality system with lower capacity. After scouring the internet for the best pricing on parts to create a system with the SAME capacity as the RO Bucket kits, I concluded that the savings was only around 15-18% (depending on the model) and would require ordering from a handful of sites (one of which was still RO Bucket).
When it came to customer service, I did not see a single person saying anything negative about RO Bucket. Everyone was saying how amazing the service was and how responsive Carl was with answers to questions as well as trouble shooting issues. I figured that level of service was certainly worth something and 15-18% seemed like a bargain. I ended up ordering the RB15 kit with the higher capacity pump so I could add more membranes if needed in the future. I have ZERO complaints other than I wish I had access to more trees. The RO system removes 50-75% of the water before I even boil. My second year I was able to make nearly triple the amount of syrup and still only boil one day a week. RO is hands down the single best bang for your buck for improving efficiency. And RO Bucket makes it insanely easy to get a great system for the beginner that can grow along with you. Or you can just go with a larger system right off the bat if you have been at it a few years.
Patrick P.
Michigan