Filtering at Drawoff

[adk1]

What do you use for a filter system into your drawoff pail? Anything?

[whalems]

I draw off into a stainless pail then dump it thru my cone filters.

[Double-D Farm]

I draw off directly into a cone filter with insert liner over a 20 qt. ss stock pot. I then finish off in stock pot over an LP stove in sugar shack. I bought the cone filter support frame in Big Lots- its a plant stand with square top frame which holds the 4 cone filter tabs. After 95% has filtered thru, I reset the stand over a small pot for an hour or so to let the filter drain completely out. Works great.

http://mapletrader.com/community/picture.php?albumid=73&pictureid=353

[adk1]

was wondering if you could draw off into one of hte cone filters. I was gonna buy two of the synethetic ones. I only ahve a 9qt drawoff pail, so was goign to buy the 6 qt filter. How long does it take to drain through ? Cant imagine it is too long being so hot?

[steve J]

I have always put a paer filter in a coffee pot drew into there and then poured into a stock pot until I was ready to process and thats worked well. but I just bought one of wf mason cone filter units and that is working great.

[Fishgill]

I draw off into a wool filter with four pre filters. Then before I bottle it I run it thru a wool filter with more pre filters. My syrup comes out really clear.

[briduhunt]

I draw off directly into a turkey pot with 2 paper filters inside a cone filter. I use cloths pins to hold the filters in place. I do do a small draw off into a small pot that I put Filter aid into then por that into the cone filter set up. After I pulled all I could off the evaporator I cover the pot and let gravets do its job. I actually put the turkey pot under the evaporator for heat so the filter works better. After it all goes thru I reheat and bottle off my coffee maker.

[SPILEDRIVER]

i use a synthetic cone lined with 6 prefilters into a 7 gallon stainless milk can rite off the evap.i rinse the first prfilter after each draw off,havent had to refilter yet this year.

[Bucket Head]

I too use stainless milk cans with the cone filters and pre-filters. Its a tall can- maybe a ten gallon capicity? I think one my Photobucket pics with the evaporator shows the milkcan at the draw-off. I usually have two or three of them all set up so I just swap cans while boiling. This has worked well for us.

Steve

[John c]

I am a small time backyarder, but this works great for me!
I filter my sap at about 2 degrees above the water boil point while it is still quite thin through a wet, white pillow case, doubled up. I filter right into the finishing pan and when it is syrup I let cool to 200 degrees and begin pouring into canning jars. I've never had an issue with cloudy syrup as long as the filter/pillow case is wet. I've forgotten to wet the cloth before and it was cloudy!
Keep in mind that I only finish 1 gollon at a time!

John.

[PerryW]

building some kind of box around the cone filter (even if it's cardboard) will hold the heat in and make the filtering process much less troublesome.

[Rossell's Sugar Camp]

get an old stainless steel sink and an oven rack or something to keep the filter off the flat bottom of the sink. It goes through fast for me this way using prefilters. Make a sort of stand to hold up the sink

[sniperdodo]

I cut the bottom out of an old sap collecting can (the taller ones). My wool filter fits just right and I fold the top over the edges of the old can. I then put a couple pre filters in it. The can fits snuggly in my coffee urn so once I have brought a gallon or so to syrup i pour it through the filters into my coffee urn (with the filter can fitted in the top of the urn) and start bottling.

[adk1]

I like the fact tham many are using coffee pots/urns to bottle. I plan on doing this as well with a 36cup maker from a local big box store. I ahve heard possible issues of the syrup burning with the electric element though?

Second, that is interesting how someone on this thread uses the DE when not using an actual filter press. is this ok? I know that the Filter Press leaves behidn the DE but would a simple gravity system even using pre-filters do so??

[wino]

I do like John C. Use a damp cotton cloth when I draw off my evaperator at 215-216 into a stainless pot. I finish at 219 and then filter into my coffee urn. Lastly i palce a damp filter in a funnel when I bottle and my syrup is clear as can be

Wino

[3rdgen.maple]

If you are not finishing directly off your evaporator and then going to the bottling stage then you are wasting your time filtering. Always filter after you have finished the syrup to the right density and then transfer to the bottling stage. If you filter off the evaporator then go to the a finisher to get syrup to the right density you are releasing alot more niter in the syrup while it is boiling. Once syrup is at its final density then filter.

[John c]

If you are not finishing directly off your evaporator and then going to the bottling stage then you are wasting your time filtering. Always filter after you have finished the syrup to the right density and then transfer to the bottling stage. If you filter off the evaporator then go to the a finisher to get syrup to the right density you are releasing alot more niter in the syrup while it is boiling. Once syrup is at its final density then filter.

I do believe my filter would disagree with you. Filtering just above the boiling point of water takes out so much sand and niter that it only makes filtering sooooo much quicker at the bottling stage. I would hate to see how long it would take for that thick syrup to get through a filter if I waited and did it only once at the very end!
Infact, I am going to start filtering right after I add the last of the sap to the evaporator because the bottom line for me is that the cleaner it is at bottling time the better it will go through the final filter.

John c.

[wnybassman]

I do believe my filter would disagree with you. Filtering just above the boiling point of water takes out so much sand and niter that it only makes filtering sooooo much quicker at the bottling stage. I would hate to see how long it would take for that thick syrup to get through a filter if I waited and did it only once at the very end!
Infact, I am going to start filtering right after I add the last of the sap to the evaporator because the bottom line for me is that the cleaner it is at bottling time the better it will go through the final filter.

John c.

You first post made it sound like your final filtering was done at 2º*above boiling point.

[John c]

You first post made it sound like your final filtering was done at 2º*above boiling point.

Ahhh, I see. I guess I assumed that everybody knows to filter upon bottling! Yep, assuming made an ***-umer out of me. Lol!

[wnybassman]

Ahhh, I see. I guess I assumed that everybody knows to filter upon bottling! Yep, assuming made an ***-umer out of me. Lol!

Thanks for the clarification! lol I was wondering what kind of magic you were using to get clear syrup after boiling the last few degrees off.

[BryanEx]

My question would be for the guys using flat filters. If you draw off through a filter into a 16 x 16 pan then adjust density, you then need to filter again before bottling. If I buy a 16 x 16 finish pan with filter rack do I need a second 16" pan or a filter/canner set up to make things work?

[Kev]

I like the fact tham many are using coffee pots/urns to bottle. I plan on doing this as well with a 36cup maker from a local big box store. I ahve heard possible issues of the syrup burning with the electric element though?

Second, that is interesting how someone on this thread uses the DE when not using an actual filter press. is this ok? I know that the Filter Press leaves behidn the DE but would a simple gravity system even using pre-filters do so??

Some gets through my single layer prefilter, but its caught in the orlon one.

[3rdgen.maple]

I do believe my filter would disagree with you. Filtering just above the boiling point of water takes out so much sand and niter that it only makes filtering sooooo much quicker at the bottling stage. I would hate to see how long it would take for that thick syrup to get through a filter if I waited and did it only once at the very end!
Infact, I am going to start filtering right after I add the last of the sap to the evaporator because the bottom line for me is that the cleaner it is at bottling time the better it will go through the final filter.

John c.

Yeah And mine would disagree right back at yours lol. I can filter syrup after it is to density and not have a single problem getting the syrup through the filter at all. In fact the syrup is in the bottler before I have filled my first quart. The key is to keep it hot. Doing it this way saves on cleaning alot of extra filters and saves vaulable time I need to do other things.

[adk1]

and this works for you? So you are finishing to correct density off evap. Why are you not at least filtering through a cotton towel or something to get first layer of gunk out before final filtering?