2013 Improvement: homemade RO vs. filter press vs. forced air?

[MarkL]

Hi all,

New member here. First off, apologies if this is not exactly posted in the right place...you will soon see that this subject spans several groups on the forum.

I'm a backyard sugarmaker, setting out about 75 taps and boiling on a Leader half-pint. I end up with about 15-25 gallons of finished syrup, depending on the season.

Every few years I save up about $400-500 for a sugar house improvement. This year I am pondering the merits of homemade RO, or a filter press, or forced air. I can do only one. What would you choose?

I'm not a technical whiz but I am capable of following instructions and/or hacking at it till it mostly works. Here are the reasons and pros/cons of each as I see them. I would appreciate any thoughts from you all.

Homemade RO:

Pros: It would be GREAT to cut down on boiling time per session. I am primarily a weekender with weeknight/midweek help at times.

Cons: Electricity at the shack is via extension cords. There is little to inside space (the shack is 8'x14') for the unit, it would have to live outside under a shed roof. I am not capable of making this without very good specs from someone else, and bugging my engineering friends to help.

Filter press:

Pros: My syrup is sandy, even after using paper prefilters and a felt cone. It would be great to not have to wait for it to settle out, and pour it off. I always cringe as I can tell I lose a few ounces of syrup per quart. We work hard for that syrup!

Cons: Similar to above (my lack of badass technical skills to make my own). I'd need to buy this unit, but most seem over-sized for my yield and cost over $1000.

Forced air:

Pros: Faster boil time! Yes!

Cons: I'd have to hack this together, which I have before, using a flexible aluminum dryer vent and a bathroom fan. But the vent gets beat up and the air is not well directed. I think forced air would help a lot more if it was actually coming up from the grate. I can imagine hacking something like this from steel pipe and ducting and having it at least work as well or slightly better than what I have built before.

AFAIK, there are no manufactured forced-air grates for a Leader half pint. It's too small, apparently, and the company does not see a market for it I guess.

So...given my self-described 'skills' and your vast and various experiences...any suggestions?

Hoping for a great 2013 season!

MarkL

[shane hickey]

I would work on filter first put quality always in front
Of quantity look on the classified ads here. Ill keep my
Eyes open for ya or for all three and see what we have
Around here i used to buy alot of old sugarbushs out.

[Jeff E]

Welcome to the gang!

I'll start with some questions:
What is the biggest thing you are trying to overcome? Time? Syrup quality? Simplifying your system?

Making an RO I would suspect would complicate the process, giving you more to do each day you cook. On the positive side, it could cut your evaporation time in half.
Adding a simple blower to your arch would also help your evaporation time, but not a lot, maybe 5 to 15%. But this is simple, and wont complicate your life once it is done.

When I expanded I started with a hand pump filter press. Filtering was the biggest pain for me. Always did it at the end of the day, and it added hours to days that where to long already. Again, this will not complicate you life, it will simplify it and give you great syrup quality.

So I would go with finding a used hand pump or small (3 bank) filter press, and also find a used blower off a wood stove for $25 or so.
Also, finding a way to preheat the sap will help your boil time, without much complication.

Keep it fun!

[jrgagne99]

Make the RO!

[MarkL]

Make the RO!

Hook me up with your specs ;)

[MarkL]

Thanks Jeff - any links to hand presses? I can't seem to find any with my usual suppliers.

[MarkL]

Thanks Shane!

[MarkL]

6389

Any thoughts on this for a filter setup?

If I could use it on my stove I could save a few bucks not purchasing the stand and get it under budget.

Thanks,

MarkL

[Farmboy]

Personaly If your making up to 25 gallons on half pint I would upgrade evaporators to something with a flue pan. Ive never heard of anyone boiling concentrate on just flat pans. A 2X6 would be a good fit. Try buying new cone filters this year. only wash them with hot water and let them hang to dry, dont wring them out, it ruins the fibers and allows sugar sand through. I mounted a small blower I bought form grainger on the back of my firebox under the grates and it works pretty good.

[MarkL]

Hi,

I wish I could upgrade evaporators! I live on .25 ac and haul sap from around the neighborhood. My shack won't accommodate a bigger rig, and I can't expand the shack.

Even with the paper prefilters, a ton of sand gets through the cone. I do wash them as you recommend. What am I doing wrong?

MarkL

[wiam]

Hi,

I wish I could upgrade evaporators! I live on .25 ac and haul sap from around the neighborhood. My shack won't accommodate a bigger rig, and I can't expand the shack.

Even with the paper prefilters, a ton of sand gets through the cone. I do wash them as you recommend. What am I doing wrong?

MarkL

Prefilter won't make a difference on how much "sand" gets through the cone filter. The prefilter just adds to how long before the felt filter plugs up. If you have something getting through the cone filter there is a hole in it. Only squeeze them to dry. DO NOT TWIST.

[MarkL]

Understood. I never twist.

[PerryFamily]

Hi markl- I have a hand pump press for sale. I am looking to move up to a 7" short bank electric
It is as new. Let me know if interested. I am located 32 miles north of the mass line.
With the weather predicted for next week, would be a good day for a ride.

[Tucker08]

Mark. Are you bringing it above 180 degrees after you filter? Last year when I had my small rig I would boil and boil in batches then would pull the entire pan and filter it into my canner. Then I would finish it by boiling some more. Wrong. It was agony for Me. Beautiful color Then the clouds would come. I learned from the good people on this forum about when to bottle and when to filter again. Also, I made a blower last year that worked great. Here is a pic. I filled each of those arms with small air holes and plugged her in. I am going to use it this year on my 2x6 as well.6426 6425

[MarkL]

Hi Tucker,

I'm just figuring that out too - after 10+ years of backyard sugaring! None of the books I've read said anything about the danger of reboiling after filtering. I am going to get a filter/canner unit to prevent that problem this year. I like your blower, it is kind of like what I was imagining I would build. Do you burn soft or hard wood? Someone suggested that with softwood you shouldn't use a blower as you'll be stoking every 5 minutes!

MarkL

[Tucker08]

I burned everything last year. I did try and mix in hard with the soft. The blower maximizes btu's. even if you fill more often, you are getting the most out of the stick. I managed 10 gph with that 2x3 and the blower. It was great...or as good as it could be. Getting the sap hot before you add it helps a bunch too. I drove a nail thru a stainless sauce pan and set it on the corner of the pan. I let it trickle and it was fairly warm when it hit the pan. Just make sure your hole is big enough.