Siro Filter Press advice.

[johnallin]

I just bought a new 12” Siro Filter Press and have questions that I hope some of you can help me with.

How hot is your syrup when you filter and can I expect to be able to run as little as 1.2 gal through the siro filter?

Can you filter less than a gallon at a time while it’s hot- or do you hold off until you have more?
If I hold off until I have a few gallons, I'm afraid it's going to cool off to much.

Thanks for any advice, there’s lots of info on the bank presses, but not much for the siro.

[Sugarmaker]

John,
How do you like the siro press?
Regards,
Chris

[johnallin]

Chris,
Although I can't compare it to a bank press - never had one- I'm real happy with the results I'm getting, and it's easy to put together and tear down for clean up.

My operation is small by many standards, I normally only filter 3 gallons at a time so there is some issue with what stays in the Siro (maybe 2 qts?). But when I'm finished, I run the pickup hose into the rear float box and recirculate what's left in the siro back into the flue pan. Run the until the hose is almost clear and I've got most of the sugar back in the pan, so it's not a big deal. I don't know why they're not more popular, but it sure is slick setup and like I said, cleanup is a snap.

[unc23win]

[QUOTE= I don't know why they're not more popular, but it sure is slick setup and like I said, cleanup is a snap.[/QUOTE]

Ditto that I have a 24" and love how easy it is to set up and clean up. Not to mention it uses hardly any filter aid (I actually used a little too much 1/2 a cup and prematurely clogged it once). Pretty neat how it uses the sand in the syrup to filter. If you are only getting small draws you can recirculate it back to your tank to keep the temp up using the bypass then filter it all at once.

[johnallin]

Jared, Thanks, it's good to hear from someone who also has a Siro Press.

Question. As I normally only filter about 3 gallons at a time, do you think I could leave the "trapped" syrup in the siro overnight, and then pick up again with the next day's boil, and run fresh hot syrup through?

If I had it; I'm sure I could get a lot more than 3 gallons through before cleaning, but I don't know if syrup left overnight in the filter would spoil. Not that tearing it down is difficult, it's just the time spent and the re-circulating that adds up with small qtys like mine.

Thanks, any comments from someone who uses a Siro are appreciated.

[Sugarmaker]

John and Jared,
Thanks that's good information. I have seen bothe plate presses and the Siro. I liked what I seen with the Sirofilter system. Our maple syrup hobby is not big. We have a little more sap this year, (helping boil for two neighbors) about 1000 taps. We made 20 gallons several days this year and the gravity filters need cleaned several times. So started looking at different presses'. I realize they all work basicly the same unfiltered syrup and filter aid in one end and filtered syrup out the other. Both plates press and the Siro have advantages and disadvantages.
Regards,
Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

If I had to make syrup without a filter press I would want to quit after gravity filtering for many years and going to a press 6 or 7 so years ago.

[johnallin]

Chris,
That the Siro was all contained in one cylinder, made the difference for me, it just seemed to be simpler. Setting up is just a matter of wrapping the inner cylinder with the filter, securing with 2 rubber O-rings and setting back down into the main cylinder. Put the top back on, tighten the T Bolt and you're ready to go- cleaning is just the reverse. When I looked at plate presses and all the pieces and parts, with syrup dripping out as you broke it apart, it didn't take too long to decide. As I said, it's done a great job and is probably being under-used in our operation, but I would not consider any thing else at this point.

I did break it all down and had it anodized before I used it though as the thought of mill finished aluminum in contact with my syrup didn't appeal to me. It cleans up just like stainless, and there is no possibility of any metallic taste being transferred to our syrup. If you're in the market for a press, I would highly recommend it.

[unc23win]

Jared, Thanks, it's good to hear from someone who also has a Siro Press.

Question. As I normally only filter about 3 gallons at a time, do you think I could leave the "trapped" syrup in the siro overnight, and then pick up again with the next day's boil, and run fresh hot syrup through?

If I had it; I'm sure I could get a lot more than 3 gallons through before cleaning, but I don't know if syrup left overnight in the filter would spoil. Not that tearing it down is difficult, it's just the time spent and the re-circulating that adds up with small qtys like mine.

Thanks, any comments from someone who uses a Siro are appreciated.

Neither one the Siro or a Plate press will work if you leave syrup in over night. In that case what I would do is draw it off and reheat it the next time you boil then filter it. Same scenario works if the filter clogs at the end of the night. What I like most about the Siro is that it very easy to clean and although it can filter large amounts of syrup before needing to be cleaned it also is a lot less cleaning if you don't have much to filter. Do the reclaiming procedure and then take the filter out and wash it. They say they actually works better if you don't get them 100% clean because it uses the sand in the syrup to filter. Watch the video on youtube keywords Lapierre Siro, Ennis Maple also has a video on Twitter.

If you want a deal on a Siro get a hold of Bud Bowers @ Brookfield Maple Products, Westfield PA cell 570-439-0969.

[johnallin]

Thanks for the feedback. Since the syrup left in the Siro is not all that much, recirculating into the flue pan, as I do now, sounds like the right way to go so I'll continue with that method. How often do you replace your filters? I'm pretty fussy about that and only use them for about 2 weeks - don;t want them getting musty..

[unc23win]

If you take them out and clean them with hot water every time you use them you are just suppose to replace them each year.

[cbmapleguy]

I've been using a siro filter for 4 years and really like it; super simply clean up. As we've gotten bigger and have started bottling in bigger batches, I find it's under performing. I have the smaller version and I'm only able to push 10-14 gallons through before the pressure spikes and I have to change the filter.

I would be interested it hearing how much syrup you process before having to change the filter and how much filter aid you use per gallon.

[Sugarmaker]

We have the 12 inch tall version of the Siro also. The sugar sand was not to bad so far this season. We have gotten 20 gallons through in a one day boil. Most of our production is 10 to 15 gallons a day. Have not had a issue at this point.
I really like this canister press system! Not had a leak or blow out after several years of use. We make about 150 gallons of syrup per year.
Regards,
Chris

[Wanabe1972]

I have a home built version and love it. I found you dont need to use much FA and too much actually clogs it. I usually heat five gallons of syrup and add a cup of FA. I circulate the syrup until crystal clear then send to the bottler or hot pack 5 gallon jugs. The other things I do is when I start to get niter in the front pan I stir it up to get the niter into the syrup and filter the pan back into itself. If you do this before the niter sticks to the pan you dont have to drain and clean so often.

[Goggleeye]

We have the 12 inch tall version of the Siro also. The sugar sand was not to bad so far this season. We have gotten 20 gallons through in a one day boil. Most of our production is 10 to 15 gallons a day. Have not had a issue at this point.
I really like this canister press system! Not had a leak or blow out after several years of use. We make about 150 gallons of syrup per year.
Regards,
Chris

Chris - I see that your getting up to 20 gallons through at a time. We bought the 12 inch system 2 years ago, and I thought the trouble I had last year was our abnormally warm season and the somewhat more ropey syrup consistency the warm weather gave us. Tonight, I filtered 12 gallons and had to clean the filter three times. About 5 gallons at a time is about all I can get through. Any suggestions? I can't figure this thing out. 1st run we filtered 6 gallons with a 1/2 cup of f a, and I never even had to use the bypass. This run, I used a cup of f a in 15 gallons. It builds to 40psi after a couple gallons and the rest comes through at a snails pace. How much filter aid do you use for a 15 gallon batch? Could I be using too much f a?
Thanks,
Mark

[murferd]

We have used a 12 inch one for probably 8 years, have never had a problem getting syrup through. We usually run 9-10 imp gallons(10-12 us) at a time. As soon as syrup gets to 67, we put the DE in, approximately cup or cup & 1/2. Always recirculate back to pan until hose is many bubble free. Then fill bottler, watch guage doesn't much above 10-12 then open bypass, takes a little longer but usually
is done in 5-10 minutes.

[Goggleeye]

We have used a 12 inch one for probably 8 years, have never had a problem getting syrup through. We usually run 9-10 imp gallons(10-12 us) at a time. As soon as syrup gets to 67, we put the DE in, approximately cup or cup & 1/2. Always recirculate back to pan until hose is many bubble free. Then fill bottler, watch guage doesn't much above 10-12 then open bypass, takes a little longer but usually
is done in 5-10 minutes.
That's pretty much exactly what we are doing, except maybe a little less filter aid. I watched LaPierre's YT video and one thing I noticed is that what comes off of our filter is much more of a very thin layer of "mud" more than "sand." It doesn't really flake off the filter in big chunks like in the video. Maybe it's more the chemistry of our sap? Another consideration is that we draw off the evap into 5 gal stainless milk pails, which may sit for a day or two before we get 10 - 20 gallons to can, and then I pour those into the finishing pan and most of the sand/mud has settled and remains on the bottom of the pails.

[Goggleeye]

Did a little experimentation this evening. Had about 10 gallons to filter and can. Started off with very little f a that was already in the 3 or so gallons from yesterday's canning attempt that didn't go so well. I added about 7 gallons more, heated, and started to filter. Clogged within the first 2-3 gallons. Disassembled and reassembles with another filter, this time stirring in about 1.5 cups of f a right near the valve port of the finishing pan, thinking it would draw the f a rich syrup first. The remaining 7 gallons filtered relatively quickly, and I only had to use the bypass a small amount for the last gallon or so. Has me thinking more filter aid is the answer.

[drewlamb]

I'll pipe in here as I certainly wished for some more pointers when I first started with my siro a few years back. Here's what has worked best for me...
-Perhaps the most important thing I learned has to do with filter aid. I never use any FA at all except late in the season when the nitre is fine and dark. Filter aid seems to clog the filter and even pass through the felt, leaving slightly cloudy syrup. For the siro, all or nearly all filtering happens with nitre. The more nitre I seem to have in my unfiltered syrup, the better the siro seems to run and to filter.
-Filter with high temp syrup (at least 180, better at 200 since cooling will happen while filtering).
-Siro runs much better as a batch filterer, not a continuous filterer. Once siro is shut off and cools some, it will never flow as well until filters are cleaned.
-I can generally run 15-20 gallons of batch filtering through my short canister before needing to change the filter.
-I double wrap my siro with two felts, first the 1 micron, then the 5 micron on the outside. Without doing this I have to run the filter much longer during recirculation before I get perfectly clear, bottle worthy syrup. Using two, it only takes about a minute. I found that even when I recirculated a long time with one filter, 1 or 5 micron, that I would sometimes get fine nitre and/or filter aid in my filtered syrup. Total pain. I experimented a lot using more and less filter aid and found that the best way to keep very fine particulates out of the syrup was to use little or no filter aid and to use two felts.
-I also experimented a lot with cleaned, partially cleaned, and uncleaned felts (uncleaned being a felt that just had the nitre cake taken off - no rinsing). For me, the best and longest lasting filtering occurs with clean felts that have been rinsed in several changes of hot water.
-I build the pressure in the siro gradually when I start the recirc., incrementally shutting the bypass over a minute or so, and never taking the pressure above 10-12 psi. Once I'm in that pressure window and the syrup is running perfectly clear, I shut down the motor, move the filtered line to barrel or canner and switch it on again. After the initial adjustment to 10-12 psi, I don't touch the bypass valve again. Pressure gradually builds and flow slows, but I can typically get 15 gal through in about 20 min. Sometimes the flow will really slow down but I think it's better to be patient for last couple gallons than to go through a whole cleaning in mid-filter.
-Since filtering 15 gal can take up to 20 min, or sometimes even a bit longer, I keep the heat turned on on my finisher to make sure the temp stays hot. I do this partly for long storage hot packing when barreling, but also to keep the flow hot through the filter. I've found that temps as high as 140-160 can really slow down the siro.
-Any syrup leftover in the siro after filtering gets dumped into the finisher and added to the next batch of syrup.
-I reuse two 5 micron and two 1 micron felts for the season and toss them at the end of the year.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Drew

[Sugarmaker]

I still like mine, we do from a gallon to 20 gallons a day and don't have to tear it down very often during filtering. Still using about 1 cup of FA to 2 gallons of syrup at 200 ish F.

Regards,
Chris

[johnallin]

I had a Siro Press for 2 years and liked it. It was super simple, quick to set up and easy to clean. I got sidetracked when Leader came out with the 7½" Clear Plate press. The plate press is more work, but being able to see what's going on inside is worth it to me. It came with a Wilton diaphragm pump...a step up from the Oberdorfer... other than the racket from the compressor running.

[Goggleeye]

Drew - I just wanted to give you a big thanks for that list of advice you provided. This year, starting with new filters, I pretty much followed what you said. No filter aid, 2 filters, kept the burners on, and my first two batches of 12-15 gallons went right through, about 5 minutes or so. I also put 1/2 inch blocks under the front legs of the finish pan so the sediment would bounce to the back and then go through the filter last. (I would remove the blocks once there was about an inch of syrup left.) I thought I had clear syrup in the past - this has been the best I ever bottled. Thanks again!

Mark

[drewlamb]

Syrup already!!??
Great to hear. Have a great season.