recommendations for filter setup?

[jake22si]

Thinking of building a filtering setup. Only 30 taps so I will make my own. I understand the water jacketed type, but what about the cone filter pan? Do you start filtering and then put some heat under it or does it just hold the heat in?

[adk1]

What kind of evaporater do you have? I ue cone filters as well and draw the finished syrup right off into the cone filter below as it is hot and it goes straight into a SS pail. That is the only time that I filter the syrup. Once I am done for the day, I take the syrup to the house, transfer to a larger SS pot on the stove and bring up to 180-185 degrees and then dump into a pre-heated SS coffee urn so that I can use the spout to fill my bottles. ITs time consuming but works

[jake22si]

My evaporator is homemade 2x3 flat pan with no dividers so I boil in batches. The nipple was welded 1/4" too high on the pan so I can not draw off properly. I remove the pan and then tip and open the valve into a colander with a wool felt filter over my finish pan. After I finish the syrup I filter into another smaller pan or buffet pan to be brought in and warmed up for mason jars. So far the most has been just under a gallon.

[maple marc]

adk, do you ever develop sugar sand when you re-heat? I used your method for several years--despite the pain of frequent cone cleaning in the shack throughout the day--until the last couple of years when I really developed a lot of sand back in the kitchen. I then had to filter a second time. We bottle into glass, so clarity is critical. Seemed like the filtering at the boiler was a waste of time. My dealer suggested I just filter after I reheat. I did that last year. Made life easier at the boiler, but the final re-heating after filtering still developed some sand. Perhaps last year was just a fluke. I'm condsidering a water-jacket canner to avoid any problems with sand at bottling. I currently use a 5-gallon stock pot I fitted with a valve for canning. Quite convenient for maintaining temperature on the gas stove.

Your thoughts?
Marc

[jake22si]

bent up a 9x9x24" just waiting for my guy to weld it.69126913

[miner1]

Someone offered this advice to me last year on this forum. Take two 5 gallon buckets. Cut the bottoms out of both, screw them together at whatever height you prefer. Put four screws in the top to hold the cone filter. And put a pot on a hot plate at the bottom to keep the setup warm, and catch the syrup, keep lid to the bucket to keep heat in as well. I bottle right out of that pot into sterile mason jars, even if its not 180 deg. For home and family use only. Never had a mold problem. Filtering is a pain, but worth it. I find that (with unfiltered syrup) I can't seem to pour of the syrup without geeting a slug of niter. My hard cider sediment pours off much easier with less waste. Must be the high viscosity of syrup dragging the sediment with it.

[jake22si]

It's ready to go, almost. How can i vent my spout? 721672177218

[fenwick865]

Thank you for the two bucket idea. I sruggle every year with cone filters.

[jake22si]

finished product 72287229723072317232

[DonMcJr]

Check out this thread in the Filtering and Bottling Section...alot of good ideas...

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?19106-What-s-the-Best-Filter-Machine-for-100-Taps

[spencer11]

finished product 72287229723072317232
Did you weld that or have a local shop do it?

[jake22si]

If I only had a tig... I have a friend that is really good at it though
Did you weld that or have a local shop do it?

[jake22si]

Im going to use it to filter, then set it on a propane cooker and bottle with it, Hopefully

[steve J]

I learn via this site that every time you heat its best to filter and it does make a huge defference.