Filter press papers and DE

[Ryan Mahar]

Hey all! Question regarding paper. Have a 7 inch press, and was recently advised by a very experienced sugar maker to use 2 papers for each placement rather than just the one. He claims to have never torn a paper this way. Is it a waste? Any thoughts on this??

Second ? is DE use. Leader told me 3 cups for first 5 gallon charging then 1 cup for every 2 gallons afterwards until clear. So this weekend I had a 15 gallon batch to filter. So used 3 cups to charge and then 5 additional for the batch. So total of 8 cups of DE for the 15 gallons processed. This seems like a lot. Syrup sure was clean though!!! Thanks for any advice............

[mapleack]

IMO double papers is a waste. Don't let it get cold mid run, don't run the pressure too high and you won't blow a paper. When filtering 15 gal with my 7" full bank I precharge with 4 cups, in about a gallon, then put 3 to 4 cups in the rest depending on how dirty it seems.

[Ryan Mahar]

Okay thank you, I suspected double papers was a waste. Seems like my equation for cups of DE is okay too......do you keep adding a cup of DE for every 2 gallons of syrup or is there a point where you have enough DE no matter what size the batch ( assuming batches less than 30 gallons)???

[mellondome]

your press blanks will only hold so much DE. you should find out the max that your press will hold and make sure you don' t put more than that much in a batch.

[mapleack]

I like to point people to this UVM publication, it's a good explanation. http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/filter_press_brochure.pdf

[Ryan Mahar]

can too much then leak into your finished product???

[mapleack]

Not unless a paper breaks. Too much will over fill the plates in the press, causing pressure to spike and papers to potentially break.

[Ryan Mahar]

Okay that makes me feel better. One last question, will the DE affect the flavor of the syrup in any way????

[mapleack]

No, but use food grade DE and keep it in a sealed dry container. If DE draws damp and gets musty it can impart a musty flavor to the syrup.

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

Hey all! Question regarding paper. Have a 7 inch press, and was recently advised by a very experienced sugar maker to use 2 papers for each placement rather than just the one. He claims to have never torn a paper this way. Is it a waste? Any thoughts on this??

Second ? is DE use. Leader told me 3 cups for first 5 gallon charging then 1 cup for every 2 gallons afterwards until clear. So this weekend I had a 15 gallon batch to filter. So used 3 cups to charge and then 5 additional for the batch. So total of 8 cups of DE for the 15 gallons processed. This seems like a lot. Syrup sure was clean though!!! Thanks for any advice............ We have 2 10" full bank presses and have always doubled the papers only on the first 2 plates. When we have gotten paper tears, it has always been on one of the first 2. That being said, if you don't make alot of syrup during a boil and don't allow the press to cool down, it is probably a waste. It just seems like we are always pushing the limits of our presses (100-150 gals. per boil) and this keeps us from getting a cloudy barrel.

[gmcooper]

I have almost always used double papers and have never blown out a paper yet with them. I have on a few occaisions gone with a single paper and had them blowout. I have bought a number of drums of syrup with a significant amout of DE in the bottom of the drum. Also using double papers creates a little bit better seal between the plates especially if you have any imperfections on the plates. If I am running up near 80 psi filtering the last gallon or two of syrup for the night I am not that worried about blowing out a paper. With single papers I would be breaking down the press and recharging to finish. Papers are $.10 each+/-

[MainelyMaple]

How effective is a filter press without DE (just papers)?

[Russell Lampron]

How effective is a filter press without DE (just papers)?

The DE is what is actually doing the filtering.

[Russell Lampron]

I have a 7" press that originally had a hand pump on it. I put an air powered diaphragm pump on it and was blowing papers all of the time. I found out that there is a light duty paper for the hand pump presses and a heavy duty paper for the others. I haven't had any trouble with blown papers since I changed to the heavy duty papers. I also wet the papers when I assemble the press. They don't leak as much when I do it that way.

[Lazarus]

To the question of what happens if you don't use DE, you will know it immediately. Within 1.2 seconds of flipping the switch on the press, your pressure will spike instantly to the max and you will explode syrup all over your kitchen.

Won't......forget.......ever......again.

DE is what makes the syrup flow through the paper. Like rocks in a culvert.