filtering sap before it empties into tank

[tcross]

how would I filter my sap when it is going into my tank? is there any specific way people do it? I am envisioning making a screen "bubble" and clamping it to the end of my line that dumps into my tank! the line goes right into the tank side! it'd be a pain in the butt to take off and clean, but that's the only way I can think of? how do other folks do it? or should I not be worried about it because all the taps are on tubing?

[Shawn]

When we dump into our inside tank we have one person that puts a filter on the hose coming in from the outside while we dump into our holding tank inside and this seems to work for us

[lakeview maple]

Tcross ,I run mostly pipeline myself and what I did was install a filter at the end of it where it dumps in the tank.I picked it up at Leader and its a RO filter ,like a sock filter,theres a ring attached to it and I just clamped it on the end .I bought 2 and I swap them out every couple of days take the dirty one and turn it inside out and wash it with hot water and air dry it . You would be amazed at the stuff that comes out of a sealed system,lol . Hope this helps ,Al

[Burnt sap]

I use a felt filter on my tank. It fits inside the top opening of tank and my main line connects into the top as well. Pretty simple set up and it works great, easy to change or clean.

[lpakiz]

8381
These are available at our local farm supply store, in the crop sprayer section.
There is a washable SS screen inside. So are the quick-couplers.
Works good.
I should have added that the filter, including screen, is under $35 for the 1 1/4 pipe thread size.

[psparr]

I use a prefilter in a half gallon ice cream bucket with a hole in the bottom. And the ice cream bucket fits in a hole in my storage barrel.
the prefilter folds nicely over the top of the bucket and doesnt fall inn

[BreezyHill]

My old system, that we used for about 30 years used a dairy sock strainer over a plastic wand 18" long that was attached to the exit of the manifold. The sap would pass thru the wand and into the releaser. It was great to catch saw dust, plastic drill spirals from the mains or the round disks of tubing from a saddle cutter that we use. It usually needed to be changed after the first week of runs and then good for the rest of the season.
The new system will be using a standard dairy filter frame after the releaser. The evacuation pump of the delaval jar will pump the sap from the bottom of the releaser to either the RO tank or a secondary collection tank and it will be filtered after the pump. Since there are no moving parts for the foreign matter to get lodged in. The location will work better as it will not disrupt vacuum to the mains when it gets loaded up. Just take longer to empty the releaser. To change the filter, just need to release two SS spring loaded lock clamps pull the spring housing, pull off the dirt sock and slip on another and put it back. Takes all of a minute.

Below is pic of the spiral frame that goes in the SS pipeline. Pricey new but you can find them used reasonably.

8380

[adk1]

The cone prefilters would work well. I picked up a box of the milk filters at Tractor Supply. They are kind of a long narrow filter. I use a ziptie to cover the pipe that dumps into my tank (gravity). you get a box of like 100 for $10 or something like that.

[unc23win]

The dairy filters work but depending on how much sap you are talking about they can get clogged fast. They would work better as a secondary filter in my opinion. I am going to use the sap socks they are 6" in diameter and come in 2 lengths they have a ring on one end that fits a 6" pipe. I want to filter the sap as it is pump into the holding tank before it goes in the RO. I plan on changing it daily they can be machine washed and last for years.

[adk1]

The dairy filters work but depending on how much sap you are talking about they can get clogged fast. They would work better as a secondary filter in my opinion. I am going to use the sap socks they are 6" in diameter and come in 2 lengths they have a ring on one end that fits a 6" pipe. I want to filter the sap as it is pump into the holding tank before it goes in the RO. I plan on changing it daily they can be machine washed and last for years.

yes I agree. if you are not on a tubing system and are pumping the sap, the dairy filters wont work. I do not get much of anything in my lines, or havent yet. I rinse them with air/water at end of season. but, this will be the third season that they are in use so they have been used 2 seasons now. I would expect more "junk" in them now

[BreezyHill]

The most we tapped was 2000 taps on the dairy sock, but we have always washed our lines. First with the high pressure pump and air system and then a rinse thru the taps with straight water on vacuum. Now we only do a wash and rinse on vacuum. The lines stay nice and clean this way. Likely why the dairy system works for us.
I have seen some nasty lines that were just vacuumed dry or rinse only. That nasty growth gets dried up in the summer and flakes off and would plug a filter fast. Our filter just gets saw dust and tubing and tap pieces.
Don't use a dairy filter frame if you aren't going to be washing your lines well.

Careful on machine washing maple items. The perfume of soap and fabric softeners leave a nasty residue in the machine that will taint the sap with nasty flavor. Smell nice but check out the drain line on a washing machine it is half clogged if you don't use the acids to "desludge" the basket and pump. The acid is really bad for those of us with septic fields.

[Bruce L]

For our buckets and sap from tubing from remote bush that is trucked home we have a portion of bed sheet under the strainer in the top of the gathering tub to catch debris,and for the tubing next to the sugar house we have a milk filter sock on the end of the hose hanging into the holding tank,the sap is pumped through the filter. Make sure you get a well known brand of filters. When we milked cows the box stated right on it " break proof socks " . Now I think they have been outsourced, socks are lucky if they last for one pump up, never mind the whole day