Filter Press....

[butler]

Got a new 7" short bank filter press this year...first spin today...didn't work real good...how much filter aid do you use to charge papers....we usually do 4-6 gallon batches....any tips would help with the process...

[Gary R]

I filter batches about that size. I use about 3 cups into 1 gal of the hot syrup and recirc that back into the remainder. Continue to recir until clear (not long). I have no problems. UV Proctor has a guide you can download.

[West Sumner Sugar]

We have actually been scaling back our DE powder this year. Id say about a cup in 4 gallons. Filters take a little longer to charge but we can press a lot more and faster. Syrup still coming out crystal clean.

[butler]

So if I heat up my 5 gal batch to approx...200 then add around 2 cups of DE I should be good to go...?

Do you guys wet the papers first? How much de for say around 8 gals or is it just basically trial and error?

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

Try to filter it as soon as you finish it on the evap, or finisher. It should be 200++ at that point and filters the best. For 5 Gal, I go with 3-4 cups in the first batch to charge the filters. Take the output line and recirculate back in the bucket for a minute or more to get most of the DE caught in the filters so that it will actually filter the syrup. Then use 2 cups in each 5 gal batch til the press won't filter anymore. I get 15-25 gal this way with a 4 plate short bank.

[butler]

Ok so one more question...if I run my five gallons through can I leave the press assembled with the papers full of de and then run another 5 gallons through the next day...or should I disassemble and clean after each 5 gallon batch daily...?

[maple flats]

I rarely get a second day, but I often leave the press assembled the rest of the day, just in case.
I filter in 40 gal+ batches most often, Starting with a clean press and clean papers, I draw about 3 gal into my mix pot and add about 2.5 cups of FA. Then I mix it using a wisk, and then further mix pumping thru the pump and returning directly to the mix tank. After about a minute I open the filter valve and slowly close the bypass valve. The flow from the filter is pumped back into the mix pot until it sparkles. Then I start filling the barrel. As that batch nears emptying the mix tank, I open the bypass valve and close the filter valve. I draw about 5-6 gal, add about 1.25 cups FA, mix and repeat. I continue this until the 40 gal bbl is full. What remains either stays in the finisher or if I need to can more for retail, I run another 5-6 gal batch or 2. My finisher is able to hold up to about 55-60 gal depending on how high I fill it.
Sorry, I forgot to mention, I'm using a 5 plate filter press, when I used 3 sections I mixed about 2 cups DE in the 1st 2-3 gal batch, then followed with 5-6 gal batches with 1 cup FA.

[Russell Lampron]

I've got a 7" short bank press and this is what I do. I use 1 cup of filter aid per 2 gallons of syrup to a max of 7 cups which is the capacity of my press. I bring my syrup to a boil or just under and add the filter aid to my filter tank. I then start the press after mixing the filter aid in and pump the syrup back into the filter tank until it comes out clear. I then put some in a sample bottle to grade it, fill sample cups for me and the help and then continue filtering. I either fill bulk containers or the canner depending on my needs at the time. The trick is to have the syrup at a boil or close to it when you run it through.

[maineboiler]

Good thread. I have a 7 in filter press but still struggle with filtration. I will filter near syrup off the evaporator to the finishing pan, then finish a batch and filter again before bottling Despite this some times the syrup looks cloudy Can the DE run through the press and get into the outflow ?

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

It will be cloudy if you have a plate backwards. Shouldn't be cloudy at all if all goes well.

[hounder]

If I have only started using a set of papers on a press toward the end of a boil, I will reuse the next day and have not had problems. I take about 2-3 gallons of hot water and run through the press and recirculate it to get the syrup out and pour that into my evaporator. I then do the same thing to start the next day to get it heated back up with hot sap.

[I Luv Stainless]

Here are a few things I have learned the ‘hard way’ about my filter press:

Safety first, DTE is nasty stuff for your lungs. I wear a dust mask when refilling my DTE bucket and am very careful to not ‘make dust’ when adding it to the hot syrup.

Filter papers should be wet/damp before placing between the plates. This creates a tighter seal. I wet them with boiling sap or hot water if I’m not boiling that day.

The only time(s) I have gotten cloudy syrup is when I have accidentally reversed a plate. After that I took a sharpie marker and drew a BIG stripe down one side of all plates on the top of the bank. It is now very obvious when I have set it up incorrectly.

The other time that I got cloudy syrup was when I didn’t let the DTE build up a thick enough layer on the papers before transferring to my canning unit. I now wait a full minute for the syrup to recirculate and charge the papers before saving.

One of the best things I fabricated after getting my filter press about a dozen years ago is a 10 gallon pot with a valve on the bottom. This pot sits on top of a rugged propane fired turkey fryer burner. All syrup that I draw off my evaporator is deposited in this pot. When I have 10 gallons (sometimes that can take a few days) then I fire up the burner, add DTE and open the valve to the filter press. If it’s a good run, I’ll use and additional propane burner to heat other pots (about 5 gallons each) or add syrup right off the evaporator and add them as the feed pot is drawn down.

If you add DTE (filter-aid) to the syrup when it is close to boiling, it will foam up and boil over! I filter between 180-200 f. keep a close eye on the syrup when adding DTE.

When filtering, keep stirring the hot syrup to keep the DTE in solution, it will settle out if you let it stand. I had to fabricate a special 3 foot long stainless spoon for my 10 gallon pot.

I have noticed that if you turn the press off to reposition the hoses after charging the plates, the pressure jumps 15-20 psi when you turn if back on and never seems to recover. So once I turn the pump on I leave it on for the full 10-15+ gallons of syrup using a sauce pan to catch the filtered syrup while repositioning tubing to a barrel or my canning unit.

I generally use ⅓ to ½ cup of filter aid per gallon when filtering but I like the comment that West Sumner Sugar House made earlier in this thread and will try using less filter aid and a longer charging time.

One more thing, in the olden days, I used to drink beer or smoke a little weed while boiling in the saphouse. Now, with vacuum, the filter press, R.O. and a forced draft firebox I need to be 100% focused and on my game when making syrup. Save the recreational stuff for another evening!

It sounds complicated but after a season or so, it will begin to make sense and become as natural and easy as collecting or boiling.

[butler]

I tried my press again today...blew another paper at 15 psi....so I now wet the papers and leave my bypass open for the first 2 mins before I fully charge papers by slowly closing the bypass...seems to be working. Did another 15 gal and the press worked great.

[nymapleguy607]

Butler,

I went to a filter press class this year at Verona, one thing they said that really helps with filtering is to let the pump pull in air while it is pressing the syrup. They said this creates an air bladder that helps minimize pressure spikes, and also helps keep the filtering pressures lower. I did this a few times over the season when the syrup was hard to press and it helped alot.

[tonka]

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/filter_press_brochure.pdf I printed this off and laminated and hanging right above my filter press, some of the best info I have found on operating and specs of a filter press.