Idea for inexpensive homemade filter/bottler

[mudr]

Hi guys and gals,
Now that my season is done, I am thinking about making a more user friendly filter/bottler setup. I used a flat filter/pre filter setup clipped to a stock pot this year (my first year). It worked, but was kind of slow and I had to be careful to not over fill it due to weight and the limited strength of the clips. I have concocted an idea and would like to pass it by you to see if anyone has gone down this route to let me know if it will work or not.
Buy a 6 inch deep steam pan and a 4 inch deep perforated pan. Use a flat filter, maybe even form it to the shape of the perforated pan by sewing in corners. Place the 4 inch perforated pan in the 6 inch pan, and filter in the perforated pan. I figure I could do this for $30. I would have a very wide surface area for quicker filtering, and the perforated pan will give the support for the filter to hold up to the weight of the syrup. I could fill the filter to ~2 inches deep without worrying about spilling, which is about 2 gallons of syrup. I could keep the entire setup on a turkey fryer or stove inside to provide heat to get the syrup back up to bottling temp. Has anyone put a bulkhead on a steam pan? I could bottle right off the 6 incher. Anyone try this? What are the odds of failure?

Perforated steam pan: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/full-size-perforated-steam-table-hotel-pan-4-deep-anti-jam/4070043.html

UPDATE: See the following video. I would use a "spillage" pan as the main tank. Note the steam pan that gets nested in at about the 52 second mark. I would do the same thing, it would just be a 4 inch perforated pan. And, obviously, this setup would be free standing and not in a large buffet steam table setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNk95qsoPEw&index=3&list=PL--42lExD7y5a9EmKwAouBFjlkP91eJfE

[Diesel Pro]

I tried filtering through the socks a couple of times and said screw that. I bought a short stack filter press and never looked back. Amazing how clear and sediment free my syrup is now.

[Ausable]

Yes - It would probably work. You have pretty well described a Filter - Canner setup. If You put a valve in the lower pan - bottom - center You would be fairly close to one.

[sweetmoomoo]

sounds like a good idea, i was just thinking about the same thing last knight. where do you get a perforated pan to fit in the steam pan?

[mudr]

sounds like a good idea, i was just thinking about the same thing last knight. where do you get a perforated pan to fit in the steam pan?
Can be gotten online-- http://www.webstaurantstore.com/full-size-perforated-steam-table-hotel-pan-4-deep-anti-jam/4070043.html

I have a restaurant supply store nearby, I assume I can get one there as well to avoid shipping.

[n8hutch]

I have found that if you keep your prefilters hot & damp, I clip mine to the steam hood on my Evaporator. & put them on my filter canner just as I am getting ready to draw off some syrup that they filer really well. Try to dump syrup through cool dry filter & it doesn't work so well.

[MustardSeedMum]

Im also looking for a better way to filter. My current setup is a cone filter hanging over an unplugged coffe urn. But I'm having a heck of a time keeping the syrup hot enough to go thru quickly.

Yr idea sounds good - bigger surface area for the syrup. I was wondering if maybe a 2" perforated pan might be better than a 4" so you'd have more capacity before the syrup gets to the bottom of the perf. pan?

I'm going to see if I can find one for cheap. We're still in the middle of our season here in ontario.

[rayi]

I do that very same thing. I set a turkey fryer in low the one resturant pan with water inside. I put a second pan in the first with the perforated pan inside that. Flat filter on top with seveal prefilters on top and your good to go. I also have a top to cover to keep heat in. It keeps every thing warm so if it's the correct density it dont take much to get to 180 degrees. If your too light take off the top filters and peferorated pan and put it on two burners on the stove. Then use the other pan with the perforated pan and filters when it's the correct denisty

[MustardSeedMum]

I do that very same thing. I set a turkey fryer in low the one resturant pan with water inside. I put a second pan in the first with the perforated pan inside that. Flat filter on top with seveal prefilters on top and your good to go. I also have a top to cover to keep heat in. It keeps every thing warm so if it's the correct density it dont take much to get to 180 degrees. If your too light take off the top filters and peferorated pan and put it on two burners on the stove. Then use the other pan with the perforated pan and filters when it's the correct denisty

If I'm reading that right, you've got 3 pans then? What depths are each of those pans? I'm guessing 6", 4", 2" from bottom up?

[sams64]

I use an electric coffee pot / urn. The filter is a flat filter that I sew into a cone and hang into the urn. Pour in warm syrup from a pot on the stove as it runs nicely through the filter and then use the pour off valve to fill bottles.

Sam

[zandstrafarms]

we're ran our second batch last night and we didn't have any trouble filtering it. This time we you wet the filter and kept it warm and damp and filterEd through smoothly. We use a thick wool cone filter with a nylon prefilter over a large stock pot. I prewarmed the pot with water and hung the bottom of my filter into the water. Drained pot and filter then stretched it across, dumped hot sap in and put lid on. Brought inside to stove and pulled filters. However our syrup was over temp and read 225*, so it might have created more niter post filtering. We did use several fine mesh cone filters going into bottles, but syrup is quite dark. No sediment yet though..

[metalhead62]

i put a 2" with holes inside a 6" inside a 8" with water in the 8" i want to find a way to put a bulkhead fitting on the 6"and go through the 8" but still be able to disconnect for cleaning.it is a pita to try to pour out of the 6" when full into jars the 8" is hard to find idk if they were discontinued or what.if anyone has an idea on how to do that let me know plz

[sweetmoomoo]

just wondering if the steam table pan bottler ever worked out, looking to build a small filter bottler and this sounds like a good idea.

[mudr]

Haven't tried it yet

[jamesd14]

I was wondering the same thing, I priced the single electric steam units at restaurant supply stores and they cost around 200 bucks, and then then pans are about another 50 or so. Now keep in mind these prices are for new so should be cheaper used on CL or something. I have some single electric units at work but have questioned the temp it will hold, I shot mine with laser temp and it was about 175 degrees, I think we want to keep it between 180 and 200 for bottling. I priced a flat filter pan setup with WF mason with valve and thermometer for 300. I think that is direction I am going.

[sweetmoomoo]

i checked on masons web site and didnt see the filter setup for $300 is that just the pan ? im looking for a better way to bottle season. i use a coffee urn but still cant get the temp to hold above 185.

[jamesd14]

I emailed him about a month and a half ago and that was the price he gave me, I also bought my evaporator from him earlier this year. It was pan, valve, thermometer with filter basket and filter and pre filter material. I used a coffee pot (electric perk)last year and kept it plugged in with water in it until I was ready to pour the syrup through the filter then I emptied out the water so the pot was already hot and there was no surge in temp with the heater trying to heat up. Syrup stayed 190ish.

[Mitchhorne8]

I'm wonder about weight being spread out to much. It's been my experience that the weight of the syrup pushing down on the filter is a big part of the flow. I notice that once half of the syrup goes through the cone filters the flow slows right down, till if fill back up.

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