Filtering problems

[ohiomaplejohn]

Ok- I am having a terrible time trying to get my syrup filtered through my orlon this year. I had to change the filters out 4 times today before I got it through. After being up all night boiling I am a grouch, and very sick of filtering. Any tips? Should I let the syrup settle out and then filter it? I lost about 2 quarts of syrup trying to get it through the filter.

[psparr]

Here's what worked for me.
Letting it settle out and pouring off the clear is probably the easiest way to get it through the filter.
Pre filters are pretty much a must if your not settling. Keep the syrup as hot as you can by wrapping towels or something around your filtering setup.
Also when done filtering, place the soaked filter in a big zip lock bag and store it in the freezer till next boil and rinse it in the hot sap.

[Woodsrover]

Here's what worked for me.....Letting it settle out and pouring off the clear

Best advice EVER! Thank you so much. Finished 1.75 gallons last night and waited till this afternoon to let it settle. I'm a hobby guy and not selling it so this may be all I'll do to it. I'll let it settle in jars another night and see what we get.

[NJG]

PSPARR is right on letting it settle and keeping everything as warm as you can while it filters. Makes a big difference although being a hobby guy myself, I have a hard time not pouring it all in at the end anyway and trying to get the last drop out of it. The other thing that has made a big difference for me is going to a flat filter and lots of pre-filters.

[ohiomaplejohn]

I will try letting it settle then get the syrup off the top, heat it and filter it.
I never thought about flat filters, but I bet they would work better, because that seam is SO heavy in the bag, it seems to restrict the flow. How do you use the flat filter? I have 115 taps, and do about 3 -4 gal at a time, so I like to save every drop! LOL

[blissville maples]

get a filter press!!! even if only making 10 -20 gallons- well worth it. cost few hundred to get set up with filters anyways. of course i see the 7'' went form 1100 to 1500! but if your going to sugar its a must

[ohiomaplejohn]

I have been told to get a press, and I never thought it was worth it, until now! I have never had so much filtering trouble! It was a mess, I lost a lot of syrup, and it made me a grouch ;)

[SDdave]

Maybe a little overkill but I filter coming out of the evaporator with the pre filters. Then when I got enough to bottle (couple of gallons) reheat and do the final filtering. Gets most of the gunk the first time and seems to go through the orlon faster.

SDdave

[adk1]

That is exactly what I plan on doing as well. I have plenty of cone pre filters and will use them to get most of the crud out. Then I will dump into my filter canner

[pyro]

Can someone explain the flat filter? I know they sell flat pre filter in sheets.

[MISugarDaddy]

We finally gave up on using flat filters last year and replaced it with a filter press and can't believe the difference. What used to take up to 40 minutes to run through our flat filter takes less than 3 minutes with a filter press. We also now realize that we had been throwing away alot of syrup when we would remove each layer of prefilter plus the amount of syrup that remained in the orlon filter and was subsequently washed down the drain. We had 6 quarts of dark syrup from the prior year that had been filtered and bottled, but because it was so dark, we were only using it for cooking. We heated it all back up and ran it through the flat filter setup again and lost a pint of syrup in the filters that got rinsed down the drain. We are not a big producer and the cost of a filter press is a hard lump to swallow, but it is well worth it.
Gary

[NJG]

PYRO - The flat filter is simply, well, flat as opposed to being sewn into a cone shape. For me, it seems to work better because the syrup is spread across the entire surface of the filter as it drains through, as opposed to plugging up more of the bottom part of the cone filter.

I have a 1'x2' "pre-heater" pan that sits on the back of my flat pan. Doesn't work very well for preheating sap, but I built a rack from perforated stainless steel that sits about 3 inches below the top of the pan. On top of that rack I lay a flat filter and several prefilters. Once my syrup is finished, I pour it on top of the prefilters and cover it, letting it drain through. Hope that helps.

[Ray_Nagle]

I'm really a small-timer. I use the pre-filter cones to do my last filter before canning. I've found the key to really clear syrup is to just gravity feed the syrup through a double-layer of filters (no squeezing or pressing it through). I end up losing some syrup in the filter, but it's worth it not to have to explain the particles in the bottom of the jars to people.

One question though. As I said, I use pre-filters. Is there another type of filter I should be using for my final filter? I'll only make a few gallons of syrup per year, so buying a filtering machine is not an option.

[psparr]

There's the cone filter which the pre filters are made to go inside of. The pre filters are very thin, and only meant to remove the larger gunk.

[Ray_Nagle]

Thanks...just went ahead and bought the cone filter they go with. Expect it will save me money in the long run if I only have to use a single paper filter each time instead of two like I do now.

[psparr]

Thanks...just went ahead and bought the cone filter they go with. Expect it will save me money in the long run if I only have to use a single paper filter each time instead of two like I do now.
You can reuse the pre filters. And probably 3 would work best if your filtering more than a gallon.

[pyro]

Sorry I'm still confused. I understand the cone filter. But I keep hearing about the terminology of "a flat filter and several prefilters." Are they the same filter material, or are you referring to a 2nd type of filter? I purchased some of the flat pre-filter sheets but have no used them yet.

What's the best way to secure the filters on top of a pan or pot?

[psparr]

The flat filters are the same material. They are made to be placed in a wire mesh tray with the sides extending up the sides of the tray to keep in the syrup. Just more filtering surface area when using flat filters. You could try to clip the flat filter to the edges of a pot, but have a feeling you'll run into problems with it trying to fall in with the weight of the syrup.

[adk1]

Check out a filter canner on say the leader evaporator site. The flat filter is just a flat piece of filter that sits on a grate that you pour syrup theough

[Woodsrover]

So I don't claim to be an expert by any means and I've just put up the first 1.5 gallons of syrup I've made in over 30 years, BUT, I'm beginning to think this filtering thing is a bit of a myth for us little guys. I filtered hot sap as I drew off the evaporator with simple, thin non-woven paper cone filters before pouring into the finisher (just a large stock pot over propane). The syrup finished in about 30 minutes in the pot and then I just let it sit over night. The next day I opened the tap which is slightly above the bottom and poured off perfectly clean and clear syrup. No wool, no heavy filters, no filter press...Nothing. I re-heated this syrup up to 200 degrees and bottled it. Bob's yer uncle! I have maybe a pint at the bottom of the pot that is sitting in a jar to settle again but at the end of the day I have perfectly clear syrup, didn't have to fuss with all these crazy filters and lost almost nothing. Not saying this is the way to go for production guys but us who are making a couple gallons at a shot I think this is a perfect and easy solution.

I owe PSPARR a huge thanks for saving me a whole lot of time, money and frustration! Thank you!

[red dorakeen]

There's been several good threads lately on filtering with lots of good advice for which I am thankful.

My 2nd batch I finished and filtered into a cone. I still have no pre filters so I expected things to slow to a drip.

After a couple pints went thru I scooped the rest out of the filter and set it aside to settle.

I'll probably always work small batches so finding an efficient way to filter small batches is my goal.

I'm thinking some sort of settling container would be helpful.

My thanks to all of those who've contributed both questions and answers. Filtering has been the more frustrating part of the process. Not terrible but unexpected for this beginner.

I've a small boil to do today after the snow passes and I clear the driveway. I'll be somewhere over a gallon of syrup and the real syrup season hasn't even started.

[psparr]

Glad I could help others. Hope it helps others figure out even better ways to do it. One thing to add. As the season goes on you'll get more niter. Also more niter could settle out into your jar even though it looks clear now. Not harmful at all, just annoying.

[buckeye gold]

The flat filters are the same material. They are made to be placed in a wire mesh tray with the sides extending up the sides of the tray to keep in the syrup. Just more filtering surface area when using flat filters. You could try to clip the flat filter to the edges of a pot, but have a feeling you'll run into problems with it trying to fall in with the weight of the syrup.

We sew them up to fit into my filter frame. Cut out the bottom and cut long strips to sew on for the sides. They fit perfectly into the frame and get you max exposure. We do this for both prefilters and finish filters.

I usually filter twice once as near syrup at 216 and then as finished syrup. Later in the season as I get more sand I will mix in some filter aide to the final syrup. Woodsrover, early season syrup usually filters very well, but you may see your syrup cloud up as the season progresses. Perhaps location and the nitre your trees produce differs. I can't say I have ever seen syrup you can run through one paper (pre-filter) and be clear, you are fortunate to have that. I know you are settling too, but I wouldn't be surprised if things change as season moves on. I have seen syrup take several days to settle. It's all in personal preference in the end, but I sell in glass and do not want anything settled in the bottom of my bottles.

[pyro]

I agree with woodsrover. I batch boil so my syrup sits anyways. I then pour out the clean syrup at the top and dump the bottom. Although I tried to filter the clean syrup, I also wonder if it actually did anything additional.

And just in case this idea works for anyone, I was just down in my basement and stumbled over a glass vase (for flowers). It looked perfect for gravity filterers where an ideal container is clear, tall and small diameter. I noticed last year my large stock pot was too wide and lost too much at the bottom.