Hand filter press problem

[Samuelvw1]

So far the hand final press is living up I got from smokey lake to my expectations so last night while pressing 1.5 gallons I noticed the de did not get caught in the first 3 filters it was the last half is when the de could caught in the filters and made it nearly impossible to keep pressing the handle down what did I do wrong I put the filter paper on every waffle and heated the syrup to over 180 with 2 cups of de
https://www.smokylakemaple.com/product/5-aluminum-filter-press/


Sam
Shelton, Connecticut

[maple flats]

Did you mix the DE in well and pump the mixture thru and back into the mix pot until it was crystal clear before moving the discharge to collect the filtered syrup? It could possibly also be that the syrup cooled too much before getting thru the press when you were recirculating to get the filter cake formed. Are you positive all plates and papers were in place properly?

[Russell Lampron]

Is it possible that you had a plate or two in backwards? I can't think of any other reason that the papers in the first 3 chambers wouldn't get coated.

When you heat your syrup for filtering have it at or near boiling. Don't worry about it producing more nitre. It only does that with continued evaporation which is minimal once the syrup is hot.

When I had a hand pump on my press I could get about 5 gallons through it before it got too hard to pump. That's why I put an air powered diaphragm pump on it.

[Samuelvw1]

When I pump the syrup through do I leave the pot on the fire staying hot or take it off the flame

[maple flats]

Get it up to 210 or more, then take it off the heat and be ready to begin filtering right away, mix in the DE, then run the hot syrup thru the press and back to the same pot until the syrup coming out of the discharge from the filter is sparkely clean. Then move the discharge hose to a clean container and filter the syrup. After filtering, it the syrup is still over 185, bottle right away, if not heat it to 185 but not over 190 and then pack it. If putting in small glass bottles, heat the jars ahead in the oven. Have it all packed before the temp falls below 180. When packed, lay each bottle on it's side or even upside down for a minute, then stand upright. When halfway cooled, make some pancakes and enjoy the fruit of your labor.

[gmc8757]

Is it possible that you had a plate or two in backwards? I can't think of any other reason that the papers in the first 3 chambers wouldn't get coated.

When you heat your syrup for filtering have it at or near boiling. Don't worry about it producing more nitre. It only does that with continued evaporation which is minimal once the syrup is hot.

When I had a hand pump on my press I could get about 5 gallons through it before it got too hard to pump. That's why I put an air powered diaphragm pump on it.

Can I ask what air powered pump you used and where you got it?


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[Russell Lampron]

My pump is a 1/2" one if I remember right. The brand is Yamada and I got it on ebay a few years ago. It has teflon diaphragms and an aluminum body. Other people are using 3/8" pumps and they work good too. When you get a pump you need to find one with food safe diaphragms rated or the high temperature of syrup.

[BAP]

Can I ask what air powered pump you used and where you got it?


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For air pump recommendations check out this
http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?28898-Air-powered-diaphragm-pumps

[bawurster]

Sam, not sure if you figured out your problem but I bought the same stainless steel filter press and had a similar issue will DE not getting caught in the filters. I would suggest you try this:
1) Watch the 12 minute video on the Smoky Lake website on filtering syrup.
2) Make sure syrup is heated to 200 degrees before starting to pump.
3) Make sure the nuts on the press are tight. Mine sometimes loosen after the initial tightening. If not totally tight, some DE gets through.
4) Use a minimum of 3 cups DE.
5) I have to pump for 10-15 minutes after the last syrup is pumped into the press to get all the filtered syrup out.

If anybody else has this press and has any tips I'm all ears.

[Super Sapper]

I don't have a Smoky Lake press but you can not put the plates in backwards the way it is designed. Now putting the papers in wrong can happen (been there done that) and cause problems. Let us know what you find out so it can help others if they have the same problem.

[212Maple]

I have the same Smoky Lake set up and I have probably run 100 gallons through it in the past 8 months. I have never had that issue with my press. The only time I have a hard time pumping is when I get close to the end of a 15-20 gallon batch.

[maple flats]

I put my papers in upside down once but that filter press at the time had a gear pump. I never knew they were wrong until I went to clean the press and I saw that there were 2 extra holes in the papers. With a motor driven gear pump it had enough pressure that it just made it's own holes. I only did that the one time on 2 of the papers. Now I watch more closely. My press now has an air powered diaphragm pump.
Is it possible your papers were in upside down? Maybe then with a hand pump you didn't have enough pressure to have it punch it's own holes for the syrup to flow in and out of the plates.

[Mike Van]

Sam - You didn't by chance get your DE from amazon? I did, my mistake, the 'food grade' DE you get there is too fine, you need to get it from a maple products place, I got 10 lp from The Maple Guys and my problems went away. With the fine stuff, I could only pump a few quarts through, before the pump was too hard to operate. Just a thought.