Felt Filter vs Filter Press

[Flatfoot95]

I realize the filter presses are probably the way to go. However money controls everything including my new syrup filter unit. I am looking at a number of gas fired filter/canning units. My question is this....Is there any way that I could decrease the sugar sand that is visible when packaging in glass with one of these units? I generally filter my syrup when it comes off the evaporator and then again when I bottle it. I currently use a five gallon filter canister with a orlon filter and atleast three prefilters.

[John Burton]

other that increasing the number of pre filters you use I would say no,not really. we use to run up to 8 pre filters before the main filter and we could never quite get it all

[maple flats]

Some of the traders have used filter aid with the filters and say they get good results. Try a search on this forum.

[danno]

I've heard others mention this. I filter through orlon and 3 pre filters and get very clear syrup which I bottle in glass. The filters are a mess at the end. I hang them on the line and spray them off with a hose and everything comes right off.

If your lookin to save bucks, you can make your own filter/canner. I bought a SS 24 x12 x 10 buffet pan at the scratch/dent (it's hardly scratched) section of the local resteraunt supply store with ss cover for under $20. Fitted it with filter screen and drilled out at the bottom for a bottling valve. Works great and holds about 5 gallons of syrup. They had the double buffet pans for $25 that would have held 10 gallons.

[MaplePancakeMan]

Danno, would you mind taking a couple pictures of that filter/canner? and send them to my email basketballdemond@gmail.com i have a couple of those pans laying around so it might be worth my time to make one. i bet it beats pouring out of a huge stainless pot into a funnel to fill jars. while constantly monitoring temps.

[Herb Cronizer]

I have heard two old timers now say that they used to ad milk to the syrup while it was boiling and then skim it off and filter it and it would clear it right up is this crazy or true I have never tried it.

[maplehound]

I too have heard the milk idea. I think though it is more the cream that does the job. As for felt verses pressure filter, I have changed to a pressure filter and find that the amount of syrup i lost in the felt filters versuses what I lose using the pressure filter more than pays for the pressure fulter. When I am done with the pressure filter I jsut run some sap or water through and save the watered down syrup for the next time I boil. but with the felt filters I couldn't ring out the filters without ruining them. Over time this is a big savings.

[Jim Brown]

At the risk of being called and 'old timer' when I was a kid we used to take the syrup that was almost done and place it on the kitchen stove so as to be able to control the heat. bring it to a boil.Take 2-3 eggs and milk and whip together like you were going to make scrambled eggs Dump it into the syrup. as soon as you did it would sink. It would start to cook and as it did it would float!. as it can up through the syrup it would take all the dirt and sugar sand and it would stick to the cooked eggs and milk. Just skim it off in big pieces and filter the rest with a cheese cloth.Clean syrup!
It worked of us for years
Just the thoughts of an'old timer'
Jim

[Fred Henderson]

At the risk of being called and 'old timer' when I was a kid we used to take the syrup that was almost done and place it on the kitchen stove so as to be able to control the heat. bring it to a boil.Take 2-3 eggs and milk and whip together like you were going to make scrambled eggs Dump it into the syrup. as soon as you did it would sink. It would start to cook and as it did it would float!. as it can up through the syrup it would take all the dirt and sugar sand and it would stick to the cooked eggs and milk. Just skim it off in big pieces and filter the rest with a cheese cloth.Clean syrup!
It worked of us for years
Just the thoughts of an'old timer'
Jim


By doing that then you can not call it pure maple syrup according to all that I read.

[Jim Brown]

Fred; When we were doing it. It was for our own table and we were collecting in 2 gallon oil cans and boiling in two old wash tubs over and open fire!
Thanks
Jim

[Fred Henderson]

Wow!!!!!!! what can I say, you will be even tougher when you are an old geaser like me.