1/2 hose for 5" filter press

[Hunt4sap]

What's the best stuff to use on filter presses?
I will be putting hoses directly into hot finished syrup ( 200 degrees)

I bought press used and it sat for 2 years and had clear /fiber reinforced 1/2" ID hoses already on it that had mold in hoses.

Thinking I will just go to hardware store and get same type hose unless I need something specific?

[wiam]

Most use milk hose as it will take the heat and is made for food.

[Hunt4sap]

Ok is " milkhose" 1/2" IDx 3/4" OD ?
And is it silicone?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Milkhouse or steps after hose is a thick wall and will handle the heat and doesn't kink. It also holds better on barb fittings. I have had blowouts of the reinforced hardware hose.

[Hunt4sap]

"transflow"?
Blue stripe?

[johnallin]

Transflow will work fine for the pickup side...transfer hot syrup up to pump. Be careful on the output side as there's lots of pressure on that hose. It forces syrup through the press. Mine has a stainless braided cover on it. The output from press to bottler is no pressure much like the pick up hose. Check Bascoms or US Plastics in Ohio.

[wiam]

Ok is " milkhose" 1/2" IDx 3/4" OD ?
And is it silicone?

Comes in several sizes.

[Russell Lampron]

I use 1/2" milker hose on my 7" press. I have metal pipe and fittings between my pump and press to handle the high pressure. I have been using the same pieces of hose for quite a few years now. To keep it from getting mold inside I wash it good with hot water.

[Hunt4sap]

Right my filter press already has Steel piping between the Press plates and pump this is a hand pump model and I just need to replace the hoses for the pickup and output but I want something better than standard hardware store type hose and was looking 4 specifically what milk oh is made of whether it's silicone or vinyl?

" Transflow blue stripe" is 1/2" ID and 13/16" OD
It's the thickest wall stuff I can find online that's food grade and high temp(500) degree

[Haynes Forest Products]

The other nice thing about Milk house hose is it loses all its memory and is great for LAYING in a pan as a suction line. I always put a heavy barb fitting on the suction or discharge line to hold it down to the bottom. Dang the hose reminds me of myself because I'm losing my memory all the time to......I think.

[wiam]

Right my filter press already has Steel piping between the Press plates and pump this is a hand pump model and I just need to replace the hoses for the pickup and output but I want something better than standard hardware store type hose and was looking 4 specifically what milk oh is made of whether it's silicone or vinyl?

" Transflow blue stripe" is 1/2" ID and 13/16" OD
It's the thickest wall stuff I can find online that's food grade and high temp(500) degree

I do not believe the blue stripe is silicone. I have bought silicone milk hose before. It was kind of pricey.

[Hunt4sap]

Well I just placed my order and bought 1/2"*3/4 silicone food grade tubing and SS cam lock fittings to redo my setup and get rid of old tubing that had mold in it and figured I might as well make taking it apart to clean easier and more often likely due to the quickness of the camlocks( non very cheap, but what is in sugaring!!!)

[Hunt4sap]

Does anyone have the instruction manual for a Darrell Sheets 5 in hand press filter?

[Hunt4sap]

Or if someone has personal experience with the minimum amount of syrup that can be pressed at one time using his 5 in hand press?
I'm debating whether I should r e filter all the syrup that I have bottled so far this year which is only about to gallons through this new to me hand press filter

So I have an option of either just filtering what I have right now as near up which is about 1 gallon or I'm tempted to empty all of my containers and just reheat up to about 190 and then filter everything that I've process so far this year which would then be about 3 gallons that I could press through

[Russell Lampron]

I'm tempted to empty all of my containers and just reheat up to about 190 and then filter everything that I've process so far this year which would then be about 3 gallons that I could press through

You're going to want to get the syrup hotter than that. Bring it up to 205 to 210. The hotter the syrup the easier it is to pump through the filter press. I have an air operated pump on my "hand" pump filter press now. Mine is a 7" Wes Fab and I could get 5 gallons through it before it got too hard to pump. I make that much or more syrup in an hour now so hand pumping is out of the question for me. If you heat up all of your 3 gallons you'll see what I mean.

[Hunt4sap]

Ok
Thanks for info
I think I'm going to leave all my plastic jugs alone and only add my glass already bottle to other stuff to filter

[Hunt4sap]

I've never used a filter press or seen how when you get to end of syrup you get all remainders out from plates and everywhere else?
I've read on here in a different thread that you can add hot sap when all syrup is gone to keep prime long enough to extract last amount of syrup from crevice s, but wouldn't that let sap/ syrup mix ?
Guy I bought from said he would bottle straight from press hose...

[Russell Lampron]

I've never used a filter press or seen how when you get to end of syrup you get all remainders out from plates and everywhere else?
I've read on here in a different thread that you can add hot sap when all syrup is gone to keep prime long enough to extract last amount of syrup from crevice s, but wouldn't that let sap/ syrup mix ?
Guy I bought from said he would bottle straight from press hose...

I use hot water to flush my press after use. I run that back into my draw off tank and leave it for the next boil. You can save it and boil it again with a fresh batch of sap the next time you boil too. At the end of the season or if I use the press in the off season I just dump it. There isn't much syrup left in the press when you're done if you use as much filter aide as you should.

I pump the hot syrup into storage containers or into my canner if I'm going to jug it up right away. I never jug it directly from the press because it would be too messy.

[Daryl]

If you would have asked when we talked, I would have e-mailed you the instructions.
My e-mail is sheetstool@zoominternet.net and it will be on its way today.
Daryl

[Hunt4sap]

Ok, thanks Daryl

[Haynes Forest Products]

Hunt4sap I have filled larger jug right from the filter press. It take extremely good timing or you will make a mess. Quarts and larger no problem its the guy holding the hose and bypass lever that make the magic happen.

[Hunt4sap]

Don't have a bypass handle ,only 2 hoses also
1 pickup( inlet)
1 outlet( exiting finished syrup)

[Russell Lampron]

Don't have a bypass handle ,only 2 hoses also
1 pickup( inlet)
1 outlet( exiting finished syrup)

Haynes is talking about a press with a gear pump. A by-pass valve isn't needed on a hand pump or air pump press.

[Hunt4sap]

I was hoping that was the case
It sounds like if I filter about 2 gallons on my maiden voyage I should use all the plates and if I decide to try and bottle directly from filter press I need probably 2 other people for extra hands
My reason to fill bottles directly from filter press is b/c I don't have a water jacket bottler so if I pump filtered syrup back into my propane finisher it could build up some sugar sand which is my whole reason to buy press and stop messing around with cone gravity filtering...
Got some good tips in my head now from many good replies on here

[johnallin]

Keep in mind that you want to be 185°-190° when you bottle...don't think you'll see that coming out of a filter press.

[Russell Lampron]

I was hoping that was the case
It sounds like if I filter about 2 gallons on my maiden voyage I should use all the plates and if I decide to try and bottle directly from filter press I need probably 2 other people for extra hands
My reason to fill bottles directly from filter press is b/c I don't have a water jacket bottler so if I pump filtered syrup back into my propane finisher it could build up some sugar sand which is my whole reason to buy press and stop messing around with cone gravity filtering...
Got some good tips in my head now from many good replies on here

I don't have a water jacket bottler either. Just a 16x16 Leader canner with burner. A lot of small producers use electric coffee pots for bottlers.

[Hunt4sap]

Russel lampron

So is your 16*16 canner direct flame on bottom of pan?
I guess I can use my finisher to bottle but I'm afraid to do this and create more niter after filter pressed?
Some I've read say you can use direct flame but can't get over 190?

[Russell Lampron]

Russel lampron

So is your 16*16 canner direct flame on bottom of pan?
I guess I can use my finisher to bottle but I'm afraid to do this and create more niter after filter pressed?
Some I've read say you can use direct flame but can't get over 190?

Yes it is direct flame on bottom of pan and it's all that I've ever used for canning syrup. I'm very careful with the temperature and never have any sediment issues when I pack in glass. You can't go over 190* regardless of the type of canner you use. Syrup will begin to release more nitre at just over 190* weither it's direct flame or not.

[Hunt4sap]

Alright, thanks for reply
I'll give my finisher a try for bottling right after filter press and be very careful not to go over 190.
Maybe get a water jacket bottler next year ( one less thing to buy this year, already spent enough...)

[Hunt4sap]

Only thing I don't like about finisher being used as bottler is it's tough getting last probably 6 oz out
Maybe I can right it with precut wedges to give it more angle towards drain/ spigot...
Only one way to know, everything has a learning curve especially using new ways to do same thing( making sugar from what looks like water):confused:

[Russell Lampron]

Only thing I don't like about finisher being used as bottler is it's tough getting last probably 6 oz out
Maybe I can right it with precut wedges to give it more angle towards drain/ spigot...
Only one way to know, everything has a learning curve especially using new ways to do same thing( making sugar from what looks like water):confused:

I have a piece of a 2x4 that I put under the rear of the canner pan so that it will drain completely.

[Hunt4sap]

I had four distinct burn spots on the inside side walls of the stainless steel finisher about 3in by 3in square about an inch above the final draw off it must be from the way that burner allows heat to come up around the sides of the pan I was in a hurry so I was keeping the finisher on high and I think that led to the black spots I did clean it all up today it came out fine after soaking overnight and reboiled water in it...
Think it might have just been too hot while getting really close to finished, but I didn't want to scrape it into my almost finished syrup and cause a burnt flavor...

[Hunt4sap]

When people say they wet the filters before running finished syrup do you just run them under some water before assembly of plates?
If so can someone tell me if it will put h20 back into my syrup?
Going to hopefully filter and bottle as much as possible in am tomorrow, so thanks in advance for any tips
I've watched a couple videos and read up on using a press but never seen on work or used this one on actual syrup, just boiling water to sanitize...
Had a couple leaky gaskets show up and need to fix that in am first

[Russell Lampron]

I just dunk my papers into a pot of hot water from my steam hood as I assemble the press. The amount of water in them isn't enough to change the density of the syrup.

[Hunt4sap]

Ok thanks
I have multiple batches of finished syrup ( I want to keep them separate) b/c some we're light,and some darker and putting in glass.
So my first batch is just over 2.5 gallons of light
Next is just over 3 gallons of dark
I'm assuming I will have to break press down in between batches to clean de/ niter out and start over but not sure, what's everyone s thought on this?