Tell me YOUR filtering process

[raptorfan85]

If there is one thing I have learned so far on my 2 year maple journey, it is that everyone has a different filtering process. From cone filters to filter presses to coffee filters... I have also learned that many people have excellent tricks and tips that they have figured out on there own and by trial and error.

What I would like is to see if I can get some people to tell me their individual filtering process. How many times do you filter? What do you use? What tips and tricks have you learned along the way? I do not care if you gravity filter, use a press, or decant your syrup, just looking to see what everyone is doing and maybe learn some things in the process.

Myself, I batch boil. My finished batches are around 1 to 2 gallons. I take the nearup off the evap. And run it through a clean piece of cotton just to catch 90 percent of the crud. I then finish it on my stove with a hydrometer. After finishing I put it right through a flat filter in a fryer basket that fits ontop of a large stock pot. I then take a temp reading and if still hot enough it goes right into the bottles. I bottle in glass, sometimes it comes out clear, sometimes a little niter. I do not sell it so I am not worried about the little niter I get, but always looking to improve!

[wnybassman]

When I was filtering 1 to 4 gallons at a crack the 30 cup coffee urn was my best friend. I even did a marathon 10 gallon batch one night I remember. The best part of that system was having a spigot to bottle from for the first time. Before that it was a ladle and a funnel for me, so having a spigot was huge! Now I bottle 5 to 10 gallons at a time on average and have upgraded to a Smoky Lake steam filter/bottler. That works pretty well, still a little slow for syrup going through the filters. Generally I have a lot going on in the shack at that time so waiting for it to go through is not an issue, plus the steam keeps my syrup temp right at 192º so no worries there. I use all five prefilters as well as the heavy one. Generally I only have to pull one or two prefilters during a 6 to 8 gallon batch.

I have my eyes on possibly upgrading to a small press, but after buying an RO a couple weeks ago my upgrade budget is kinda shot for this year. :D

[Ghs57]

I started out with a flat filter in the fryer basket. Actually, I think a had my best results with that setup. I then went to a cone filter in a home made 5 gal bucket holder. Not as good. I also started rough filtering at draw off from the evaporator through pre-filters. That captures a ton of sediment. I have been finishing/bottling indoors with a stockpot. Then I got a used coffee urn type thing with a spigot for bottling. That's better than pouring from a stockpot. Since I sell, I'm not crazy about fiber filtering. It seems very hard to get crystal clear syrup like I did in the early days. Of course, the last few seasons have not been like the old days. We have already had 70 degree weather this year.

My plan this year is to go the steam filter/bottler route. I'm stockpiling my unfiltered syrup in 5 gal buckets until I can buy one. This will help with both the filtering and bottling process, and the operation will start and finish in the shack.

[raptorfan85]

When I was filtering 1 to 4 gallons at a crack the 30 cup coffee urn was my best friend. I even did a marathon 10 gallon batch one night I remember. The best part of that system was having a spigot to bottle from for the first time. Before that it was a ladle and a funnel for me, so having a spigot was huge! Now I bottle 5 to 10 gallons at a time on average and have upgraded to a Smoky Lake steam filter/bottler. That works pretty well, still a little slow for syrup going through the filters. Generally I have a lot going on in the shack at that time so waiting for it to go through is not an issue, plus the steam keeps my syrup temp right at 192º so no worries there. I use all five prefilters as well as the heavy one. Generally I only have to pull one or two prefilters during a 6 to 8 gallon batch.

I have my eyes on possibly upgrading to a small press, but after buying an RO a couple weeks ago my upgrade budget is kinda shot for this year. :D

I think the coffee urn is the next step for me as well. I was thinking about buying a weldless spout for the stock pot like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071GKPB6B/ref=asc_df_B071GKPB6B5398600/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B071GKPB6B&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198106240524&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15488300855984778723&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002381&hvtargid=pla-350797303583

Kinda funny when the idea of bottling from a spout and not a laddle gets you excited! I would love a steam bottler but its not in the budget for a while. Congrats on the new RO. Cant wait to get one at some point.

[raptorfan85]

I started out with a flat filter in the fryer basket. Actually, I think a had my best results with that setup. I then went to a cone filter in a home made 5 gal bucket holder. Not as good. I also started rough filtering at draw off from the evaporator through pre-filters. That captures a ton of sediment. I have been finishing/bottling indoors with a stockpot. Then I got a used coffee urn type thing with a spigot for bottling. That's better than pouring from a stockpot. Since I sell, I'm not crazy about fiber filtering. It seems very hard to get crystal clear syrup like it did in the early days. Of course, the last few seasons have not been like the old days. We have already had 70 degree weather this year.

My plan this year is to go the steam filter/bottler route. I'm stockpiling my unfiltered syrup in 5 gal buckets until I can buy one. This will help with both the filtering and bottling process, and the operation will start and finish in the shack.

Do you put the unfiltered syrup into the buckets while its still hot? I contemplated doing this and filtering/bottling bigger batches but was worried about putting hot syrup into the plastic. My dream is to start and finish in the shack. Its getting to the point that finishing in the house fills it with steam and the wife gets angry...

[fisheatingbagel]

I think you're fine putting hot syrup in the buckets. Just be sure to use food grade buckets. Lowes sells food grade 5 gallon buckets for pretty cheap.

[Tweegs]

We draw off the evaporator directly into a cone filter.
I made a stand to hold the filter and pail out of some ½” copper and a few elbows and Tee’s.

Important to keep the syrup hot when using the cones and keeping the filters close to the evaporator helps to some degree.

Once the pail is full, we transfer it to a tote.
Back in the kitchen, we’ll heat and run it through another flat filter prior to bottling or bulk packing.

Every time you heat syrup, you have the potential to release niter. When we crack open bulk packed syrup we’ll filter it again prior to bottling.

We do lose a little syrup every time we filter, but we see very little niter settle out in our glass-packed retail containers (hard to avoid completely without a press).
It’s a trade-off that we accept.

[Ghs57]

Do you put the unfiltered syrup into the buckets while its still hot? I contemplated doing this and filtering/bottling bigger batches but was worried about putting hot syrup into the plastic. My dream is to start and finish in the shack. Its getting to the point that finishing in the house fills it with steam and the wife gets angry...

No, it's generally not hot. Maybe warm. Everything is food grade. It's also stored at the ambient outside temperature, which is fine for now. This will be for the short term. Bottling will begin in a week or two, either the old way or with the new steam filter/bottler.

Got to get moving. Sap inflowing already today.

[fishnhunts.on]

I've struggled with filtering as well and am also interested to learn how other people are doing it. I also bottle in small batches usually 2-3 gallons at a time. I don't sell my syrup but I do give most of it away so although the niter doesn't bother me at all I do try to get it all out.
This is my process:
From my collection tank I pump the raw sap into my storage tank. I use the light paper woven cone filters ahead of my pump to filter the sap. I then filter the raw sap from my collection tank again before it goes into my pan with the same type of filter. When the syrup is near completion I pour it off hot through the same type filter and also through the heavier felt fabric cone filter into a stainless steel 30 quart gumbo pot(?) with a spigot. From there it comes into the shop and the pot is placed on my woodstove and kept hot for bottling. I have a stainless steel funnel I line with the felt cone filter and then on top of the felt filter I line it with many layers of cheese cloth then pour away.
It sounds like quite a process but goes pretty smooth really and I very rarely get niter and my syrup is crystal clear.

All that being said I purchased a filter press this year (not here yet...Grrr) and hope to stream line the process even more.

[flyzone13]

When I first started I used a basket and a flat filter but as I grew I quickly realized that I needed to upgrade. I have been using the cone filter for some time now. I filter right off my Evaporator and then again when it goes into my bottler. I have a tendency to play around with new things so this year I have been concentrating on the vacuum style of filtering, I have not yet built one but I have been doing a lot of reading. I think that I will build that for next year as well as an R.O.

[raptorfan85]

I have a tendency to play around with new things so this year I have been concentrating on the vacuum style of filtering, I have not yet built one but I have been doing a lot of reading. I think that I will build that for next year as well as an R.O.

I've been looking at the vacuum setups as well. There was a guy on here that posted a video. Looked like he used 2 stock pots joined together with a small vacuum pump. I'm seriously thinking about building one. It was pretty impressive.

[Russell Lampron]

I built a finisher on wheels out of an old Weber gas grille and had Bill Mason make a pan to fit on it. I draw off into the finisher and when I get close to the end of a boil I light the burners to heat the syrup to filtering temperature. I adjust the density which is always heavy because it's easier and faster to thin it down than to boil it longer. I then run it through my filter press and into 5 gallon jugs or 15.5 gallon kegs depending on how much syrup I've made. I have a spigot on the finisher pan that I hook the hose to the filter press to.

[raptorfan85]

How much was the finisher if you don't mind me asking... After this season I'm calling bill Mason and ordering a 2x4... His prices are amazing. if it's not crazy maybe a finisher from him is the way to go...

[Road's End]

I pour off into a ~3.5 gallon stainless pot with a valve. I put a couple pre-filters and a wool (synthetic) filter in it to get almost everything out immediately. If I make more than the 3ish gallons I usually have to push aside or remove the first pre-filter as it gets clogged up. I pour it into other stainless pots for storage until the end of the day and I'll reheat/density check and then pour it back through a couple pre-filters and the primary filter before bottling. I do mostly plastic jugs but decided to try some maple leaf jars this year and they came out pretty good. Certainly not crystal clear but it works for me. Looking to uograde to a filter press next season. Closing in on 400 taps with more next season so I can justify it now.

[Cedar Eater]

I filter the nearup through a prefilter before I finish on my kitchen stove. I finish into one gallon glass jugs and let them settle in a refrigerator until I decide it's time to bottle. I then decant into a big pot, but this year I'm building a water bath canner. With decanting, I only get the lightest "dust" off the niter and so liitle of it that when it settles in the 1 pt. mason jars it's almost unnoticable.

Now I've got thick niter and finished syrup in the bottom of the jugs to deal with. I dilute it with tap water, heat it in a pot and filter it with prefilters. Then I boil it down to nearup and filter it again with prefilters. Then I boil it back to syrup density and hot pack it into mason jars marked with a graphic eye on the top so that I won't mix those jars with the other jars. That becomes my coffee sweetener. Now here's the surprising thing - this reprocessed syrup still tastes great.

[Galena]

When I was filtering 1 to 4 gallons at a crack the 30 cup coffee urn was my best friend. I even did a marathon 10 gallon batch one night I remember. The best part of that system was having a spigot to bottle from for the first time. Before that it was a ladle and a funnel for me, so having a spigot was huge!

I'll say! That coffee urn idea is frickin genius!

As for my own current filtering process...paper coffee filters, stainless steel funnels, Mason jars, and lots of wooden clothespegs. I don't filter the sap, I wait til I'm boiling a batch down to nearup and then put it through filters into the Mason jars (the ss funnels fit perfectly). As the coffee filters get clogged with nitre, I prepare another funnel and filters, set it in place under the clogged one, lift the clogged one and poke out the bottom with a sharp paring knife. Lots of nitre gets trapped in the pleats of the coffee filter.

Then I don't filter again til after I've made it into syrup, same setup, and store the syrup in jars til I bottle it, usually within a day or two of finishing. And yes I an doing the somewhat dicey lifted stockpot/funnel setup and would love to not have to lift a gallon of 222 degree syrup and pour it into a 2l Mason jar with a funnel and filter. Don't get me wrong, my method works and gives me perfectly clear syrup, but it could be improved.

I am definitely going to be on the lookout for a coffee urn. I usually finish batches at around 1g, so that would make life a lot easier. Thanks for the great idea! :-)

[Paddymountain]

After the struggle that every newbie goes through, we bought an old drip coffee pot. Rigged it up to hold cone filters.
We always filter off the evaporator with one prefilter. Then we would adjust our syrup to density and dump it in the pot
using 6 prefilters and an orlon filter. We put a probe thermometer in to make sure it didn't get above 190 degrees.
Sometimes we would have to unplug it for awhile if it got too hot. Then as the prefilters plugged we would start pulling them,
it seems to me we never pulled more than three. it was great to bottle from, as the spigot never dripped.
The last year we used it we filtered 100 gallons of syrup through it. The worst thing was flushing the filters.
We would put them in a Rubbermaid vessel over night to let them drip out, and then my wife flushed them out the next morning.
The setup worked great ,but cleanup seemed to drag on forever. Made enough money to buy a filter press and have never looked back,
cleanup is a breeze and no wasted syrup.

[Russell Lampron]

How much was the finisher if you don't mind me asking... After this season I'm calling bill Mason and ordering a 2x4... His prices are amazing. if it's not crazy maybe a finisher from him is the way to go...

I only had Bill make the pan form me and I think it was $200 but it was a few years ago. If you do have him make one for you have him make a cover for it too. I didn't get a cover and wish that I had.

[Sugarmaker]

Today: We draw finished syrup off the evaporator into a 8 gallon container. Syrup is maybe 200 deg F. Maybe 1-2 gallons then add DE and stir. Syrup is pumped to a SIRO 12 inch filter system. Back to the draw off tank until clean and then into 2.5 gallon bulk storage containers.

Old days:
Drew off into same 8 gallon container with spigot on bottom. (auto draw off on rig).
Drain hot syrup (gallon of so) into a bucket.
Lift/ move syrup to 2 cone filters with 3 prefilters in each. (Change/ clean as needed)

Regards,
Chris

[3% Solution]

We draw near syrup (heavy) into a 3/4 gallon pot ......
Move to the counter ..... check and bring to syrup .....
Add de ..... pump through the press until clear .... then into the canner ......
That's it .....

[Flatpan1]

18092

I draw off evaporator into a cone prefilter that is inverted like a sailors hat supported by a wire frame. ( more surface area)
Into finisher check density and then run through this rig. 3 to 4 gallons at a time. 4 pre and one heavy filter. Works very well for me.

[maple marc]

3%, how much DE are you using per gallon with Daryl's press? How much in total?

[Dave Puhl]

I finish my syrup on the 2x6, use a cone pre filter to get the big stuff then I have glass gallon jugs I let sit for a week or till a rainy day to bottle.. pour off but leave the dregs combine the dregs to settle off again.. will then reheat and use the sailor hat holder for the cone filer with two or three pre filters

[personandy2]

Backyard hobby guy here. A very good year for me is 3-4 finished gallons which of course is small potatoes compared to a lot of you but my dad and I love it. Unfortunately had to take a year off due to babies but already planning and prepping for 2019!

Despite my low volume, filtering is a pain. I finish in a turkey fryer which I've had success with then filter into another turkey fryer pot with a 5 quart synthetic filter hung inside, with prefilters inside of that. It takes forever and I worry about how much I lose.

How exactly does the coffee urn work? Are you hanging the cone inside the urn (without the coffee filter basket) and because the urn stays warm, the syrup runs faster and stays at temp for bottling?

thanks!

Andy

[3% Solution]

3%, how much DE are you using per gallon with Daryl's press? How much in total?

maple marc,
My scoop = 1/4 cup .....

First pot ..... approx. 3/4 gallon gets 3 scoops
The remaining pots get 1 1/2 scoops ..... if the flow slows ..... next pot gets 2 scoops ....
The total the other day for 4 gallons of syrup was approx. 11 scoops .....

Does this help??

[raptorfan85]

How exactly does the coffee urn work? Are you hanging the cone inside the urn (without the coffee filter basket) and because the urn stays warm, the syrup runs faster and stays at temp for bottling?

thanks!

Andy

The setups I have seen usually have a bucket or something to hold a cone filter that sits on top of the coffee urn. You filter your finished syrup into the urn. The heat and steam from the urn usually keeps the filter moist and warmer to keep the syrup flowing in the filter. Then the heating element keeps the syrup at bottling temp. When you want to bottle put a container under the spout, pull the handle and fill it up. No mess no fuss just hot syrup into the bottle.

[BSD]

this year i've been making average 5-6 gal batches every boil. so i filter heavy syrup right off the evaporator through an inverted cone filter with 7-8 pre filters usually. The niter has been out of control this year. super fine and lots of it! After i get the 5.5 gal mark on the draw off pot i put it up on the propane finisher and heat it up to correct density. then i hot-pack it into 5.5 gal totes. During this process i do make more niter, but i haven't had the time to filter it again and bottle yet. so for now i'm just hot-packing totes and will re-heat/filter and bottle at a later date. there is some wasted syrup, but it is a lot less juggling in the sugar house when things are otherwise chaotic.

181351813618137

[ash10383]

i like reading all of these and it seems a lot of us hobbyists are similar flavors of the same process.... ours is: take off nearup in 2-3 gallon batches, filter through grease filter or 2 off of the evaporator into stock pot. Finish to proper density on stove top, then pour in an Optimizer (inverted) filter rack with synthetic & 3-4 prefilters situated on a coffee urn. Once the filters are full, we put the lid on, covered by a towl to reduce escaping steam. The first couple batches we had it plugged into a thermostat to keep temps at 185 but it generally didn't need to be turned on except toward the end and it got too hot and created nitre / cloudy syrup in our glass jars. The last several batches we haven't plugged the coffee urn in but do put the probe in to watch the tempature and the syrup has stayed clear. Through most of the process, the syrup filters through fast enough to keep the syrup above 180 for bottling (into preheated jars and lids), the urn (https://www.webstaurantstore.com/avantco-cu110etl-110-cup-stainless-steel-coffee-urn-1500w/177CU110ETL.html) is a double walled and the exteriors stays pretty cool to the touch so just the mass of the syrup keeps it hot enough for us to bottle. Once it is below 180 there is only about 1 qt left so we bottle that in a old juice jar for our own use so if it doesn't seal we'll put it the freezer.

[Trapper2]

1815818159181601816118162
I personally roll off my flat pan, my Sap is close to 218 degrees and I filter thru 4 layers of flour sack cloth. I usually do about 4 gallons at a time. Then I take it inside to a turkey fryer and bring it up to density, checked with Hydrometer and a thermometer, usually about 219. I then filter into a 7 gallon bucket that is on top of a coffee maker. The bucket has a orlon bag and 4 prefilters in it. I put a strainer in the bucket just to hold the bags open for me. The coffee maker is plugged in and holds the syrup at about 190. I bottle into pints and quarts for family.

[Bucket Head]

You weren't kidding when you said you roll your pan off! That's a clever way of doing it.

[Trapper2]

You weren't kidding when you said you roll your pan off! That's a clever way of doing it.

Conveyor from a neighboring farmer cost me a quart of syrup. It looks like we have plenty of guys there but with the conveyor I can do by myself when need be.

[prairietapper]

Nope! I will not tell you my filtering method. No one needs another example of how not to do it. I am sure looking forward to a press though!

[SSS2017]

I’m similar to most here doing 2-3 gallons at a time. I draw off from my flat pan into a 10 gallon bayou classic pot with two prefilters held on by 12gauge copper wire threaded through evenly spaced holes cut into the prefilters. From there I finish to syrup on propane. Then I dump into an 8 gallon bayou classic pot with 2-3 prefilters held on the same way with copper wire. This pot has a shutoff on the bottom with a 1/2” barb to hold my tube that connects to my Maple Guys hand filter press. From there I press into my steam finisher from Smoky Lake Maple and bottle at 190.

I dropped some money on the press and steam finisher this year but I’m glad I did. I’ve bottled over 10 gallons so far this year of crystal clear syrup. No more evil thoughts of sugar sand in the bottles the next morning.

[prairietapper]

I’m similar to most here doing 2-3 gallons at a time. I draw off from my flat pan into a 10 gallon bayou classic pot with two prefilters held on by 12gauge copper wire threaded through evenly spaced holes cut into the prefilters. From there I finish to syrup on propane. Then I dump into an 8 gallon bayou classic pot with 2-3 prefilters held on the same way with copper wire. This pot has a shutoff on the bottom with a 1/2” barb to hold my tube that connects to my Maple Guys hand filter press. From there I press into my steam finisher from Smoky Lake Maple and bottle at 190.

I dropped some money on the press and steam finisher this year but I’m glad I did. I’ve bottled over 10 gallons so far this year of crystal clear syrup. No more evil thoughts of sugar sand in the bottles the next morning.

nice set up ! I am nearly envious :)

[BSD]

last night, had to correct density and re-filter... it looks ridiculous, but it works grea. ran 7 gallons through my inverted filter and pre-filters. no issue. made some great medium amber,

18180
18181

[poulin]

Prairietrapper,

What exactly have you bought as a steam canner ? I don’t see any heat source below, is it propane, electric ?

Thanks

[Boxelderburn]

So we batch boil in one shot and end up with about 6 gallons of syrup. I've always strucggled with filtering and getting clean syrup. Last year we when we were done on the evaporator we finished on a turkey fryer, then attempted to run the syrup through 2 prefilters and and orlon, but had a tough time keeping the syrup flowing constantly. As the filters would start to slow down, we would lose are temp, and as it began to run slower through the filter, we had to turn the heat off to keep the syrup correct, which in turn made the filtering even slower. I have run some about using DE, but it seems like theres still quite a few guys on here that don't and don't seem to have any problems, do anyone have any suggestions to make the filtering process a little more efficient?

[Daveg]

1815818159181601816118162
I personally roll off my flat pan, my Sap is close to 218 degrees and I filter thru 4 layers of flour sack cloth. I usually do about 4 gallons at a time. Then I take it inside to a turkey fryer and bring it up to density, checked with Hydrometer and a thermometer, usually about 219. I then filter into a 7 gallon bucket that is on top of a coffee maker. The bucket has a orlon bag and 4 prefilters in it. I put a strainer in the bucket just to hold the bags open for me. The coffee maker is plugged in and holds the syrup at about 190. I bottle into pints and quarts for family.
When I plugged in my coffee urn (Westbend 200 cup) the syrup in contact with the heating element immediately scorched, contaminating the entire sample with carbon flecks. Instead, I insulated the urn with 3/4" foam insulation.

[thomashansen871]

I read a post a while back that said to fill the urn with water and let the cycle run, leave the water in it and powered on until you need it, then dump the water and filter syrup into it. That is what I have been doing and I have not had any issues with it, I do the exact same process that Trapper2 does.

[Daveg]

Do you turn the urn off after dumping the water? My Westbend 200 cup coffee makers' heating element immediately scorches any syrup in contact with it, creating black flecks of carbon in the syrup and giving the batch a burned taste.

[thomashansen871]

I have a Nesco machine, and after it brews, it will hold the temp, I have done 4 batches with it and have not had it scorch, if your urn is insulated, in would leave it unplugged while filling with syrup and canning, it should hold enough heat in it.

[Trapper2]

Ok, I lied. I left out 2 important steps to my process on purpose. We have been doing this since the 1960s. Please don't yell at me. This process, what I do is not for everyone but it works for our private use. We only do 10-15 gallons a year. I do not sell to anyone and I don't have anyone that is Lactose intolerant, and really, I don't know that it would matter anyway. What I do is, once I hit density, I add 1/2 cup whole milk for each gallon of syrup and then boil up to density again. The niter adheres to the milk which makes curds that I just scoop off of the top with a metal strainer, which leaves me niter free syrup that strains very easily through my 3 of 4 prefilters and my Orlon bag. I did 3 gallons on 3-18-2018 with this process. The crud in the cardboard box is the crud I skimmed off of the top. Good Luck to you all. 1819818199182001820118202

[thomashansen871]

Of it works, that is all that matters.

[Trapper2]

18205

Immediately after filtering.

[raptorfan85]

If it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.

I've never heard of the milk trick. Looks like it works pretty well. I might give it a try actually, I'm kinda intrigued...

[Trapper2]

Well I guess I had so many of the BIG producers say you can no longer sell as 100% pure Maple Syrup if you do that. Be careful that it doesn't boil over on you. Lower your heat so it barely boils.


If it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.

I've never heard of the milk trick. Looks like it works pretty well. I might give it a try actually, I'm kinda intrigued...

[For_the_kids]

By using the milk have you ever had a batch go ransid sitting on the shelf because you were not able to get all the milk out of the syrup? My grandma told me to crack an egg into the syrup and it would do the same thing, but since I only do a few small (2-3 gallon) batches a year I am too nervous to screw up an entire batch.

[Trapper2]

By using the milk have you ever had a batch go ransid sitting on the shelf because you were not able to get all the milk out of the syrup? My grandma told me to crack an egg into the syrup and it would do the same thing, but since I only do a few small (2-3 gallon) batches a year I am too nervous to screw up an entire batch.

No I haven’t and I have a few from 2013 yet. You definitely get it all out as it floats to the top.

[Z/MAN]

18217

I get very close to syrup on my evaporator and then draw off into a stainless milk can filtering through one paper pre filter. When I decide to finish I bring my near syrup to proper density on the stove in a large stainless pot. I then remove from the stove and pour immediately into my filter-canner. Hanging in my filter-canner is an orlon filter and clipped to that is three paper pre filters. I then put a lid on the top, covering and holding the heat inside. Most of the time I can bottle 2-3 gallons of syrup all at once. Sometimes I might have to remove and drain some of the pre filters. I have found the key to keeping the syrup flowing through the filters non stop is putting the lid on top and keeping the heat inside. I use a regular stock pot lid and it fits tight down inside my filter-canner. My filter-canner is a stainless coffee urn with a plastic pail with the bottom cut out inserted into the urn and I have a plastic flower pot also with the bottom cut out inserted into the pail. I have also installed a thermometer in the urn to monitor the syrup temperature. (purchased from a home brew supplier) I have four open eye bolts installed in the flower pot to hang the orlon filter on. No the flower pot is not food grade but the filters hang from the eye bolts and the syrup drains down the center of the filters and drains into the urn without coming into contact with anything besides the filters. All my syrup is usually bottled before the temperature gets to 190 degrees. I NEVER PLUG THE COFFEE URN IN! No chance of making niter. As I said above the key is to seal the heat inside with the tight fitting lid. I bottle in glass and have crystal clear syrup.