Wesfab short bank filter press

[Paul VT]

How are others charging there short bank press? How much DE are you adding? How hot is the syrup when you filter it? We have been struggling with ours. Finished results is perfect but we struggle to get 5 gallons through it without starting over.
Thanks for the help.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

2-3 cups of DE in ours. Usually 3 but we cut it back to 2-2.5 this year after it plugged up on first batch. But that batch was very dirty for some reason. We usually can get around 10 gallons through it if not too dirty but never have got more than that.

[ALSMAPLE]

We had the same problem with that press.Use the bypass to regulate the pressure so only part of the syrup goes thru the press.That pump is really to big for that application so it sends too much syrup at a time.We start with at least 2 cups in about 2-3 gallons and add aprox 1 more per gallon or 2.as hot as possible 180 or more

[Russell Lampron]

I charge with 3 cups and mix the rest into the syrup. My press holds 9 cups and I'll mix up to 6 cups into the syrup depending on how much syrup and how dirty it is. I heat my syrup to boiling or just under to run it through the press. If it's clean enough I can get 20 gallons through it. Like mainbackwoodssyrup said above my press plugged up on the first batch of the year. I had only run 5 gallons through it when that happened. The only other time that it plugged up on me this year was when I mixed the last two boils and finished the evaporator in the same batch. That batch was 17.5 gallons and was extremely dirty. I still managed to get it all through without changing papers but had to throttle my air pump way down to do it.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I believe its all in the way you mix the DE. Doing it my way can be a messy situation if you don't have a big enough container. I run my syrup thru from boiling and I mix the DE in when its boiling. Boiling is subjective in that its up to temp 219.00 and at density and it looks like its only simmering. I use a mixer to KEEP the DE in suspension when I start out circulating thru the lines and as I change over to filter I keep it mixing. DE settles out with the sugar sand and niter so you will slug up you press with clumps of DE if your timid when you start. WARNING you will boil over your pan if you throw in the DE in a rapidly boiling pan of syrup. Heck I can spatulate near boiling syrup and get it to foam up and over run my pan.

Its the same concept as a steam away with a bubbler it super airates the liquid and can be a mess. I think people are to timid with the mixing and don't get a good even continuous filering. I also have a finish tank that has a draw off box on the drain so I suck off the bottom. I also have a tilt finisher stand that allows me to get the very dregs out of the tank. When I'm getting to the very end I use a food grade window squeegee to get every bit of crud and liquid into the suction line. The pump will be squealing like a pig and the gauge will be bouncing off the peg and then I check my plate seams to see if they are dripping. I also have a blast shield over the press plates to keep the syrup from showering the shack.

I also added one more plate to my short bank and that gave me 20% more filtering........I hope. Now I know I'm going to jinx my press but after 16 years of use the pump is original and the motor is to and when I'm done at the end off a filtering I hose the press down when its running to clean the belt and pulleys because of the syrup that leaks out of the packing if I didn't keep it tight. The black syrup/belt goo will come out of the guard is a nasty mess so I keep it clean that way. Then I shut the press off loosen the wing nuts and take my screw driver and just give the plates a little separation and go to bed. The internal syrup will all drain out into the pan and the DE cakes are free of syrup. Nothing gets babied in my shack.

[maple flats]

Not sure about that. Draw off about 2-3 gal for a new set of papers, add about 2 cups DE,then I mix it well using a long whip (traditionally used to whip potatoes but this one is over 24" long). Then I start the pump and recirculate back into my mixing tank for a minute or so. Then I start sending it thru the filter and still return it to my mixing tank until the filtered syrup hose is sparkely clear, then I turn it back to recirculate with no filtration, move the hose to either the bottler or a SS barrel. Then I open the filtering valve and close the recirculation valve. When that has been pumped I draw about 6-6.5 gal more, add 1.5 cups DE, mix and then sent the filtered syrup to where the first batch went. After the first coating of the papers, you can mix the next batches and then send directly to where you want. I do all of these without shutting the pump off. I have at times noticed the sudden surge of starting the pump can result in some DE being momentarily pushed thru to your finished syrup, so I leave the pump running until I either run out of syrup to filter or the destination is full. Each time I restart after shutting down I do a recirculation step. I no longer have a short bank, mine has grown to a 5 bank, but the only change I did when I expanded it was the amount of DE I used. I think when it was a 3 bank 7" I used 1.25-1.5 cups DE and then the next batch was just 1 cup DE.
If you use more DE than necessary it will not hurt, if you use too little it will plug the papers much sooner.

[Paul VT]

Wow! That’s a lot of good information. In the sugarhouse now. Probably our last boil. Will be running the press toward the end of the night. We have used aslittle as 1 cup and as much as 5 cups. Last time we mixed in 4 cups in a draw off pale of hot syrup. Then ran the rest of the hot syrup through. Seemed to work a little better. Plates were not completely full. Thinking of trying with another cup. Have played the game with the bypass valve to get the rest through at times. What a pain. Will keep you posted. Thank you all!

[maple flats]

As the pressure tries to climb over the 40 PSI mark, I start opening the bypass. I don't babysit it, I continue on with other work and recheck the pressure every few minutes, readjust as needed. On my 5 bank early in the season I get generally 26.5-53 gal thru the press (my barrels are 26.5 each). Later in the season I get one barrel on a set of papers but rarely much more.
On my final cleanup this season, I finished off at 25 gal and was out of syrup. For that batch I put in 2.5 cups to start and 2 cups on each 6-6.5 gal batch until done. At finish I had still not needed to open the bypass any.
Using the bypass proceedure as pressure climbs I usually get about 20-25% more filtered without needing to change the papers.

[Paul VT]

So ran the press tonight. Charged it with 6 cups. Filtered about 5 gallons perfectly. Got another couple draws shortly after. Press was still hot. Tried to run it through and DE was coming out the filtered hose end. Now I have to refilter all of that syrup. Broke the press down and didn’t see any issues with papers etc. what happened?

[Haynes Forest Products]

It was hot but was it hot enough. I think you blew a filter paper so check and see if one of them has a tear.

[Paul VT]

Syrup was 205 degrees. Broke down the press and checked papers and didn’t find any that were torn. That’s what I had figured I would have found.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

I'm not sure what happened, never had DE come out the end of ours but I have found that "batch filtering" is the only way it works for us. Any sort of stoppage or gap more than a few minutes and it is hard to get going again. So we just get 5-10 gallons of syrup ready, run it through and bottle in 1 shot.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I have friends that put a warm towel or small blanket over the press to help retain some heat. Seems to work for them. Im with you Im a all out get it done all at once person BUT some people filter right from the draw off tank into the finisher all day long and get away with the blanket trick. They do pump out every 10 min or so. All gear pump guys.