Filter press newbie problems

[islandviewpeter]

I got a new to me hand pump filter press this year. We are having trouble with DE ending up in the canner. On our last batch the cake was on the papers in even coat but there was lots of room left inside the window for more DE. We have been adding about 1/3 cup per gallon of syrup and using 3 window plates on a 7" press.

I understand that I have to charge the press with DE and that the DE does the filtering but it appears that in our case the DE is going through the filter paper.

Open to suggestions. It is a Smokey Lake press.

I did see in a thread about putting the end plate in upside down but I dont see how I could do that with the offset rods.

[DRoseum]

Are you using all of the window plates? If not, you need to have a shortener (a piece of sheet metal) to block the syrup from going to any panes/waffle plates that don't have papers inserted. The SL presses don't have full threaded rods, otherwise you could shorten it up by removing wondows/waffles and use the normal end plate.

[islandviewpeter]

Have spacers on the rods to allow it to be used with less windows. Thanks for the reply.

[islandviewpeter]

After making my post i was continuing through the forum and came across a post about putting the end plate in wrong. I have been looking at this plate wondering why it was machined with a port and yet was on top. Duh!!! The end plate has holes not hooks so you can rotate it 180 degrees and and get the port to line up with the others. When i was putting papers in today I was thinking what's the point of waffles and paper on the end plate if the hole doesnt line up with the exit port.
That's the great thing about this disease you become a life long learner as you add more gadgets.

Still don't quite understand how DE would get into exit port because of this. How it could go through the paper?

[johnallin]

A few things to consider..
Try using 1 cup per gallon and re-circulating for a longer period of time to let the cake build up. It may take 5 minutes or more before you have crystal clear syrup.
Secondly, don't try to get every last drop out of the press - you're likely just forcing air (and niter) through the cake...ask me how I know.
Big advantage with the clear press is that you can see how the cake is - or isn't - forming, and when it's getting empty.

I bottle everything in glass, so clarity is important to me.
My dealer (yup-good old Fred) told me a few years ago, that when syrup is getting low in the plates and the cake is getting exposed; it's best to op and discharge back into my mixing tank, and ultimately back into the flue pan. Otherwise you're forcing fine amounts of nitre into the bottler resulting in cloudy syrup. Works every time. If using plastic, it may not be as critical.

[Wolfcreek Maple]

islandviewpeter the end plate when in correct position blocks inlet hole, when out of position the syrup with DE can travel to the waffle end plate then it can go out to outlet. If you take a hollow plate, a paper, and the end plate and lay it on table in front of you, you will see exactly why DE can get to exit port

[maple flats]

islandviewpeter the end plate when in correct position blocks inlet hole, when out of position the syrup with DE can travel to the waffle end plate then it can go out to outlet. If you take a hollow plate, a paper, and the end plate and lay it on table in front of you, you will see exactly why DE can get to exit port
Are you saying you can't use the whole filter? Glad I don't have a Smoky Lake press if that's the case. My filter press is a LaPierre, I use either 3 sets of plates or 5 sets, I could also use 4 if I made 2 spacers to get it tight with 4 sets.
Somehow it doesn't make sense that the end plate creates problems, are you sure somthing isn't being installed upside down or backwards?

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Are you saying you can't use the whole filter? Glad I don't have a Smoky Lake press if that's the case.

I think he is saying the last waffle plate doesn't have an inlet hole because it is the last plate. It makes sense. No more plates to send syrup through. The syrup travels through the paper and along the waffles to the outlet port. Mine has worked flawlessly and only failed me when I accidentally put 2 waffle plates in a row.

It's important to wet the filters with clean permeate or distilled water and make sure they are placed correctly or you could have DE come through. I use the generic 7" papers from Bascom and trim them slightly for a perfect fit. I hate having to trim the paper but for my size operation and the cost of filter papers it's worth it.

[maple flats]

It may exist but I've not encountered any syrup that needed 1 cup of DE per gallon. On late season syrup, for my 5 plate 7" press, I sometimes had to start with 1.75 cups DE for my initial charge, in about 3 gal of syrup. I mix it in, then go from the mix tank, thru the filter press and back to the mix tank, until the syrup sparkles, then I send it to a barrel of the bottler. I then draw about 6 more gal of syrup, add 1.50 cups DE, mix and then pump it thru the filter and to the barrel or canner. I repeat until all of the syrup is filtered, or until the barrel or canner is full. Earlier in the season I usually use 1.5 cups to start and 1 cup each batch after the filter cake is established. These are for my mixing tank, which holds about 7 gal, but I start with about 3 gal, after that the batches are about 6 gal except maybe the final batch.
Other that mistakes like putting a plate in backwards I think most mistakes are from not running the first filtered syrup back into the mixing tank, until the syrup is clear coming out of the discharge hose.

[islandviewpeter]

Success today. We did have the end plate in wrong. Got it positioned right and sparkling clean syrup. Thanks for all the suggestions.
I can also see how the DE was getting into the clean syrup by having this plate in wrong. I understand better now how the press works and will be able to trouble shoot bettter in the future if needed.

Fyi I have 5 window plates and can use 5, 4 or 3 and likely even 2 by having spacers on the rods to allow tightening. The rods are only threaded on the end and are sized for 6 windows. so spacers are needed as you take out plates. Spacer is just a pipe over the 1/2 rod.

[islandviewpeter]

islandviewpeter the end plate when in correct position blocks inlet hole, when out of position the syrup with DE can travel to the waffle end plate then it can go out to outlet. If you take a hollow plate, a paper, and the end plate and lay it on table in front of you, you will see exactly why DE can get to exit port

Thanks. I easily see that now. Being busy keeping up boiling I didnt have time to really look at the press. But having problems has taught me better how the press works.