Setting Up Space for Filter Press

[SeanD]

I picked up a short bank press in the off season and I'm hoping I can get some input for setting up the space in the sugarhouse for it. I currently make 6-9 gallons of syrup per boil, gravity filter then (on different nights) reheat and hot pack 5-gal bulk containers.

In an ideal setup I'd like to filter the syrup through the press and hot pack it into the containers the same night I boil. I've gotten differing opinions on that.

One is that I can do just that: Keep the syrup I draw off hot in a pan/pot over a burner until the end of the night, run it through the press until the press and exiting syrup are hot (185+), and go right into the bulk container. On the other hand, I've heard that controlling temperature of syrup as it goes through the press is too tricky and I should have the filtered syrup go to a separate bottler where I can control the heat and density better, then hot pack it.

The first plan means I have one pan/pot and one propane burner. That would all fit on a stainless table I already have set up in the sugarhouse. The second plan has a second propane burner for my bottler and needs more space. I've seen these multi-burner cookers (https://www.agrisupply.com/triple-burner-cast-iron-stove/p/48591/?sid=asf10&eid=Easf10&zmam=77232640&zmas=1&zmac=1&zmap=48591&eid=gl020116&sid=google&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_JWOBhDRARIsANymNOawde0DrhyE1sHevaoB hqYiF1n1bNWUbtuPlEMysTawX1sw8xM0n80aAkIZEALw_wcB) that I might be able to fit a 12-15 gallon pot and my 13 gallon bottler onto side-by-side, but I think I would have to set it all up on the opposite side of my sugarhouse with it's own table or counter. Not an awful thing, just would need to start doing it now.

Before I start to set this up, I'd appreciate any input you all can offer.

Thanks,
Sean

[VTnewguy]

The first year we had our press before the RO we used to draw off syrup and put it into a second canner. As the night came to a close we would heat up the syrup, recirculate until clear, then send it to the first canner for final density correction and temperature to bottle. What we have found with the RO is we are drawing off enough syrup to just send it through the press and to the canner or keg.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We put our syrup off the evaporator into a turkey fryer stainless pot and burner. We'll adjust for density here, get the temp up and push it through the press and into out bottler which is a 15G pan on burners in case we need to heat up the syrup. Or we go from the press into 5G bulk containers if we want to bottle some other time.
So ya- with batch filtering, it's nice to always have a heat source in case you need it. You're in the same boat as us- not enough syrup to continually run the press.
Either way will work, but plan on losing at least 20 degrees going through a cold press.

[SeanD]

Good details. Thanks. I've been thinking about getting table-top burners to keep things at a comfortable height, but I'm wondering if having the pot with the unfiltered syrup lower on a turkey fryer on the floor like you have would actually be more comfortable.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Well honestly, it's kind of nice to have both. For bottling, you would definitely want a table height bottling set up and not the turkey burner. Those are easier to control temperature, the turkey burners are high BTU units. They are adjustable but not as adjustable. The turkey burners aren't as stable either. But the turkey burner is easy to add/stir DE, and to tilt to get it empty as the syrup runs low and of course sits right under our drawoff valve. Most of the time we run our short bank in 8-12 gallon batches. We have a cover for our finisher so sometimes if its a late night we just leave the filtered syrup in there and bottle next time we boil. Boiling is pretty boring for us most of the time being on oil. We need the finisher because we buy syrup to supplement what we make and bottle an additional 40-60 gallons so if I had to have only one, that would be it.

[SeanD]

Yup, I think that's the direction I'm going now. I'll go with a shorter-length table for the bottler if I need it out there and have space for the turkey fryer on the floor next to it. I can't put the turkey fryer under the draw-off on mine. I'm on wood, so I'm constantly zipping around the evaporator - though maybe a little less so with no gravity filtering in the process now. This has been a big help. Thanks!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

One thing is for sure.........you will be glad you bought the press.. Life is so much better with a press!!

[johnallin]

. I've seen these multi-burner cookers (https://www.agrisupply.com/triple-burner-cast-iron-stove/p/48591/?sid=asf10&eid=Easf10&zmam=77232640&zmas=1&zmac=1&zmap=48591&eid=gl020116&sid=google&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_JWOBhDRARIsANymNOawde0DrhyE1sHevaoB hqYiF1n1bNWUbtuPlEMysTawX1sw8xM0n80aAkIZEALw_wcB) that I might be able to fit a 12-15 gallon pot and my 13 gallon bottler onto side-by-side, but I think I would have to set it all up on the opposite side of my sugarhouse with it's own table or counter...Before I start to set this up, I'd appreciate any input you all can offer.
Thanks,
Sean

I wouldn't be too comfortable with 15 gallons (165 lbs) of syrup sitting on top of that burner...let alone another 13 gallons in a bottler.
Looks like its only got 4 legs and not much in between for support. Just my two cents.

[SeanD]

Agreed. I'll have the 15 gallon pot on its own turkey fryer propane burner (https://www.webstaurantstore.com/backyard-pro-square-single-burner-outdoor-patio-stove-range/554BPSQ16.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=freeclicks&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping) on the floor. I found a two-burner propane heater (https://www.ebay.com/itm/185172651986?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110 01%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D201609081050 57%26meid%3D2b8b0cda59be4796baf903022957694e%26pid %3D100675%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D185092927562% 26itm%3D185172651986%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D23 80057%26brand%3DUnbranded%2FGeneric&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3A01b66f5a-69f5-11ec-904c-ba5614010025%7Cparentrq%3A0ed213e017e0a64d5651a8ae fffa17e4%7Ciid%3A1) made from angle steel that will hold just the bottler. The bottler is 16" across and the burner under it is about 18 inches, so I think it will spread the weight out a little better. It will have about 3.75 inches hanging over the front and back, but that's no different than when it's on my stovetop now, so I think that will be okay. I'll have to see what happens when I set it up. I may have to make a frame for it to support the front/back.

[tgormley358]

This is a good thread for me as I also decided to upgrade from
Flat filtering to a press this season. At 200 taps I’m smaller than both SeanD and Maine I went for the Smokey Lake 7” SS press, short stack with hand pump. My nightly draws wil be 4-6 gallons so I will keep that and add to it til I get to 8-12 gallons or more, then filter. I have a 16x16 SS bottler that holds I think 10 gallons. This weekend I ran it the first time using a separate 5-gallon “warming” pan sitting over a makeshift steam pan, recirculating there til I got clear syrup, then sending filtered syrup to my bottler. The first time was bumpy and messy. Not only did I lose temp in the press, I also had a hard time keeping the 5 gal pan at 185-190 (it went down as low as 160). I won’t use that setup again, although I was able to filter 8 gallons successfully, nice and clear in glass. If I use that 5 gal pan again I’ll put it over direct heat not steam, since I don’t have to worry about niter Pre filter. I reheated and bottled all of syrup in the bottled in retail containers but I also plan to pack in the plastic 5 gallon jugs for later bottling. So I also thought about going straight from the press to the 5 gal jugs and wondered if It will stay hot enough for jug sterilization. Drat, I should have sprung for the built in thermometer. It would be a nice 1-pan approach using my bottler. Will it really drop 15 degrees going thru the press?. Smokey lake says the recirculating step is supposed to heat the press to bottling temp. Alternatively, filtering into the bottler, heat there and then pack the 5 gal jugs from there seems like an extra step, pretty inefficient.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Depending on how "cold" the press is, we will see an initial 15-20 degree loss but you get some of it back as you circulate and warm up the press. We're usually around or over 200 degrees out of the press to the bottler. We keep the turkey burner on low while running through the press until it gets down to a couple gallons remaining then we shut off the heat.

[SeanD]

Things froze up solid here for the last week or so, so I haven't had a chance to use the new setup yet. I played with the layout and tested the burners. I stood on the 4-leg burner and it held my weight very easily. I have no doubt it will handle a 13 gallon bottler. I'm close to (a-hem) 200 lbs and the bottler won't be anywhere near that.

tgormley, my plan is to recirculate to the heated pot on the turkey fryer until it reaches 185-190 then go to the 5-gallon jug. That would be best case scenario. If that's not doing it, I'll have to move it up to the steam bottler where I can control temperature a little more easily.

Question for you maine, if it's leaving the press at 200F, does more niter form in the bottler? Also, are you correcting your density in the bottler or in the unfiltered syrup pot?

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We do our density in the pot before we mix in the DE. You could check it again in the bottler and adjust but it doesn’t change as the press gets it through quickly. We’ll lose a few more degrees when it hits the bottler. How much depends on the size of the batch of course. No new niter, you should only get that if you reheat and go above 190. We may have to reheat once if we have a full 10 gallon batch in the bottler. Low heat on the burners, bring it to 185, shut off the burners then continue bottling