Understanding DE with a Vacuum filter

[mol1jb]

Hey all,

I am using a home made vac filter with good success. I pre-filter syrup coming off the evaporator, then send it through the vacuum filter with one pre and one final as filter medium. However last year toward the end of the year I had some problems with very fine niter passing through the vac filter.

I am hoping to improve my filtering process this year with DE. I did a test run with some DE and the reheated syrup from last year that had the fine niter in it and it came through crystal clear. I used a 1/4 cup DE for the half gallon of syrup I filtered. However it slowed down the filter process quite a bit. Now I am assuming that this is because the fine niter got caught in the DE.

My question is understanding ratios of DE to syrup and how to tell if I am using the correct amount of DE and how to know if I need more DE or less per a batch of syrup I am putting through my vacuum filter.

Thanks,

[western mainer]

Use at lease 3/4 to a cup per 1/2 gallon if not more.
Brian

[mol1jb]

Thanks for the tip. So more DE = better filtering? With a vacuum filter, is there such thing as too much DE?

[western mainer]

I have a 12" and the more the better At 1st I was cheap with it and it didn't filter well at all. 2 years with mine.
Brian

[BAP]

Thanks for the tip. So more DE = better filtering? With a vacuum filter, is there such thing as too much DE?
The biggest the thing with using too much DE is that you are using more than you need to, it’s not going to hurt anything. It’s some trial and error to figure out what you need to use, every season or even time within the season is different as the amount of nitre changes. I start out with extra the first couple times, then adjust up or down depending upon how fast it filters. The worst thing is not using enough DE because then it doesn’t filter very fast or even go through.

[Flatpan1]

Question how much syrup can you filter at one time through the 12" vac? What are you using for your vacuum?

[mol1jb]

For my 12" I use a 5hp wall mount unit that I put in the attic of the sugar kitchen to keep the noise down. Got it from one of the big box stores.

[mol1jb]

The biggest the thing with using too much DE is that you are using more than you need to, it’s not going to hurt anything. It’s some trial and error to figure out what you need to use, every season or even time within the season is different as the amount of nitre changes. I start out with extra the first couple times, then adjust up or down depending upon how fast it filters. The worst thing is not using enough DE because then it doesn’t filter very fast or even go through.

That is good info. Thanks.

[eustis22]

Started with a cup of DE in a gallon of syrup for my 9" CDL. It just sat there.Started dialing teh amount of DE back (in between laborous emptying out and cleaning/replacing the filters. Upgraded from a 5HP to a 6.5 HP shopvac. Nothing seemed to work. Eventually I just stopped using the DE. It was really discouraging, especially after all the utubes and vids showing how "easy" it was. I had better luck with my homemade two-stainless-pot solution. But I never used DE there, either.

[mol1jb]

Started with a cup of DE in a gallon of syrup for my 9" CDL. It just sat there.Started dialing teh amount of DE back (in between laborous emptying out and cleaning/replacing the filters. Upgraded from a 5HP to a 6.5 HP shopvac. Nothing seemed to work. Eventually I just stopped using the DE. It was really discouraging, especially after all the utubes and vids showing how "easy" it was. I had better luck with my homemade two-stainless-pot solution. But I never used DE there, either.

Thanks for the feedback on your experience. Last year I did not use DE with my homemade vacuum filter and it worked great besides passing very fine niter late in the season. I will be using DE this year with the vac filter and will update everyone on how it is going.

[BAP]

Started with a cup of DE in a gallon of syrup for my 9" CDL. It just sat there.Started dialing teh amount of DE back (in between laborous emptying out and cleaning/replacing the filters. Upgraded from a 5HP to a 6.5 HP shopvac. Nothing seemed to work. Eventually I just stopped using the DE. It was really discouraging, especially after all the utubes and vids showing how "easy" it was. I had better luck with my homemade two-stainless-pot solution. But I never used DE there, either.
You needed to use more DE. If it doesn’t filter well, add more DE. That’s the biggest mistake with filtering particularly with the vacuum filters is NOT using enough DE.

[eustis22]

ok, I will give that a try.

[hodorskib]

I have been using a CDL vacuum filter for the past three years and here is a link to how I finally got mine to work well. Hope it helps:
https://sites.google.com/view/mattatuckmadnessmaplesyrup/cdl-vacuum-filter

[maple flats]

Yes, use more. It's the same whether you have a vacuum filter or a pressure filter, more is best. You should start with about 1 -1.5 cups to 1 gal syrup, On subsequent batches, if the filter is still hot, try adding another 1/2 cup in each batch of unfiltered syrup up to 2 gal batches. Do not try to clean off the filter papers until done, the buildup on the filter is actually the filter, the filter paper was just to catch the DE.

[BAP]

Yes, use more. It's the same whether you have a vacuum filter or a pressure filter, more is best. You should start with about 1 -1.5 cups to 1 gal syrup, On subsequent batches, if the filter is still hot, try adding another 1/2 cup in each batch of unfiltered syrup up to 2 gal batches. Do not try to clean off the filter papers until done, the buildup on the filter is actually the filter, the filter paper was just to catch the DE.
That advice works good for pressure filters but not quite right for vacuum filters. 1 to 1-1/2 cups DE may not be enough depending upon the size of your vacuum filter. On my 12” which I am on my 4th or 5th season using, I use 2-3 cups to start with. Last year I was using almost double that at times. I find that it filters way better and faster to dump off the filter cake after each filtering, than to put a second batch through the old cake. Biggest reason being is that the cake does not stay warm enough out in the open. I have tried running a second batch through but takes forever to get it through. I have a clean pail that I dump the filter cake into and at the end of the boiling session, I mix hot sap out of my flue pan into it and stir it up until it has all dissolved, then run it through the filter to get all the sugar out of the DE. The sap gets put into the float box of my flat pan.

[hodorskib]

Never thought of doing that with DE - thank you!

[eustis22]

Are you mixing those 2-3 cups per gallon?

[BAP]

Are you mixing those 2-3 cups per gallon?
Yes I am 2-3 cups per gallon of syrup mixed in. After running the batch through and seeing how fast or slow it went, I sometimes adjust up or down the next time. As the season goes on, the amount of DE needed can change too as the amount of niter changes. I find using a little extra DE is better than not using enough and DE is not too expensive in the grand scheme of things.

[Flatpan1]

So I am having trouble with my vac filter. Not sure what’s going wrong l any filter 4 gallons at a time 5hp vac. Being used and one cup de per gallon. Is it the vac can’t pull syrup through the de or are my filters getting plugged any help would be great. I am trying more de per gallon on next run.

[Jake8484]

What is DE?

[Super Sapper]

Filter Aid

[Jake8484]

thank you Super Sapper. so it must be a liquid of some kind that does not affect the taste of the finished syrup

[DRoseum]

Filter aid = DE = Diatomaceous earth. It's a natural powder that gets mixed into hot syrup and gets caught in filter paper and forms a filter cake/matrix that helps filter the niter out of the syrup.

[TheNamelessPoet]

thank you Super Sapper. so it must be a liquid of some kind that does not affect the taste of the finished syrup

Basically it is crushed up crustation skeletons if I remmeber crrectly.

[eustis22]

skeletons of small creatures called diatoms.