filter aide

[peacemaker]

anyone using the filter aide in just a flat filter or cone synthetic or wool ..

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mountainvan does and he swears it makes a ton of difference. I think he filtered about 30 gallon with the same flat filter and 1 or 2 prefilters and it was still going strong a couple of weeks ago. He will add more to this if he sees this post.

[mountainvan]

Yep I do 1/2 cup to 2-3 gals of syrup. pour hot into the filter. draw right into the filters and let it go through.

[3% Solution]

Mountainvan,
I am having a filter canner made (I like homemade stuff) and I have a couple of questions if I may;

1). Do you put in 1/2 cup for every 2-3 gallons you filter or do you do it a couple of times then skip a few gallons?
I will be filtering around 1 gallon at at time, so I would use about 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup if my math serves me!

2). Do you use the thick wool or synthetic filter on the bottom?

3). How many paper filters do you use on top?

Thanks for your help Mountainvan!!
Hope the Maple god makes you happy this season!!!
Stay safe.

Dave

[3% Solution]

Hey Mountainvan, where are you?????

Sap running that good????

Dave

[mountainvan]

Yeah sap was running that good! Plus getting ready for another market, delivering syrup to commercial customers, calling customers back about syrup or visiting etc.. Let me answer your questions......I put in 1/2 cup for the entire day. Mix the aid with the first syrup, pour it in the filter, and then draw off into the same filter all day. Yesterday I did 20 gals on 1 orlon filter and three pre filters over top. If it clogs pull the top filter off, let it drain, pull the second off, put two new prefilters on, mix the next draw with aid and start over. As for the amount, the 1/2 is for my homemade square filter tank which is 2'x2'. larger area more aid, smaller area less. Later in the deason the amount of syrup through does drop. Hope this answers your questions.

[3% Solution]

Mountainvan,
Alright, thanks alot for your info and time.
We are having a 12 x 12 filter/canner made.
Sounds like sap is flowing good for you.
I'll let you know how this works for us!
Thanks again!!

Dave

[peacemaker]

yes i does but it also brings uo another when you prime your filter with the first batch do u re run that batch thru until it comes clear or is it clear right out ..

[Riverdale]

Mountainvan, does the filter aid just help to speed up the filtering process or is there a significant difference in the clarity of the syrup compared to filtering w/out aid?
I'm assuming results aren't nearly what they would be compared to a filter press?

[mountainvan]

It does not make the syrup go through faster, never my claim, it helps get more syrup through the same flat filters. As for clarity, I package in glass and no cloudiness in the syrup. I can't compare to a filterpress, never used one. Figured I needed lots of syrup to pay for one. It does get it clearer than just felts.

[Riverdale]

Thanks for the info. I've never used a press either, so I won't be able to compare to that, but it seems as your method is a cheap and logical alternative for clearer syrup. I don't market any syrup in glass, but do package in jars etc. for my family and personal use. I use a 12x20 filter/canner, planning to experiment with this idea some this year. I can usually get two 3.5/4 gal. batches through a set of filters before I change them....if the aid helps and gets a few more batches through, thats at least less washin' to do.

[DaveB]

Is this the same filter aid used for filter presses? I'm curious about the effect on the syrup. I used a flat filter in a 'steamer' pot into the bottom part where I can can it directly. I'm wondering what the filter aid actually does. I wonder if it precipitates something out to make the syrup clearer. Can you buy it in less that 50# bags?

[Brent]

Filter aid is food grade diatomateous earth. (there is a big diffence between this and swimming pool diatomateous earth, don't confuse them )

The filter aid is the actual filter media in a filter press. Like the charcoal in a water filter. The papers in a filter press are there only to support the filter aid as it "cakes up" on the paper to start doing it's thing.
Hope this is clear as ...

[DaveB]

So you just mix in a little bit of the aid before you filter the syrup? It sounds like a straight forward process...I never gave much thought to it before, but it does sound like it would help make a clearer product and make the filter last longer.

[3% Solution]

Dave B,
I got the idea also, have to say Mountainvan helped me out with it a few messages ago. Thanks again Mountainvan.
The Maple Guys have 5 lb. bags for $8.00, which I am going to invest in soon.
Hope this helps.

Dave

[Brent]

It is a lot more simple than most people think. In the swimming pool side of things, most pools are filtered with sand filters. Someone discovered that mixing a gallon of filter aid and letting it get sucked into the sand, improved the performance of the sand filter.

You're going to do the same thing, improving the performance of your felt or paper filter.

good luck with it

[mountainvan]

Your welcome. Glad I can pass my little experiments that actually work on to other maple producers.

[3% Solution]

Mountainvan,
Just got done with 4.5 gallons of syrup.
Tried the filter aide, love it, the syrup looks great in glass!!
Yeah the wife likes the looks of the syrup too!!
She says it's easier than using the cone filters and I agree (smart man hey).
Again, thanks alot for your idea.

Dave

[peacemaker]

ok got another ?? i sanet my wife to get me a new syrup filter and they sent her back with what looks like a pop on sap filter ... do they make a pop on syrup filter it seems thin it has the metal ring in the top just like a pop on

[maple flats]

Not to my knowledge, she most likely came back with a sap filter. There is not a metal ring in the syrup filter and the sap filter is not a tight enough weave to do any good. It would not trap the sugarsand that causes cloudy syrup. For now, just let the syrup set undisturbed and filter it when you get the right filter. Then remember to bring it up to 180+ before filtering. In the meantime, a lot of stuff will settle out just setting.

[peacemaker]

exactly thats what i found out i dont get how u can leave someone in charge at a store who has no idea what she is selling ... now i have to ride back today and replace it .... grrrrrrrr

[maple flats]

Peacemaker, just make sure you keep the peace with your wife or you will lose a lot more than the time to go back to exchange the filter.

[peacemaker]

oh god its not her fault at all she is well aware of that .... ... so hows things running for you

[Gary in NH]

Would it help to add a little filter aid to small 1 or two gallon batches filtered with cone filters? I made a gallon today and the pre-filters did OK but my main cone filter got pretty clogged up before I was done with the gallon. The syrup that went through looks great in glass but I had to re-heat some to bottle because it cooled off in the filter. Does the filter aid just coagulate the niter to prevent it from getting lodged too deep in the filter?

Thanks,

[3% Solution]

Hi Gary,
I'm not sure filter aide would really help you any because all the niter goes to the bottom of the cone filter and that's the lowest point that the syrup has to go.
We were using cone filters up till this year and have changed to the flat filters and we do like them better.
Maybe I'm wrong and I'm sure someone else can answer this better.
Just my idea!

Dave

[Gary in NH]

Thanks Dave. Is there a practical way to use the flat filters for one gallon at a time? I have used them before by cutting them and placing them in a strainer. Are the flat filters all the same? I have a dozen that are about 2' x 3'. I am getting better results with the cone pre-filters inside the synthetic cone than when I used only the filter papers in the strainer. If I understand correctly the filter-aid makes the filter papers trap more sand that is now passing through my final cone filter?

[mountainvan]

Filter aid will help with any filtering set up. Obviously a filterpress, a flat filter, a sap filter(swimming pool filter with food grade de), and cone filters. What the filter aid does is give large particles for the small partcles to attach to. This mainly gets caught in the prefilter, leaving the cloth filter relatively clean. One reason cloth filters clog so quickly is that the smallest niter particles pass through the prefilter and into the cloth filter. Before I started using filter aid I could get more syrup through just a cloth filter without the prefilters. Gary, add 1/4 cup filter aid to the hot syrup, stir it up and then pour into the filter. You should be happy with the results.

[Gary in NH]

Thanks Mountainvan, what you say makes sense. I'll give it a try.

[Gary in NH]

I tried filter aid diatomaceous earth this weekend with the cone filter set up and it worked really well. (Thanks for the recommendation Mountainvan) I use a synthetic cone final filter and synthetic cone pre-filters. I usually make a gallon or so at a time. These are my observations versus regular gravity feed with no filter aid:

1) Filter aid keeps your final filter from clogging - THIS IS A BIG PLUS !!!!!!
2) Pre-filters actually work better AND did not slow down filtration rate
3) I used 3 pre-filters, same as I usally use
4) Filtration rate was actually faster than without filter aid (see #1)
5) BETTER syrup clarity - very clear syrup - looks great in glass
6) The filters are actually easier to clean with the filter aid on them

I used 1/4 cup per gallon.

ONE CAUTION !!!

Do NOT add the filter aid until the syrup cools back down to about 200 degrees. I got my syrup to the final density and I added the filter aid almost immediately after I stopped boiling. It foamed up and went all over the stove, burners, oven door, and floor. After a huge sticky mess, some burned fingers, and some lost syrup I got it back under control. My second try went well and the results were better than expected. I'll probably never use 5 lbs. of the stuff but it's worth the 8 bucks when you see the results.

[DavyJones]

Is that filter aid the same filter material I used in my swimming pool filter Diatomite? Or is the stuff the maple guys sell different?
Thanks
David

[Brent]

NO NO NO

NOT THE SAME

both are DE. What is in the pool filters is actually a bit of a hazardous material. Silicosis in the lungs if I recall. Watch the dust !!!!

For syrup you need FOOD GRADE DE. A different beast even though they both come from the diatoms.

your kids ( or someone else's ) will eat this stuff

[DavyJones]

Brent thanks!
David

[DavyJones]

When do you add the filter aid? I jsut ordered some from the MapleGuys. What I have been doing is actually finishing on my evaporator just by temperature. It's a 2'x3'x8" stainless pan and we're I live in PA water boils at 209, at least that is what my thermometer says so when my syrup gets to 216 I pull the pan off with some help then I run that through a cone pre filter and my felt cone filter while the liquid is still real hot. Basically right off the fire through the filter. It tastes great and this works well for me but I do get some cloudiness and gunk which usually settles. I normally don't can that right away but it could be a couple hours later or the next day. Should I add the filter aid when I am re-heating it back to 180 and re-filter it or should I add it that first time before I pull it off the evaporator ?
Thanks
David

[Amber Gold]

I was at a local sugar shack over the weekend and watched him using the filter aid. It was the first time that I had seen/heard of it and he said that it helped the filtering process. Since then I was thinking how it works and the best thing that I can think of is it’s similar to adding alum to a flocculation chamber in a drinking water treatment plant. If I remember correctly from my college years, the alum is a charged particle that attracts sediment in the drinking water forming larger particles that settle out easier. I’m thinking that the filter aid works much the same way attracting the sugar sand particles to it and forming larger particles. That’s my 2 cents anyways.

Does anyone know why if you reheat finished syrup past 180 after filtering that more sugar sand is formed? Why isn’t it all created and filtered out the first time?

[mountainvan]

Davey, your first draw of the day draw into a bucket, I add 1/4-1/2 cup de to 3-5 gals of syrup, stir it up, pour that into the filters, and then draw into your filters from the evaporator like you normally do. I made 74 gals the last couple days and only changed the prefilters. That's an extreme though. AG, most sugar sand is precipitated out of the syrup by the low 60%'s sugar. I don't think any more sugar sand comes out when reheating, at least it does not for me. It's probably some that got through the filters and shows up during bottling because of the pouring /aggitation of the syrup.

[DavyJones]

Not quite sure I follow you Mountainvan. I just boil down my sap in my evaporator until it's done. I filter that finished syrup into a smaller pot I put on the stove and keep warm while I can.

I don't understand what your saying the first draw of the day into a bucket then 1/4 to 1/2 cup to 3 to 5 gallons of syrup. Then draw into your filters. That doesn't make any sense at least to me sorry. Thanks

David

[lpakiz]

I have another question concerning the use of DE. What happens if you rinse your filters in the sap pan to get the remaining sweet out of the filters? Does the DE cause any problems concerning boiling?
THANKS!
Larry

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Any DE that would get into the syrup pan is about the same consistency as sugarsand and should filter out. Don't put a bunch in there, it might cause a problem with overboil but that shouldn't happen by just haning up a filter above it.

[3% Solution]

Davey Jones,
What Mountainvan is saying is this, The first syrup you take off the evaporator, make sure it is syrup.
For every 3-5 gallons of syrup put in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of filter aide, stir it up so the filter aide is mixed well.
Then dump it in your filters, you should have a wool or orlon filter on the bottom with 2 paper pre-filters on top.
Keep filtering your additional syrup, without filter aide mixed with it.
When the pre-filter on top gets plugged change both pre-filters.
At this point you are starting over, so add your filter aide.
Thanks to Mountainvan I have started using this method this year and it is great, syrup comes out nice and clear.
I have found that for our 3/4 of a gallon we dump each time that about 1/8 cup works good for us.
Hope this helps.

Dave

[DavyJones]

got it but I don't draw off as I boil I basically have one big pan and just keep adding sap until I run out of sap. When that hit's 7 degrees above boiling I take it off the fire and filter it into a smaller stock pot then have been just taking the stock pot into the house and keeping it warm while I bottle.

I had been using one paper filter inside my orlon filter. So far the most syrup I've ever ended up with is 2 gallons. It sounds like if I just put maybe in a little less then 1/4 cup while I am boiling and add another pre filter it should help.

By the sounds of it, it would probably be a better idea if I keep my filters seperated a bit and not just stack them inside each other like I've been doing correct?

Last would you add the DE at the beginning, middle or finishing stages of the boil if you were boiling like me?

Thanks
David

[Brent]

The basic idea is to get a thin coating of filter aid on the paper, ideally before you do much filtering. So that is why you mix the DE in the first bit of syrup to be filtered.

Something I have not seen anyone talk about when using gravity paper/orlon filters is to continue adding DE as you go. With a filter press the instructions suggest you mix the first batch and run the pump to re-cycle the syrup back into the finisher. When the syrup runs clear, the papers in the press are coated and you put the discharge hose in whatever container you are going to store in.

BUT - then they suggest that you continue to add small amounts of DE as you filter. This creates a new fresh layer of DE on the paper and the flow rate stays pretty high. If you don't add this extra bit as you go, the nitre coats the DE and plugs it up.
With a filter press this means shutting down, taking the press apart, cleaning, adding new papers, re-assembling, re-coating etc.
Reports suggest you can filter up to 3 or 4 times as much syrup by continuously adding small amounts of DE. before you have to tear down and re-charge.

So I think you might try the same in the gravity set up and you might get some extened flow before dumping the pre-filter and using another. DE is cheaper than filter papers.

[mountainvan]

Davey, When your syrup reaches 7 degrees take it off the fire, pour it into a pot or bucket that holds all of the syrup, mix in 1/8 cup filteraid, and then pour through your filters. It's fine to stack the filters on top of each other. Don't add filteraid to the syrup/sap in the boiling pan, just the finished product once it's off of the fire. Brent, I've experimented with adding a little more de as the day goes on, it clogs up faster with flat felts. lpakiz, I would not put de in the pans by rinsing the felts to get the little bit off sweet out. I think you'll find that it filters well enough that theres not really any left. I normally roll up my first prefilter and let syrup drain out of all the filters over night. The left over sludge I scoop out of the prefilters and give to friends as plant food. Waste not want not.

[DavyJones]

Mountainvan, thanks I got it now thats exactly what I needed to know. I guess I am a little dense at times.

I have another question maybe you can help me with. To now I've been processing my sap just like I said I collect it, boil it, when it hits the magic 7 degrees I take it off the fire, filter it and then can it. I am reading that others are adding sap to their syrup before they can it. They are looking at some % of what and adjusting it with sap. What are they adjusting the sugar content? My syrup tastes great the way I do it but am I doing it wrong? Is it a matter of prefrence/taste to adjust the syrup?

Thanks all
David

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You need to get a hydrometer to get it exactly right. It measures density and is always accurate as the boiling temp of water can change hourly. What they are referring to and what I do is draw my syrup off heavy and then thin it down to the right density before filtering and bottling. I run my syrup thru the filter press boiling hot and into a 16x24 canning and bottling unit and then heat it to 180 to 200 and bottle it. It is usually pretty close to that temp after running it thru the press, but it cools off a little. I keep the lid on the canner nice and tight and this prevents it from any more evaporation and I always bottle my syrup 1 degree thicker, same as the VT stanards. Cost me aprox 1.5 gallons of syrup this year, but makes for happier customers.

[Brent]

Mountainvan

If you are adding the DE to the entire batch to be filtered, then you are already continuously re-coating the papers.

If Davey is only doing 2 gallon batches I don't think it matters much.

[mountainvan]

Davey, maple syrup needs to be 66% sugar minimum if you're selling it. I know you're not. It also should be below 67 1/2% sugar. Above that it is a supersaturated solution and the extra sugar comes out of the syrup and forms the crystals that some people get on the bottom of their containers. If your syrup tastes good to you keep doing what you've been doing.

[Mike]

We made 9 gals wednesday and use 2 filters per plate.....We wet them before putting them on and had no problem filtering......I also used the blow by valve to lower the pressure when it built up......Nice clean syrup.....Just need to add a few more plates next year....

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mike,

Just curious why you would wet them?? I never wet them and have no problem, maybe I am not doing it right??

[Mike]

Not sure why we wet them, but it seemed to work a lot better....I also plugged the bottom of the draw off bucket to keep all of the hot syrup in the bucket.....Last year it laid it the feed line and had a chance to cool it....We used to wet our cone filters to and it helped the filtering, but I love the press.....A lot faster....And very little syrup loss if any at all......Sounds like your having a great season Brandon....Good for you....All we need is SAP....LOl..........

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mike,

Mine works so good with dry filter papers, I can't imagine it would work better with wet filters. I would think if anything, it would weaken the filter papers as they would crease when trying to put them on and create weak spots.

[Pete33Vt]

I also wet my papers. It helps when I setup the filter press keeps them in place so all the holes line up. Cause usually I am alone setting up.

[tyrod2]

I have a room In my garage that I have a electric stove ,lots of table space ,and filter press, bottler,sink and refrigerator bottled up 22 cases of bottles and when I got done I had sticky everywhere. On the stove. filterpress,tables and my shoes would stick to the floor.My wife said I am sloppy. I try not to be.I keep a wet wash rag with me all the time. But I still get It every wear.The only thing that wasn't sticky was the bottles of syrup. (Boy did they look pretty,They looked like Carmal Diamonds) I had to wash every thing down and mop the floor. Thank goodness syrup is not hard to clean up with hot water. I'm I sloppy like my wife said or is this normal for a bottling room.