Cylindrical Filter with Wrapped Cloth (cyl./cloth)?

[cray54]

While reading about sap filtration, I found a paper from 2008 that compared some filters. They talk about a "cylindrical filter with wrapped cloth", and also call it a "line-filter".

Any suggestions about what type of filter they tested? I can't seem to find good information about it. My best guess was a milk filter, but they do reference using systems designed for maple or for water (they don't specify milk).

https://mapleresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/0208variousfilterseffects.pdf

Thank you, Chris

[Brian]

I belive CDL sold them when you bough a new Ro they came with one. The new one is a stainless filter that I bough this year.

[murferd]

I think what you're talking about is a Sirofilter from Lapierre. We've had one for 15 years & think it's great. We generally finish 8-9 imp gallons at a time, mix DE in & run it through. Take it apart, wash the crap of the outside with garden hose, then throw the wrap around filter in washer with the cone prefilters & it''s good to go again. They're not cheap, but what is? I've heard it's better than a filter press for small batches, but now they are small presses, so who knows.

[cray54]

...We generally finish 8-9 imp gallons at a time, mix DE in & run it through...

I see now the post wasn't quite clear, I meant a filter for sap rather than for finished syrup. I edited for clarity.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

The sap filters like what Bascom sells?
https://bascommaple.com/collections/filters

We use them, need to order some more actually so thanks for the reminder!

[cray54]

The sap filters like what Bascom sells?
https://bascommaple.com/collections/filters...

This study primarily compares 4 different types of filters for sap. They call the ones in your link "bag filters". They also talk about cartridge filters, DE filters, and "wrapped cloth" filters, which are the ones I'm looking to identify.

[DrTimPerkins]

The wrapped cloth filter housings and filter cloths were made by Lapierre Maple Equipment. They require a pump to push the sap through them. Work reasonably well, but washing the cloths takes some time. It was a bottleneck in our system, even with a spare filter housing and quick connections to make swapping out quicker. We converted ours to filter cartridge style with kits from Lapierre.

[murferd]

The wrapped cloth filter housings and filter cloths were made by Lapierre Maple Equipment. They require a pump to push the sap through them. Work reasonably well, but washing the cloths takes some time. It was a bottleneck in out system, even with a spare filter housing and quick connections to make swapping out quicker. We converted ours to filter cartridge style with kits from Lapierre.

I'm interested in what you mean by filter cartridge style? Don''t remember seeing or hearing about such a thing.

[DrTimPerkins]

I'm interested in what you mean by filter cartridge style? Don''t remember seeing or hearing about such a thing.

OK...was on my phone before, but on computer now so can provide a longer answer.

A Lapierre Canister Sap Filter is an external blue-plastic cylinder about 30" tall (don't hold me to that) with metal ends. Bottom is simply a cap. Inside the cylinder is another perforated cylinder around which you wrap a white filter cloth (different micron sizes are available) which fastens with velcro. If I recall correctly, unfiltered sap is pumped into the space between the two cylinders, goes through the cloth, and the filtered sap passes into the central area and then out through the top.

A pressure Sirofilter does the same sort of thing but is made for use with syrup and DE.

Lapierre made a retrofit kit that allowed owners to remove the inner cylinder and replace it with a piece that held 5-6 (don't recall how many) 24" filter cartridges instead of the filter cloth. Unfiltered sap was pumped into the open space in the device, went in through the filters, and filtered syrup passed out of the central core of the cartridges into an exit port. This basically is the same sort of thing used for sap filtration before the RO unit.

They look like what is shown in the upper right corner of page 77 of the 2023 Lapierre Catalog
https://elapierre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CATALOG_English_2023_web.pdf

[cray54]

Dr. Tim,

Thank you for the further explanation. I was specifically curious about the wrapped cloth filter because it had the best non-DE performance in the study. I wasn't especially interested in the cartridges because that particular study didn't show them performing especially well (Although it posed a possible explanation).

Did you find cartridges were functionally equivalent or better than the wrapped cloth? Or was it just a convenience issue?

Thank you, Chris

[DRoseum]

I actually just made a filter device using a large stainless inline filter. I made an orlon sleeve that slides over and clamps on the inner perforated metal cylinder. I use DE with it and a guzzler hand pump and it works amazing. It works under the same concept as a filter press, but just cylindrical instead of flat plates....and WAYYYYY cheaper.

I find that it also works way better than my vacuum filter I built and equally well as my SmokyLake press for 1 to 3 gallon batches. Really seems ideal for smaller producers who struggle with filtering and dont want to spend the money on a press. Plan to create a video overview of it soon.

https://a.co/d/dYwrobJ

[SapTsunami]

I actually just made a filter device using a large stainless inline filter. I made an orlon sleeve that slides over and clamps on the inner perforated metal cylinder. I use DE with it and a guzzler hand pump and it works amazing. It works under the same concept as a filter press, but just cylindrical instead of flat plates....and WAYYYYY cheaper.

I find that it also works way better than my vacuum filter I built and equally well as my SmokyLake press for 1 to 3 gallon batches. Really seems ideal for smaller producers who struggle with filtering and dont want to spend the money on a press. Plan to create a video overview of it soon.

https://a.co/d/dYwrobJ
is this similar to the new filter sold by RO Bucket?

https://www.robucket.com/product/maple-syrup-filter-system-pre-order-only/

[DRoseum]

Didn't know they had that. Looks similar and geneally same concept but some differences.... (1) used high temp silicone tubes (2) used only sanitary fittings (no threaded fittings), (3) use a hand pump, and (4) the inlet and outlet on mine are on opposite ends of the filter canister, allowing you to use gravity to your advantage and reduce the amount of residual syrup inside.

[cray54]

In this thread, I'm asking about Sap Filtration. The filters and study I mentioned are also for sap with a different viscosity and proportion of solids.

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr. Tim,

Thank you for the further explanation. I was specifically curious about the wrapped cloth filter because it had the best non-DE performance in the study. I wasn't especially interested in the cartridges because that particular study didn't show them performing especially well (Although it posed a possible explanation).

Did you find cartridges were functionally equivalent or better than the wrapped cloth? Or was it just a convenience issue?

The cartridge filters do a better job of filtering than the wrapped cloth filters. For filtering sap in our production bush after the releaser into the sap storage tanks, after trying many different methods, we eventually went to NO filtering at all. We use cartridge filtering for sap going from the storage tank to the RO system. The only exception to that is at the beginning of the season when we might use a bag filter for the first flush from the lines. This would ONLY be advised if you're going to process your sap very quickly after/during collection.

The filter cloth system seemed to work reasonably well, but it took a HUGE amount of time to disassemble the unit, clean the filter, and reassemble the unit. One helper would spend 25-35% of their time just doing that all day long. The bigger issue was that when they clog, sap backs up into the RO. We normally ran two systems with two filter units each in parallel, so there were two filter units in operation with two others ready to go, so when the pressure start to build up we'd turn a valve to switch to the other set of filters. At night we'd sometimes have all 4 units filtering simultaneously, but even then, we'd sometimes get to the sugarhouse in the morning and find they'd plugged and backed up into the RO, triggering the moisture trap to close, shutting down the vacuum. Very annoying.