Filter Presses - What is the difference?

[DaveB]

I'm sorry for all the questions lately...my operation is growing and I'm trying to figure some things out!

I'm getting to the point where I am making/processing enough syrup to warrent a filter press. I'm wondering what the differences are between the different models.

I see 7" and 10" models and within those sizes I see large price differences. I'm thinking that the size makes a difference in how quickly and how often the filter papers need to be changed. Is that correct?

How many gallons does the "short stack" 7" model filter before they need to be changed and how quickly does it filter?

What is the differerce between the $1,100 7" short stack model and the $2,600 10" model?

Thanks,

Dave

[Haynes Forest Products]

I tap 1200 taps and the 7" is all i need i can filter about 30 gallons before the guage redlines and i take a shower in syrup. if you have a 7" short bank you can always get more plates for it.

[DaveB]

What do additional plates do? Do they add to the amount of syrup you can filter?

I'll be using to filter the syrup that I will be making (probably about 10 gallons a day), but also for moving already filtered syrup from a drum to either another container for repacking. I'm guessing that you can pass more already filtered syrup through the press than non-filtered syrup. In other words, if I could move 30 gallons of unfiltered syrup that I might be able to move 60 gallons of filtered syrup? I probably won't move more than that in a day.

[maplehound]

The more plates tthe more you can filter, but also the more you lose inside of those blanks. This isn't much problem during the season as you can run raw sap through and recover the sweet but in the off season you can lose alot of syrup if you use more plates.
Also most the filter presses have a bypass on them. This lets you bypass the plates to relieve pressure, so you can get that last bit through, or to pump from one container to another without filtering it.

[Uncle Tucker]

I have a question about the pros and cons of silo filters and plate filters. Is one better suited for smaller operations, is one better suited for repackaging, witch one is faster to clean, witch one can filter more syrup before cleaning, witch one is more $. I am looking for any thoughts. I am not looking to buy, but just though this might help everyone.

[Haynes Forest Products]

yes you can filter alot more already filterd syrup.remember that reheating finished syrup will bring out the sand. Filter presses with a bypass valve is a great thing to have. Keep in mind that every time you filter you should use filter aid and that helps with the amount of syrup you can filter. Im a little confused about the syrup loss MapleHound talks about. I dont lose any syrup when I filter. If when your done filtering and your going to clean the press just losen the dogs on the plates and let it drain into the pan and let it settle and pour into the finnish pan and vola no waste. what does filtering raw sap do for you????

[maplehound]

Haynes.
When I am filtering while I am boiling syrup off. I run raw or hot sap through the presss to clen all the syrup out then pour it back into the syrup pan on the evaporator. This keeps me from losing all that syrup during clean up and gets all the stick off the plates making them easier to clean. When I bottle in the off season and filter the syrup agian, I will lose any syrup still in the press since I have no way of storing it till I bottle again. It may be as much as a month between bottlings and I don't have that much space in my kitchen refrigerator.

[Haynes Forest Products]

That makes sense I thought i was missimg somthing Like a poor mans RO. If i ever get desperate for syrup Ill hose down the ceiling in the sap shack kitcken I have alot of syrup that got there from my press.

[Amber Gold]

What's a silo filter?

[Maplewalnut]

Tucker,

You've got a great looking set up there. Nice pics!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I try to draw off a touch heavy and run hot condensate or pure water thru the press and the next time I filter, the water I ran thru the press mixes with the syrup to be filtered and it makes it close to the right consistency. I would never recommend mixing raw sap with already cooked syrup as I think it would have a tendency to make it spoil a little quicker as it has been heat treated all the way thru the evaporator. I have no scientific evidence of this, and I think it could affect flavor a touch. Keep a few gallon of condensate if possible for whenver you need to filter. It is just good old distilled water.

[PATheron]

DaveB- The short bank 7 will work good for you I think. I was running twice the taps and I was fine. We were doing on average a drum a boil and I would usually only get 20 or 25 gallons through it but it only takes a minute to break down and repaper. Id just tear the plates down and set them in the sink and spray them down and put it back together. Sometimes I had to do it a couple times a night especially if I quit using it for a while but papers and dirt are cheap. When your moving finished syrup around you can just use the pump and not the plates to just pump syrup. Theron

[Russell Lampron]

Josh,

The silo filter is actually called the Siro Filter and is made by Lapierre. It is a round cylinder that stands upright and is supposed to do a good job.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Scott(Powerdub) has a syro filter and he swears by it, send him a PM and he can give you more info.

[royalmaple]

I don't own the siro filter but I've looked at a few.

Couple of things I have noticed is that you don't have to mess with lining up the papers on the press. It is not the end of the world, but can be a little bit of a pain. The Siro has a reusable velcro sealing cloth style filter that you wrap around the inner drum and that filters the syrup.

Depending on how you are going to filter you may have mixed results depending on the method. If you are drawing off enough syrup to keep running batches through the regular press will stay pretty hot. If it has to sit around alot you'll find the press cools down and makes it harder to press. So you might fill up your canner for example, then when it is full heat it up and press the whole canner at once. Maybe in a day or so. Then you are just blasting through 10-12 gallons of syrup at a time and you don't have to worry about the press cooling off.

So take all that into account, and the siro filter is small enough and the right size that you could have it right inside a 5 gallon bucket of hot water to keep it hot. Use the run off from a hood for example. Then when you need it, pull it out of the bucket and filter more syrup. Or leave it in the bucket. Of course you'll want to leave the hoses connected regardless which way you try so you keep the water out.

From what I am told the siro and the 7" presses are about identical in the volume of syrup you can get through them before a change.

[maple flats]

I like to use my short bank plate press in batches. I draw off into ss pots and let set until I have about 12-13 gal ready to filter, my canner holds 15gal. Then I heat it on 2 turkey frier burners to bring up to 200 degrees and dump into my funnel pot which has a funnel shaped bottom and a nipple at the bottom that has a hose attached that feeds the filter press. I mix my filter aid in the first approx 3 gal batch and filter. Then I dump the next 5 gal into the funnel pot and add a little more filter aid and filter. I continue until my canner is about 3/4 full. Then I do a hrdrometer check for density, which is usually a little too thick. I draw off the evaporator some almost syrup, dump into the funnel pot, add more filter aid and filter into the canner, blend and re check density. I keep repeating this til I get the reading I want which is about 66.5% sugar. Then I check temp, re heat as needed in the canner because it has often cooled below 180 a little, I bring it to 195 and start canning. When it drops to 185 I light the burner and keep canning til it reaches 195 and I shut off the burner. This might repeat a couple times if I am doing small bottles but If I am doing qts or larger I empty the canner with either 0 or 1 re heat.