Filtering and Wasted Syrup?

[Hurricanefarm]

Hello out there.

Does anyone have any advice on using the cone style filters? It seems like we wasted WAY TOO much when we filtered last time.

We used two paper inserts, cleaned the felt/wool first, and still it seems like after some drips the filters just suck up the syrup.

I'd rather not bother filtering than waste 20% of a gallon.

Any other tips? Even after filtering, there is a fair amount of niter in the bottom of the bottles...

Thanks
Chris

[davey]

Are you preheating the filters? I've found that that helped. i used to string them up above the evaporator on a little clothesline to warm them up. As far as waste, I used to pour the unfiltered through a prefilter and back into my finisher again. Maybe not the best system, but it worked. Having two of the cloth filters helped as well.

[3% Solution]

Hurricanefarm,
Before we started to use filteraid we would just run some hot sap from the flue pan and that would rinse the syrup out. Let it drain right back into the pan. Won't hurt a thing.
Then wash it in the machine.

Dave

[mfchef54]

How hot is your syrup? I have found that if preheat the filters with hot water and lightly squeeze the excess water that doesn't drain on it's own it drains great. The other night I let the filter get cold and it drained hard. Also changing the paper filters out helps me also. Not experienced in the area but I would think that the only way to get all your syrup is to use a filter press.

[Dill]

I just had the same issue last night. Probably a qt left in the filter. Granted I was doing stovetop finishing. Planning on trying to get it back out with boiling water, and then pour it back into the evaporator.
Last year I use cheesecloth and a cut up tshirt laid into a wire sieve and it worked alright. I still got Niter but not terrible.

[Big_Eddy]

When I'm done filtering - I just take them out to the evaporator and drop them in the sap for about 5 mins - dissolves all the syrup out of them - then wash in the machine.

[Dill]

Since my evaporator won't be running for at least a week, should I drip the whole thing in really hot water? Or just pour some down through it?

[Amber Gold]

Dill, You could leave it outside...it won't go bad with this cold snap we're getting and then when you fire it up rinse it in the sap.

[Dave Y]

Big Eddy,
I havent used gravity filtering for a couple of years, however I think if you would ad an orlon pre-filter to your system it would help.

[Big_Eddy]

Dave Y
I do use prefilters - I batch (I know, I know) and make about 10 litres ( 2 1/2 gallons) a batch. I take the batch as close as I dare on the fire, then finish (or thin) on a propane burner, then straight into the filter tank. I use 2 or 3 paper pre-filters ahead of the felt or orlon filter, pulling them out when it slows down. Still need to preheat the filter (holding it in the steam for a while helps) to get a good flow rate, and usually let it sit for a while to let the last drip through. Still a good pint to quart of syrup in the filter when I'm done. Can't bear to lose all that syrup. Early on I would wring it out of the filter and add it to the next batch, but that is hard on the filter fabric. Now I just dunk the whole filter in the sap pan and let it soak for a few minutes to rinse out the syrup. When all 4 of my filters are dirty, I toss them in the washer inside out. If it will be a while - I toss them in the freezer so they won't mould before washing.

[buck3m]

We are going back to just letting it settle this year. The sugar sand has always settled out nicely for us although it might take a week or more. We'll have a final cheesecloth type filter to get out any other debris that remains.

Sedimentation has proven to be easier and more effective for us, and we waste less syrup in filters.

I actually contacted two supply companies after we had carefully filtered using orlon filters and prefilters and we STILL got sugar sand in the final product. I was surprised to hear them say that it sometimes happens with anything short of a professional filtering system.

[skillet]

Get the temp of syrup to 219. Then we pour it into dry cone style felt filter with 2 pre filters inside of it. Drain into 3 gal. pot, then finish to correct temp on stove. Pour it though another dry prefiler into 2nd pot. Keep the temp of syrup between 180-190 while bottling into glass. (glass dipped into boiling water for 30 seconds before filling) Never had any sand in bottles yet.

skillet