Foaming

[Amber Gold]

The first half of the season I had no problem with syrup foaming. The second half I couldn't get away from it. I was walking a fine line between letting the foam settle down so I could fill the jug all the way without it cooling down. It made bottling very difficult and took forever.

Does anyone know why this happens and what can be done to prevent it?

Thanks

[PerryW]

I bought a special valve for my filter/canner so the syrup comes out in a nice stream with no dribble. This helps eliminate some of the foam when filling the jugs.

Also, (just like filling a beer mug) I will tip the jug for the first half of the fill so the syrup does NOT drop straight down to the bottom. This greatly reduces the foam. And during the final few ounces; I will usually reduce the flow to a small stream and fill the last part very slowly; which also seems to help.

[Amber Gold]

Perry, I tried the same tricks and it didn't help. I tried doing it very slow, fast, tilted, fast then slow and still had about the same amount of foam.

Mine has a standard ball valve with a 90. What's this special valve your talking about?

[PerryW]

Here's a pic of that bottling valve...

You can also try using a clean butter knife and swish it around to break up the foam.

[Amber Gold]

Cool. Where do you find those?

I was using the skinny end of the hydrometer and it helped, but not usually good enough.

[maplekid]

put a pair of pantyhose over the end and it will make it so it doesnt foam

[sapman]

In my opinion you need a reducing fitting coming off your ball valve to make the syrup form a steady stream without air mixing in. I use a 1/2" ball valve, then a thread x socket 90, then solder a 1/2" x 1/4" (or 3/8", not sure) bushing into the socket of the 90. This bushing will actually look like a little reducing coupling. It works perfect to form the right stream. It's also the same fitting setup that Leader sells with their Fill-Stops. Then only open the valve enough to give you the nice stream of syrup. Too much increases head pressure and makes it foam, too.

Tim

[KenWP]

I canned syrup for the second time today useung my new invention. I used old Hanyes way of putting a fitting on a SS pot and put a ball valve on that. Out of the ball valve I have a peice of tubeing with a 90 on it so that it sticks out past the side of the stove. Heated syrup up to 180 and ran it into containers. Worked very well if you ask me.

[PerryW]

Josh,

I bought it in East Montpelier at Danforth's sugarhouse about 15 years ago. I don't think they are in business any more.

[michelle32]

You can buy that same fill valve at Bascams. We have one on are canner. No foam problems here. Josh did the pallet wood help with your boil?

[Amber Gold]

Thanks guys. I'll try the pantyhose next time. It's cheap and now that I think about it a local producer does the same thing. Always wondered why he did it, but never thought to ask what it was for.

Pallet wood burns pretty good, just need to find a feed mechanism because it burns so fast. I think I managed to get 3 channels of my syrup foaming up to the top of the dividers. It certainly gets the heat to the pans like nothing else I burned.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Bascoms sells those valves for aprox $ 20 and they are called chrome bottling valves best I can remember as I have had mine for several years. I have a 16 x 24 Leader finisher/canner with a stainless 1/2 ball valve coming out of the canner and this 90 degree valve screwed right into the stainless ball valve. I keep the 90 degree valve from Bascoms wide open and regulate the flow with the stainless ball valve and this eliminates all the foam and shut it off with the ball valve when the jug is full.

Best trick I have learned for filling jugs besides this a a LED Headlamp that puts out plenty of light. You can see down inside the jugs and it helps eliminate overfills.

[Mud Island Maple]

We were having trouble with foaming when filling jugs and I decided to try sucking it off with a plastic drinking straw. It worked fine and and since I was just eating the foam it wasn't a problem of overdosing on the sweetness. (just be sure to stick the same end into the jug each time for sanitary reasons!)

[Amber Gold]

Tried out the pantyhose today. Worked great. Not a drop of foam. It slowed the flow down a bit, which is fine up to quarts, but it made filling 1/2 gallon and gallon jugs pretty slow. It was also great becuase it cut the drips down to nothing...much neater canning process today. Thanks for the tip.

[Haynes Forest Products]

On my old bottler I cut the dispensing tube at a 45 degree angle and removed the burs on the inside and that helped reduce turbulance. Try getting a commercial coffee pot valve they have a splash reducing spout.