leftover syrup in filters

[03weim]

I'm looking for suggestions on how to get the syrup out of my filters after I use them, I am using cone filters I have a wool filter and 2 pre filters when I was done filtering tonight the filters were still saturated with syrup being a small backyard operation I am looking how to get the rest of the syrup out should I boil them in the evap pan next time I boil? I left them hanging up overnight to see how much drains out

Thanks John

[lpakiz]

Yep, that's what I do. Put on your rubber gloves and just keep dipping sap into the filters and let it run thru. Eventually it will get all the syrup out and into the pan. I made a hook thing above the pan to let them drip out over the pan. Then turn inside out and wash in hot water to remove dirt and sugar sand.

[Goggleeye]

I save a couple gallons of sap for the next batch and rinse in that and then freeze it for next time. Make sure it's pretty warm. That seems to get most of the syrup out for me.

[KenWP]

I rinsed the filter out in a small amount of hot water and then reheated it and rinsed out the filter each time I used it. I also had to scrap out the bottom of the filter everytime as it allwasy gelled on me and never finished filtering. At the end I used all the scrappings and the water syrup mixture and made my last batch and then filtered it and let it drain on the wood stove for a day.
Sounds like a pain but since I never had anymore sap to boil when I was doing the final finishing and filtering it was the only way to save the syrup.
I made wine out of the final batch and she who has to be obeyed says its drinkable.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I used to hang the filter over the evap and steam out the syrup. Then let it cool and you would have a chalky cake of junk that would flake out of the filter when it was turned inside out.

[Hurry Hill Farm]

John,

Use more prefilters - then you will not have so much sugarsand and junk in your felt filter. I use 5-6 prefilters and take them out as they get "dirty" . When I get down to 3, I lift them up and add in 3 more. You could probably use the same felt filter all season.

Try this: You can put it into the freezer instead of washing it out each time you boil. Then just warm it up in the evaporator and you are ready to go. I put clean, wet prefilters and felt filters in the freezer to "hold" for the next run - so I don't see why ones with syrup in them couldn't be frozen.

Hurry Hill Farm
Edinboro PA

[KenWP]

I always love this prefilter idea as in no way does it work. You can put a dozen of them in there and the filter still plugs up. It does catch the big stuff but the fine stuff just goes through them into the filter and its plugged. One of the biggest disservices done to me has been the idea that the prefilters stop the filter from plugging. I see red when ever I hear it after fighting with it myself.

[3rdgen.maple]

Ken maybe you have some pretty fine sugar sand in you syrup. I use 6 prefilters and when I get down to 1 I pull the syrup filter and clean or install a new one. For me it catches the major amount of it and works very well. It definately stops mine syrup filter from plugging up.

[KenWP]

I pour the syrup into the filters and then after it goes down and slows I pull out one of the prefilters. After I pull them all out I am sitting there looking at a bunch of syrup sitting in the filter. It will slowely drip through and I bail out the cup or so of much left over and wash the filter. Only once did I have a batch go through nicely.That was off of boxelders. I usually have a cup or cup and half of much left that just won't go through.

[3rdgen.maple]

Ken what type syrup filter? My setup is a holds the heat in and it drains completely. Once I dump the syrup in it I put a cover on it also. The way I made my filter setup is pretty simple. I used a bottler/finisher and made a stainless steel top for it, cut a hole the size of the bottom of an aluminum bucket. Cut the bottom out of the bucket and made slits in it, bent them at a 90 and riveted to the top of the cover. I drop the filter in that and fold the top over the lip or the bucket and then throw the prefilters in. I think the key is to keep the filters hot so it drains better. I also use synthetic filters but used to use wool with good results.

[03weim]

thanks for the info, 3rd Gen do you have a picture of your filter set up? I am filtering into a stainless milk jug with a pot cover over it to hold in the heat

[KenWP]

The filters are yellow if that helps.

[Mac]

I have a 12 x 20 finisher with an expanded s/s wire mesh that holds my filters. I use 4 pre filters and then the Orlon, the same as many. I draw of right into the finisher. I as well I steam my filters before the draw so there "wet" and hot, this helps alot also the syrup doesn't cool much cause I draw right into the finisher. I'm still new at this BUT This part has worked great form me.... you do always lose some to the filter,, but thats the price we pay.
Evaporator full of sap but only 25 gallons in reserve,,,,, if it don't run tomorrow I boil what I got fer now.

[markct]

what i found helps alot is ontop of the pail i drawoff into i put a coulander of wire mesh with a square of prefilter paper lining it, i then drawoff thru this, by about halfway thru my usual gallon drawoff at a time the filter is slowed way down, i wait maybe 30 seconds then slowly tip it to pour it into the pail and then pour the pail into my usual prefilters and felt filter in the top of my bottler. seems to help alot getting a decent portion of the sugarsands out as opposed to just dumping it right into the flat bottler filters

[Haynes Forest Products]

I used to use the white prefilters and it was a joke I ended up with more syrup on me and the floor. I would put one in the draw off bucket and it would clog with black goo and I would have to cut a hole to drain:mad:

[3rdgen.maple]

thanks for the info, 3rd Gen do you have a picture of your filter set up? I am filtering into a stainless milk jug with a pot cover over it to hold in the heat

I knew someone was going to ask me that. No stupid thing is I have no pictures of my maple operation aside from family members in them. I keep telling myself to take some but evertime I take the camera to the sugarhouse I find something better to do. That setup you have sounds identical to the ones my grandad used. He had 3 of them lined up and they had a spigot about an inch of the bottom. I will try to take some and post them soon if I don't find something better to do first:D
Ken my best guess when you say yellow they are wool. The wool ones I used to use were tannish in color and they worked good too. Keep the heat in them if you can. You could also set the fiter pan on a propane burner and keep the temps at 180 and it will keep the heat in and you could bottle right out of that.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

By also keeping the syrup heated and around 180 degrees that has already went thru the filter, it keeps steam going up onto and in the filter and keeps it and the syrup hotter so it filters better.

[Hurry Hill Farm]

Ken, Are your prefilters always wet when you use them? Dry filters never work. Hmmmm sounds like sugar sand if your filters are wet to start with.

Hurry hill
Edinboro PA

[KenWP]

The prefilters allways drain. I can pull then out no problem. They catch something as they stain. The filter plugs up. I can pour the syrup in and pull all the prefilters out and sit there and watch the big filter drip. I wet them all and then nuke it so its nice and warm and then quickly attach and pour the syrup and then wait. Granted the first 3/4 of a the batch zips through but then it just stops. Like I said only one batch ever went through nice and neat. I honestly think the prefilters should be a shade thicker.

[BryanEx]

Just curious Ken... was last year your first year with a cone filter? Reason I ask is because last year had much higher levels of "goop" to filter out for me. It was almost like a mucky clay that I could almost grab out of the filters by the handful. The season prior I had no such mess with just typical filtering as often described on this forum.