filter

[walkerpa]

I tryed a new felt filter yesterday for the first time and I still have sugar sand in my syrup. Did i do something wrong or can you not remove all the sand? How do i clean the filter?

[halladaymaple]

Hi There:

Try using a prefilter inside the felt liner first, it will capture most of the "crud" This will make it easier to clean the felt filter. Just use hot water for both as the prefilters are re-useable to some extend. Do not ring then out with your hands as that will shorten the life of the filter. rince them out with hot water preferrably or atleast water in general. Turn the filter inside out and fill it with water and let it drain.
Hope this helps

Darrell

[innoxen]

Oh no.... lol... mmmm well we did our small batch for a test run on this addiction and we used cheese cloth... Has anyone tried this?? After the BIG BOIL on Sat we will do pancakes on Sunday and let all know if it worked... If there is a better filter let me know, already over on the so called budget... I seem to have a problem putting a budget on a hobby....

[Turtlecreek]

I did the cheese cloth thing my first year, it allowed a bunch of crud through. Then for Christmas I got some filter fabric sheets. I put them in a funnel, 3 prefilters then a Orlon filter on the bottom, this worked better. Then my third year I bought filter cones.

I now use the cones I put in at least 3 prefilters then the Orlon filter. When a prefilter gets plugged up you simply remove it and allow the syrup to flow through the remaining filters. I attatch them using those big black clips for paper to a 5 gallon bucket and let it run in there. I find the hotter the syrup is the better it filters.

Hpe this helps.

[KenWP]

Sounds more like you got the syrup hot after filtering it and it made more sugar sand. The prefilters just take out the big stuff they and keep the filter from plugging as quick. Unless your cone filter has a flaw in it there shouldn't be sugar sand get thru it.
Did you heat the syrup past 190 degrees after filtering it by anychance.

[Mac_Muz]

I have used poly cloth found easy in fabrics at walley world to filter out bark and bugs from the storage tanks (barrels) I used to use that same material, untill last year when I got paper filters and a wool felt bag made for the chore by the purpose. I use a tomatoe wire cage to hold the filter inside a joint compound bucket, getting the sugar water out of my primitive flat pan.

During 'finishing' on the kitchen stove I rince the wool filter in luke warm water in another bucket. I do ring it dry with care by hand, then take it outside and swing in big circles to get the water to the tip and ring that easy by hand.

I clean the paper filters and use them over a few times, and any time I add a new paper filter it is last in line next to the wool. The last filtering is just before I have real syrup, which gets bottled in mason jars, straight from the finish pot on the stove with a heated pyrex mix cup. I haven't seen sugar sand in my finished product since I used this method. Last I knew the wool filter retailed around 13 bucks, and I plan to use mine for years.