Sap filtering

[caseman]

What are the opinions and or experience with filtering sap before putting in storage. Will it help reduce nitter buildup? Has anyone tried using a household style filter? I'm not to worried about bacteria It doesn't stay in the storage tub very long and I'm not ready for UV equipment yet.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Myself and mapleman invested in the sap filtering bags that you can get from the maple suppliers. I used the same bag the entire season and rinsed it out each day and then threw it away last night as it was the end of the season.

Cost me $ 4.50 and worked great. I definitely think you need something like that to filter your sap will. The less foreign substances you have in it, the less you will have to filter out later. It will not reduce nitre or bacteria, but elminiate most anything else.o

Of course I always did thing a few pieces of bark help to give it the perfect maple flavor. :wink:

[mapleman3]

As Brandon said the sap bags work great, nothing goes in my stainless tanks without being fitered.
My Vacuum system stays clean, but I was amazed at the stuff the first day or so that came out of the tubing, now it's good clean filters when I check them

[sapman]

I, too, am a big fan of filtering before putting the sap into the storage tank. I used to use the "Maple Bag" (I think it was called) from Agzone. It claimed to filter down to 5 microns, and I think it did. Even somewhat cloudy sap could come out clear! But I haven't been able to locate them anymore. Does anyone have info on whether they're available still? They're only drawback was they were very difficult to rinse out. They cost around $45.

Thanks,
Tim

[Breezy Lane Sugarworks]

I use an inline water filter that might be used in house applications and it has a 5 micron string wound filter. I clean that every night and am able use it for many nights. I love it and am upset that I didn't put it in our first year.

[sapman]

I used to use two inline house type filters, first 20 micron, then 5 micron. These were located feeding the tank to the evaporator, which is controlled automatically by a float to maintain constant head pressure. But I could get some pretty hairy moments when they would plug and suddenly be out of sap at the regulator box. So now I get the sap as clean as I can before entering the main bulk tank outside, then have freeflow to the evaporator tank.

Tim

[VA maple guy]

I made a cone type of filtre out of 100 mesh brass screen that fits over my storage barrel. I just pour the sap through it right from my buckets.I works great for a backyarder.
Gerry

[brookledge]

I like the household inline filters also. You can get the ones with a clear housing which makes it nice to see inside. The filters are easy to get at any hardware or department store and they are inexpensive.

[maplehound]

I use to use the inline househld water filter. But after the filter became cloged it lsowed my pumping from gathering tank in the woods to the holding tank at the sugar house. The when I wasn't watching I blew the pump line apart and pumped 300 gallons of sap on the ground :cry: I no longer use them and now use the milk socks that dairy farmers use to filter there milk. I just use a pipe clamp at the end of my hose to fasten them on. They are easy to change and real cheep. I bought a bag 2 years ago and still have over half of it left.

[tstew]

I also use the milk filter (sock type) to filter my sap. Works well. Like maplehound I clamp it on the end of my hose and pump the sap up to my storage tank. I also filter going into my gathering tank. Then I just feed straight into the evaporator. Works for me.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Where do you get the milk sock type filters at??

[tstew]

You can get them at Tractor Supply Company or most any place that carries ag supplies.

[lharris1]

I found this on e-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11751&item=3838204315&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

Is this the type of filter you guys use?

We just used the type of paper cone filters that are used for syrup filtering to filter sap. We would wash them and re-use them for sap and not use them on syrup.

[Ed K]

I'm with Tstew, I use the milk strainers, got them from Agway, $7.80 per 100. I tie a new one on each morning.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

What kind of micron filtering are these bags. Seem like they would be awful light for that kind of price??

[fk]

Brandon,...from my days on our dairy farm, I remember these filters catching quite small specs of stuff. I am going to get some myself and start using them for sap. They are very fine but I dont know what micron. The on the road sales guys that go to dairy farms have them too, in addition to Agway. Up this way that is the IBA truck(Independent Buyers Assocaition). Local dairy farmer would know the local IBA dealer down your way probably. Truck has a big red and white shield on it.....Frank

[tstew]

I am not sure of the micron either I will have to look and see it is on the box. After using one there is a lot of junk caught in them even pretty small stuff. If nothing else they would make an excellent prefitler then if you wanted to use a smaller micron filter I doubt you would have much problem with it plugging up.

[MaineMapleDave]

Since I gather every drop of sap by hand in buckets, I have a fairly crude filtering system that works pretty well. I use a flat syrup prefilter as my sap filter. I used to clothespin it inside a jumbo funnel, but now have it in a filter rack inside my dumping tank.

I figure if it's good enough for syrup, it's good enough for sap. I rinse it out in boiling water after each day's gathering is done. It catchs a lot of really fine stuff.

[Twin_Maple]

As a small backyarder, I also use a flat filter (if it is good enough for syrup it is good enough for sap!!???) inside a funnel for brewing with the screen insert in the funnel. Works very well as I pour 5gal buckets into my pre-heater.

[MaineMapleDave]

Yep--I have one of those homebrewing funnels as well.

On a somewhat related note, when the flat filters I use for the finished product are showing signs of age, they move into the house to become kitchen filters for stuff like stocks or broth, draining yogurt or similar things. Takes the place of cheesecloth and gets extra use out of the filters. They'll stand up to quite a few trips through the laundry as well.

I mark them with an "X" in one corner with a laundry marker so they can't accidentally end up near anything maple.

[maplehound]

I checked for the MIcron size of these filters and all mine say is 6 HG. not sure what that means though. somebody did tell me once though that they are at least equal to a 5 micron.
I buy mine at a local dairy products dealer. One thing I have found in this hobby is " I f you wnat to know what you can use for something look to the dairy industry. I have 6 bulk tanks, A double bay ss sink, Milker vaccuume pumps,SS milk buckets and milk pipeline all in use around my sugar house.
Also the Milk strainers make great funnels to dump buckets of sap through and they could hold those flat filters real nice or just use the round paper ones the dairy guy's use.
I find myself always going to Dairy auctions to see what I can pick up.
Ron

[caseman]

Great feed back I'm looking into these milk filters they sound pretty easy to contend with. Thanks again.

[caseman]

If I clamp one of these socks on the end of my fill line to my feed tank does anyone see a problem with it floating in the sap as it fills the tank?
I dump into 55gal rubbermaid barrels and pump it up to the fill tank. I strain the big stuff out by using a paint filter that fits over the neck of my gathering tank on the back of my quad.

[maplehound]

I let mine float in my tank. After I am done filling the tank I try to remove it from the sap so I don't let the backteria have anything extra to get a hold of. why filter it out and then let it set in the sap. The backteria grow on all the impurities. The less of them in the storage tank the better.
Ron

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

post edited