Life span for Orlon cone filters

[BryanEx]

How many seasons do you use your cone orlon filter before replacing it? I was looking at mine today as I near the end of my third season with it and wondered if it wasn't time for a newbie. Nothing noticeably wrong with it and still seems to filter well but looks... well... three years old. Do you replace on a set schedule or wait until there's an issue with the one you have?

[3rdgen.maple]

Well Bryan I use them one season. It is sort of a tradition for me to start the first fire of the following season with the year befores filters and prefilters. They are cheap enough so I just buy new.

[maple flats]

If you don't wring one or break the fibers in any way they are good for a long time. There is no set replacement schedule. You MUST however be sure to store it clean and perfectly dry and out of the sun. I still have mine in reserve just in case even though I started using a filter press several years ago. I looked at mine before the season and they still look good. As far as prefilters, a several washings will render them less effective, and I still use the pre filters on some occasions, such as when I drain the syrup pan to clean it and put the drainings back into the pan after cleaning. I could condense it but more often I do that on the evaporator except at the very end of the season to end the season. I also had one season where I kept getting very large amounts of sugar sand in the form of a lite silt. I used a small SS pump with a pre filter on the outlet hose a few times and vacuumed the front pan to remove some of this excess. I only had that problem 1 year.

[red maples]

I will use mine 1 season but I will save the old ones "just in case" I like to have 2- 1 drying 1 in use. and wash prefilters like 2 times then toss them. I notice (maybe its just me) they can hold unwanted flavors if the niter gets caught up in the seams. and can transfer into the syrup.

[BryanEx]

I like to have 2- 1 drying 1 in use.
That's not a bad idea and something I was considering for next year. It would also serve to reduce wear-n-tear on each filter by reducing individual use. As 3rdgen.maple stated, they are not all that expensive so I may get two new ones and then replace every second year. I will have no shortage of uses for the old ones as is or cut down to fit specific filtering needs.

[3rdgen.maple]

I will use mine 1 season but I will save the old ones "just in case" I like to have 2- 1 drying 1 in use. and wash prefilters like 2 times then toss them. I notice (maybe its just me) they can hold unwanted flavors if the niter gets caught up in the seams. and can transfer into the syrup.

That is the reason I start the fire with them Red. When I washed and washed and washed them in years past, dried them, wrapped them up they always had a slight moldy smell so I do not chance it. I think though if one was to stick them in a vacuum sealed bag and throw them in the freezer for the off season it might be a better choice for storage. I personally have 4 on hand and use three during the season and one for backup.

[adk1]

So these filters are for filtering the finished syrup while bottling? Or are these filters used when you are drawing off into your pail? Also, I plan on using a simple cheese cloth setup for when my sap gets dumped into my holding tank..Is this wise?

[BryanEx]

adk1 - I found cheese cloth to be a little too course for filtering sap. Try either a flat sheet of syrup pre-filter or a piece of nylon fabric.

[ADKMAPLE]

Cheese cloth is too course for raw sap going into the holding tank? huh... ok, will check around

[red maples]

That is the reason I start the fire with them Red. When I washed and washed and washed them in years past, dried them, wrapped them up they always had a slight moldy smell so I do not chance it. I think though if one was to stick them in a vacuum sealed bag and throw them in the freezer for the off season it might be a better choice for storage. I personally have 4 on hand and use three during the season and one for backup.

I don't wrap them I put them in a cabinet in the kitchen in the house after they dry out good.

[3rdgen.maple]

ADK1 or adkmaple or whatever other names you are going by lol you can buy sap filters for like 7 bucks. Just be sure to clean them quite often. If they sit around wet they can get pretty foul and cause off flavor. Trust me on this I learned that mistake.