HELP!!!!! Cloudy Syrup

[Brad W Wi]

I've read about this before on the site, but I'm having trouble so here goes. I boil down with wood in a stainless flat pan and finish it up on a stainless turkey fryer. I have to let it settle a few days because of the amount of sand I get. After settling I decant the good syrup off . I then heat up the syrup to 180 - 190 degrees. I then filter it, I use a orlon filter with a prefilter liner. Both the filters have been washed in the washing machine, hot waster no soap. Before using I boil some sap and pour it through the filters. I still find that the prefilter was plugging up. I read on the site about stacking a few prefilters up and as one would plug remove it and pour into the one below it. Well I did this route and I still get cloudy syrup. I'm not filtering alot, about 3 - 4 gals at a time. I've tried using filters and pre filters only once. After filtereing it I heat back up to 180 -185 and bottle it. I bottle in glass so I would like to clear it up. I feel I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what it is. I also wonder if a press would help but I'm a small producer 12 to 20 gals a year right now, and the cost is high on the units. But would that plug up right away as well? If someone can help I would really appriecate it and if we could talk on the phone let me know and we could talk it over. It's really bothering me.

[Al]

I use flat synthetic filters with pre filter papers and filter at draw off in my turkey fryer and check the density then. I then filter again into my coffee pot using filters and prefilters. Usually not any great amount of sugar sand or anything else in this filter. My syrup has been clear so far. Hope this helps.I use 3 prefilters in the turkey fryer and two in the coffee pot along with the synthetic filter.

[Dropflue]

Brad,
I had the same problem when using felt filters and bottling in glass, that why I bought a filter press. Its really tough to get “polished” clear syrup from felt filters as opposed to a press. My suggestion is keeping that temp at exactly 180 degrees. Any thing over that will start precipitating additional sugar sands. At the syrup conference I went to, they said you can even bottle at 170-175 if your using glass. They said to keep the temp at 180 for plastic. You may want to pack in plastic jugs if the syrup has a cloudy appearance. Send me an e-mail if you want to call over the phone.

Dropflue
2x6 Gasfired D&G dropflue

[Russ]

Don't forget to space out your hot containers after bottling and capping. The therms from all those containers, if kept too close, will continue to "cook" the syrup.

Also, double check your thermometer to make sure you are staying under 190'F.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have seen sugarsand so fine that even the filters and prefilters won't filter it out. I just bottle in plastic and don't ever worry about it. It tastes the same and looks the same, just not in glass! :D :D Sounds like you have some extremely fine sugarsand as I find from time to time when I do my grading bottles which are small, but glass! :D

[brookledge]

Are you disturbing the cone filter while it is filtering? If you use a spoon or anything to scrape of squeeze the filter it will usually allow fine particles through. I have used cone filters alot and have had nice clear syrup afterwards. Also as I have said before check your filter by holdin it up to the light if you have a thin spot it will be detectable by light. That can also let soilds through. Don't wring (twist) the filters that can cause the fibers to tear.
Keith

[lharris1]

We filter right off of the evaporator at boiling temperature through three paper filters stacked on a cone wool filter. We never squeeze or milk a filter. We finished it off on a stove pan adjusting the density to standard and immediately canned it. We canned primarily into glass and it was all very clear with no sediment. We do squeeze the filters into a cup and use it ourselves - don't like to waste a drop.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Larry,

You are using the wool filters I used for so many years and like you I never had any cloudy syrup. I now use the synthetic and they don't filter nearly as good as the wool. Wish you could get a big flat filter in wool, maybe someone has some info. :)

[mountainvan]

By letting the syrup sit the larger sand particles are not going into the filter and they grab hold of the smaller particles, With filter presses di. earth is used for this. Robert Lamb once wrote that he stopped using prefilters and the syrup filters better and the filters last longer. I get 10-15 gallons of syrup through a flat orlon right off of the rig, bottle in glass and have syrup as clear as with a press,I think. Hope this helps.

[MASSEY JACK]

I HAD SAME PROBLEM. WE WERE PUTTING SOME SYRUP IN MASON JARS. SOME WAS CLOUDY AND SOME WAS NOT. I DRAW OFF INTO A WOOL CONE FILTER,THEN REHEAT LATER TO BOTTLE IT. I CALLED A FRIEND OF MINE THAT HAS BEEN SUGARIN FOR 40 YEARS AND RETAILING JUST AS LONG.HE SAID IF I HEAT TO 180 DEGREES LIKE THEY TELL YOU TO YOU CAN MAKE THE SYRUP CLOUDY AGAIN(ESPECIALLY IF YOU GO HIGHER THAN THAT. HE SAYS THEY BOTTLE AT 165 DEGREES TO 170 AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH MOLD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. HE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR 10 YEARS. SO I BOTTLED SOME AT 170 AND HAD MUCH BETTER RESULTS. I KNOW THE BOOKS SAY 180 DEGREES BUT YOU'VE ALREADY BOILED THE **** OUT OF IT ANYWAY.

[mountainvan]

yes syrup is boiled and nothing can live it, but airborne spores can easily get into a bottle during canning. Unless your bottles are 165 degrees the syrup will cool enough during filling to be below pasturization, especially with small glass bottles. I'd rather bottle at the right temp 180-190 than take a chance with moldy syrup and loose a customer.
ps not trying start a fight just giving my opinion. I've been selling syrup for 12 years and never had a complaint or bottled returned. I'm trying to put mrs butterworth and aunt jemimiah out off business!!

[MASSEY JACK]

YOU ARE RIGHT. I DID NOT MENTION THAT THEY WARM THEIR BOTTLES OVER THE EVAPORATOR(GLASS) BEFORE THEY FILL THEM AT 165 DEGREES. I'M JUST SAYING THAT 180 DEGREES CAN CLOUD YOUR SYRUP AT CANNING.

[mountainvan]

that sounds like a lot of trouble heating bottles before canning. every once in while I find a little sand in the bottom of a 5 gal pail, I put up most of my syrup in them to bottle later in the year ( Usually 20-30 gal. a week june- nov.) yes I have lots of them, I reheat and refilter this before going into any bottle. The pails that have the sand are the ones filled late at night when my mental powers are drained like the back tank. Bottled lots of 50ml autumn leay yesterday. Will display them in a Christmas stocking!! Should sell alot unless it pours rain and we get more flooding in New York.

[Daren]

I too "bottle" my syrup in mason/canning jars. I finish on my propane stove most of the time and filter through a cone pre-filter inside a cone synthetic filter. If it is filtered straight into the jars and then the jars sealed and reheated to 160 to 170 in old time veggie canning fashion, I would think that the likelihood of molding would be pretty nil, and so far it is pretty clear most of the time. Is this similar to how you do it? Maybe it is time for a new felt filter.

[Daren]

Oh...did I mention that the jars are pre-boiled/sterilized prior to canning? Kind of important.