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Thread: Siro Filter Press advice.

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    Middlebury Center, PA
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    1,391

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    If you take them out and clean them with hot water every time you use them you are just suppose to replace them each year.
    Jared

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia, Canada
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    76

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    I've been using a siro filter for 4 years and really like it; super simply clean up. As we've gotten bigger and have started bottling in bigger batches, I find it's under performing. I have the smaller version and I'm only able to push 10-14 gallons through before the pressure spikes and I have to change the filter.

    I would be interested it hearing how much syrup you process before having to change the filter and how much filter aid you use per gallon.
    900 taps
    Adding 500 on 3/16 Spring 2017
    D&G 400 Econo RO
    2x8 D&G evaporator
    http://margareevalleymaple.ca

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
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    We have the 12 inch tall version of the Siro also. The sugar sand was not to bad so far this season. We have gotten 20 gallons through in a one day boil. Most of our production is 10 to 15 gallons a day. Have not had a issue at this point.
    I really like this canister press system! Not had a leak or blow out after several years of use. We make about 150 gallons of syrup per year.
    Regards,
    Chris
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
    3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
    12" SIRO Filter Press.
    2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
    One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
    Too many Cub Cadets
    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
    1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck

    www.mapleandhoney.com

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Corinth, New York, United States
    Posts
    557

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    I have a home built version and love it. I found you dont need to use much FA and too much actually clogs it. I usually heat five gallons of syrup and add a cup of FA. I circulate the syrup until crystal clear then send to the bottler or hot pack 5 gallon jugs. The other things I do is when I start to get niter in the front pan I stir it up to get the niter into the syrup and filter the pan back into itself. If you do this before the niter sticks to the pan you dont have to drain and clean so often.
    2021 230 Taps on vacuum
    Smokylake 2X6 pan set with auto drawoff
    Homebuilt 2 4x40 membrane RO
    Homebuilt filter press
    Rebuilt arch with under and over the fire air we have named V 2.0
    Smokylake steam bottler
    Hoods and preheater
    500 gallon vertical polytank to store sap for RO
    Adding a laser eye to my bottler for autofill/stop

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    SE Missouri
    Posts
    289

    Default Need some help figuring out my siro filter

    Quote Originally Posted by Sugarmaker View Post
    We have the 12 inch tall version of the Siro also. The sugar sand was not to bad so far this season. We have gotten 20 gallons through in a one day boil. Most of our production is 10 to 15 gallons a day. Have not had a issue at this point.
    I really like this canister press system! Not had a leak or blow out after several years of use. We make about 150 gallons of syrup per year.
    Regards,
    Chris
    Chris - I see that your getting up to 20 gallons through at a time. We bought the 12 inch system 2 years ago, and I thought the trouble I had last year was our abnormally warm season and the somewhat more ropey syrup consistency the warm weather gave us. Tonight, I filtered 12 gallons and had to clean the filter three times. About 5 gallons at a time is about all I can get through. Any suggestions? I can't figure this thing out. 1st run we filtered 6 gallons with a 1/2 cup of f a, and I never even had to use the bypass. This run, I used a cup of f a in 15 gallons. It builds to 40psi after a couple gallons and the rest comes through at a snails pace. How much filter aid do you use for a 15 gallon batch? Could I be using too much f a?
    Thanks,
    Mark
    Now I have an outdoor hobby for all 12 months. Like I need anything more to do
    About 1000 taps on gravity tubing, MicRO2 RO, 2.5 X 8 Leader King, and a 1953 Willys Jeep to run around the maple woods with.
    http://www.gihringfamilyfarm.com/

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Hartland, New Brunswick, Canada
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    231

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    We have used a 12 inch one for probably 8 years, have never had a problem getting syrup through. We usually run 9-10 imp gallons(10-12 us) at a time. As soon as syrup gets to 67, we put the DE in, approximately cup or cup & 1/2. Always recirculate back to pan until hose is many bubble free. Then fill bottler, watch guage doesn't much above 10-12 then open bypass, takes a little longer but usually
    is done in 5-10 minutes.
    Murray

    Somewhere around 800 - 900 taps on Atlas Copco vacuum
    1 Sap Ladder & 1 can
    2 1/2 x 10 Waterloo/Small, with Piggyback & hood,
    Air over & under fire
    CDL autodrawoff, Homemade drawoff/filter tank with pump,
    Lapierre Sirofilter, modified steam pan bottler

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    SE Missouri
    Posts
    289

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by murferd View Post
    We have used a 12 inch one for probably 8 years, have never had a problem getting syrup through. We usually run 9-10 imp gallons(10-12 us) at a time. As soon as syrup gets to 67, we put the DE in, approximately cup or cup & 1/2. Always recirculate back to pan until hose is many bubble free. Then fill bottler, watch guage doesn't much above 10-12 then open bypass, takes a little longer but usually
    is done in 5-10 minutes.
    That's pretty much exactly what we are doing, except maybe a little less filter aid. I watched LaPierre's YT video and one thing I noticed is that what comes off of our filter is much more of a very thin layer of "mud" more than "sand." It doesn't really flake off the filter in big chunks like in the video. Maybe it's more the chemistry of our sap? Another consideration is that we draw off the evap into 5 gal stainless milk pails, which may sit for a day or two before we get 10 - 20 gallons to can, and then I pour those into the finishing pan and most of the sand/mud has settled and remains on the bottom of the pails.
    Now I have an outdoor hobby for all 12 months. Like I need anything more to do
    About 1000 taps on gravity tubing, MicRO2 RO, 2.5 X 8 Leader King, and a 1953 Willys Jeep to run around the maple woods with.
    http://www.gihringfamilyfarm.com/

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    SE Missouri
    Posts
    289

    Default

    Did a little experimentation this evening. Had about 10 gallons to filter and can. Started off with very little f a that was already in the 3 or so gallons from yesterday's canning attempt that didn't go so well. I added about 7 gallons more, heated, and started to filter. Clogged within the first 2-3 gallons. Disassembled and reassembles with another filter, this time stirring in about 1.5 cups of f a right near the valve port of the finishing pan, thinking it would draw the f a rich syrup first. The remaining 7 gallons filtered relatively quickly, and I only had to use the bypass a small amount for the last gallon or so. Has me thinking more filter aid is the answer.
    Now I have an outdoor hobby for all 12 months. Like I need anything more to do
    About 1000 taps on gravity tubing, MicRO2 RO, 2.5 X 8 Leader King, and a 1953 Willys Jeep to run around the maple woods with.
    http://www.gihringfamilyfarm.com/

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Calais, VT
    Posts
    85

    Default

    I'll pipe in here as I certainly wished for some more pointers when I first started with my siro a few years back. Here's what has worked best for me...
    -Perhaps the most important thing I learned has to do with filter aid. I never use any FA at all except late in the season when the nitre is fine and dark. Filter aid seems to clog the filter and even pass through the felt, leaving slightly cloudy syrup. For the siro, all or nearly all filtering happens with nitre. The more nitre I seem to have in my unfiltered syrup, the better the siro seems to run and to filter.
    -Filter with high temp syrup (at least 180, better at 200 since cooling will happen while filtering).
    -Siro runs much better as a batch filterer, not a continuous filterer. Once siro is shut off and cools some, it will never flow as well until filters are cleaned.
    -I can generally run 15-20 gallons of batch filtering through my short canister before needing to change the filter.
    -I double wrap my siro with two felts, first the 1 micron, then the 5 micron on the outside. Without doing this I have to run the filter much longer during recirculation before I get perfectly clear, bottle worthy syrup. Using two, it only takes about a minute. I found that even when I recirculated a long time with one filter, 1 or 5 micron, that I would sometimes get fine nitre and/or filter aid in my filtered syrup. Total pain. I experimented a lot using more and less filter aid and found that the best way to keep very fine particulates out of the syrup was to use little or no filter aid and to use two felts.
    -I also experimented a lot with cleaned, partially cleaned, and uncleaned felts (uncleaned being a felt that just had the nitre cake taken off - no rinsing). For me, the best and longest lasting filtering occurs with clean felts that have been rinsed in several changes of hot water.
    -I build the pressure in the siro gradually when I start the recirc., incrementally shutting the bypass over a minute or so, and never taking the pressure above 10-12 psi. Once I'm in that pressure window and the syrup is running perfectly clear, I shut down the motor, move the filtered line to barrel or canner and switch it on again. After the initial adjustment to 10-12 psi, I don't touch the bypass valve again. Pressure gradually builds and flow slows, but I can typically get 15 gal through in about 20 min. Sometimes the flow will really slow down but I think it's better to be patient for last couple gallons than to go through a whole cleaning in mid-filter.
    -Since filtering 15 gal can take up to 20 min, or sometimes even a bit longer, I keep the heat turned on on my finisher to make sure the temp stays hot. I do this partly for long storage hot packing when barreling, but also to keep the flow hot through the filter. I've found that temps as high as 140-160 can really slow down the siro.
    -Any syrup leftover in the siro after filtering gets dumped into the finisher and added to the next batch of syrup.
    -I reuse two 5 micron and two 1 micron felts for the season and toss them at the end of the year.
    Hope this helps! Good luck!
    Drew

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Albion PA
    Posts
    5,099

    Default

    I still like mine, we do from a gallon to 20 gallons a day and don't have to tear it down very often during filtering. Still using about 1 cup of FA to 2 gallons of syrup at 200 ish F.

    Regards,
    Chris
    Casbohm Maple and Honey
    625 roadside taps + Neighbors bring some sap too!
    3x10 King, WRU, AOF and AUF
    12" SIRO Filter Press.
    2015 Ford F250 PSD sap hauler
    One Golden named Maggie, Norwegian Forest Cat named Lucy
    Too many Cub Cadets
    Ford Jubilee and several Allis WD's, and IH tractors
    1932 Ford AAB ton and a half, dump truck

    www.mapleandhoney.com

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