Vacuum Filtering

[troynh]

So, today was the day that I maidened my DIY vacuum filtration system and it worked great! 1.5 Gallons in no time for the final finish. Crystal clear end product...

-Tim

Here's the video:



Updated Video 2-25-23:

[fisheatingbagel]

That looks like it really works well. Are you using regular flat filter and pre filters? What about DE? Where did you get the pans that fit together?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

[troynh]

Thanks. Yes, 1 flat filter and 1 pre filter. No DE. The stock pots are from WalMart.

-Tim

[Bricklayer]

Looks cool. I've used pre filters, flat filters,cone filters, bucket filters, coffee filters, you name it to filter syrup. There is always residue left on the filters when I'm done filtering. No matter what size batch I filter. Were did the sugar sand, Niter go in this setup. Did it get sucked through with the syrup?

[Andrew Franklin]

I neglected to put together a "stock pot" version of vacuum filter and now sap is flowing, so while washing buckets the other night I wrapped tape around the base of one so it only fits into the one below it by a few inches. Drilled about a hundred or more holes into the top one and cut flat filter medium to fit and a few layers of prefilter and fit them into the base of the top bucket. I drilled a hole just below where the top bucket meets the bottom that a small diameter shop vac fitting will fit into, with a piece I screw into the top of the vac fitting that keeps the syrup from getting sucked in (also, no holes drilled in a portion of the bucket above where the vacuum hose is). I installed a lead free spigot on the bottom of the bucket so I can hang it over the edge of the shelf a few inches and with its slight angle it will pour right into bottles. From my research, food grade plastic buckets are safe at long periods up to 230 degrees, and since I will only be filtering 2-3 gallons at a time the heat loss will be minimal as I bottle so I should stay over 180 unless the vac process cools it too much. This (not counting what I had on hand) is what appears to basically be a free vacuum filter that will save me tons of time and more importantly for a small scale guy MUCH less syrup wasted in the filter as it appears to suck almost all of it through. Anyone care to tell me what I've missed or doing wrong here? It seems too easy...

[fisheatingbagel]

I made something similar to Andrew, but used a large coffee urn as the base. I bought a stainless steel bucket, and drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom - this bucket just so happens to fit nicely in the top of the coffee urn with a nice tapered fit. I cut a hole in the coffee urn for the vacuum hose, and made a fitting that points down inside the urn (to keep the vac from sucking up the syrup as it comes through the bucket).
Haven't tried it yet, but have about 10 gallons in the fridge ready to filter and bottle, which hopefully I'll get to this weekend. I'll post some pics afterwards!

[Swingpure]

I am in the process of building a vacuum filter having taken inspiration from 4Walls. He posted a video on the Northern Ontario 2022 thread. Mine will be pretty identical, but instead of using the more professional clamp system, I will be using 8 small bungee cords. They hold the top pot very tight. I should have all of the components this week.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/03fV...YkA54Q0i-tb7zg

Just researching how to drill the hole through the stainless steel pot. I know there is a professional “punch” tool that does a great job, biput I don’t have one of those. I was thinking of using a metal hole saw.

[barnbc76]

Ive never seen anything like this could you explain how it works. So far as i can tell it just looks like "hollywood magic". Lol, wish my filtering took that long.

[troynh]

First, No... The sugar sand doesn't go through the filters. The end result is crystal clear syrup. 2nd, I flat filter off the pan after boiling. This is where 90% of the sand gets caught. (Next week I'll be vacuum filtering straight off the pan for anther demo video.)

Basically I take a 3 cfm vacuum pump and use a 10 gallon auxiliary tank for a vacuum storage tank. The tank is stored at 30 inches... Plumb it to a couple of modified stock pots and suck away while finish filtering. http://mapletrader.com/community/sho...r-final-finish

The whole process is super fast!

-Tim

[fisheatingbagel]

Tim,
What type of clamps are those between the top and bottom stock pots? They look similar to table leaf clamps, but I don't remember seeing them for sale anywhere.
Do you have any kind of support under the filter pad, or is it sufficient to clamp the pad between the 2 pots (I'm assuming you cut the bottom out of the top pot)