I built my own vacuum filter out of a 5 gallon stock pot nested inside a 7 gallon stock pot, so I have a vacuum filter/water jacketed canner all in one. I used it last night for the first time, and it seemed to work pretty well. My process is, evaporator to stock pot with drain, from stock pot drain through pre-filter into finisher. Final finish in finisher, then pump from finisher into vacuum filter / water jacketed canner and bottle. I used a ss wort pump to transfer the hot sap and a small shop vac to create the vacuum. When filtering, I used an orlon sheet and 1 pre-filter. Initially, the syrup is sucked through pretty quick, but after a couple gallons, it slows down a great deal. For those that have used a vacuum filter, what is the max amount you can realistically filter before changing filters? Would DE help, and if so, how much?

finisher (2).jpg