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Thread: Cleaning filter plates

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
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    North Grenville, Ontario
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    Default Cleaning filter plates

    I just picked up an older wesfab 7” filter press
    Press has been sitting for 2 years without being used.
    Everything is perfect except for the aluminum plates have a bit of oxidization on them.
    I was thinking of just bringing a pot of vinegar up to a boil and dipping the plates in the vinegar to clean off the oxidization.
    Anyone ever done this. ?
    I know there’s a ton of ways to restore cast aluminum but they all involve chemicals that are obviously not ok for anything food related.
    600 taps on vacuum
    Lapierre mechanical Releaser
    CDL electric releaser
    2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
    Home made modulating auto draw off
    Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
    CDL 16 x 16 bottler
    Wesfab 7" filter press
    Delaval 73 vacuum pumps

    12 hives of bees

  2. #2
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    Jan 2014
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    Central new york
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    I would try some warm water with a new stainless brush and lots of baking soda
    A&A 2x8 raised flue with hoods and preheater, converted to oil with carlin 201 for 2021
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
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    Rock Creek, NC
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    The acid in the vinegar will make the plates oxidize more so don't do that. I use Scotch Brite pads and hot water to clean mine and it makes them look like new.
    Russ

    "Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!

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  4. #4
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    Mar 2011
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    North Grenville, Ontario
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    I’ll try the scotch bright and a little elbow grease option.
    600 taps on vacuum
    Lapierre mechanical Releaser
    CDL electric releaser
    2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
    Home made modulating auto draw off
    Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
    CDL 16 x 16 bottler
    Wesfab 7" filter press
    Delaval 73 vacuum pumps

    12 hives of bees

  5. #5
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    Mar 2011
    Location
    North Grenville, Ontario
    Posts
    969

    Default

    Kinda off topic of my original question but it’s stiil a filter press question
    My press is a 7” full stack. Fairly oversized for the 15-20 gallons the press would be seeing per day. But I figured it’s better to go bigger then too small and regret it.
    If I shortened the stack and put spacers on the bolts what would be a proper amount of plates. 3?
    Last edited by Bricklayer; 05-21-2019 at 07:40 PM.
    600 taps on vacuum
    Lapierre mechanical Releaser
    CDL electric releaser
    2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
    Home made modulating auto draw off
    Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
    CDL 16 x 16 bottler
    Wesfab 7" filter press
    Delaval 73 vacuum pumps

    12 hives of bees

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    River Falls, WI
    Posts
    831

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bricklayer View Post
    Kinda off topic of my original question but it’s stiil a filter press question
    My press is a 7” full stack. Fairly oversized for the 15-20 gallons the press would be seeing per day. But I figured it’s better to go bigger then too small and regret it.
    If I shortened the stack and put spacers on the bolts what would be a proper amount of plates. 3?
    It'll depend greatly on the syrup. At the beginning of the season I hear people say 50 gallons through a 7" full bank is easy, so yeah, 3 should do the job for 15-20 gallons. At the end of the season it'll be more. Another option is to use more plates, all of them even, and not take it apart every day. I wouldn't want to leave syrup in there for more than a day or two, but if you know you'll be cooking again the next day, it'd be an option. You can also flush with hot sap or water if you're using this method, but be careful to avoid freezing it if it's full of anything other than syrup.
    -Ryan


    Went off the deep end. Might be in over my head...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Peru, Maine
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    If its a gear pump like ours, you will be hard pressed to get syrup to heat back up and get through once the press cools down with the full stack. That may work with a shorter stack, never tried it. We break ours down every time. Just open the press up slowly and you can salvage most of the syrup without mixing in DE and reuse in the next batch unless grades are different and you care about that. We have also flushed with hot sap after we were done filtering syrup and that works good too. Its a matter of when you end up filtering.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    North Grenville, Ontario
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    969

    Default

    Got the plates nice and clean. Course bristled brush and dipped it in vinegar every now and then and a light wash off with the pressure washer.

    Next question
    The filter press frame and the 2 main bolts running through the plates are a bit rusted. I sandblasted the frame right down to bare metal. Should I do the main bolts too. Don’t want them to rust.
    Any thoughts on what paint to use. Colour dosnt matter. I would assume there isn’t a “food grade” paint
    It was originally blue paint on it.
    600 taps on vacuum
    Lapierre mechanical Releaser
    CDL electric releaser
    2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
    Home made modulating auto draw off
    Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
    CDL 16 x 16 bottler
    Wesfab 7" filter press
    Delaval 73 vacuum pumps

    12 hives of bees

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    almont
    Posts
    158

    Default

    I would recommend have it powdercoated.
    Clay Stroup
    Stroup's Sugar Bush
    Almont, MI

    2016: 20 taps, 2 gallons
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    North Grenville, Ontario
    Posts
    969

    Default

    Would it be a good idea to get the 2 main bolts that the plates sit on powder coated too?
    600 taps on vacuum
    Lapierre mechanical Releaser
    CDL electric releaser
    2.5 x 10 CDL Venturi ( new for the 2024 season )
    Home made modulating auto draw off
    Homemade RO 2 x 4" membranes
    CDL 16 x 16 bottler
    Wesfab 7" filter press
    Delaval 73 vacuum pumps

    12 hives of bees

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