Setting Up Space for Filter Press

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Depending on how "cold" the press is, we will see an initial 15-20 degree loss but you get some of it back as you circulate and warm up the press. We're usually around or over 200 degrees out of the press to the bottler. We keep the turkey burner on low while running through the press until it gets down to a couple gallons remaining then we shut off the heat.

[SeanD]

Things froze up solid here for the last week or so, so I haven't had a chance to use the new setup yet. I played with the layout and tested the burners. I stood on the 4-leg burner and it held my weight very easily. I have no doubt it will handle a 13 gallon bottler. I'm close to (a-hem) 200 lbs and the bottler won't be anywhere near that.

tgormley, my plan is to recirculate to the heated pot on the turkey fryer until it reaches 185-190 then go to the 5-gallon jug. That would be best case scenario. If that's not doing it, I'll have to move it up to the steam bottler where I can control temperature a little more easily.

Question for you maine, if it's leaving the press at 200F, does more niter form in the bottler? Also, are you correcting your density in the bottler or in the unfiltered syrup pot?

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We do our density in the pot before we mix in the DE. You could check it again in the bottler and adjust but it doesn’t change as the press gets it through quickly. We’ll lose a few more degrees when it hits the bottler. How much depends on the size of the batch of course. No new niter, you should only get that if you reheat and go above 190. We may have to reheat once if we have a full 10 gallon batch in the bottler. Low heat on the burners, bring it to 185, shut off the burners then continue bottling