Sap Filtration

[Haynes Forest Products]

So I got to thinking about my whole house filter that I use to filter raw sap from my bulk storage into the head tank. The reason I filter is to get the sap as clean as possible before it hits the evap. BUT I may be getting the big chunks out but putting bacteria in. Unless I change the filter every day or even sooner I'm really just running clean sap with visable particals thru a dirty bacteria laden swamp.

Would I be better off with acleanable metal screen element with a UV light that only keeps the filter housing and screen clean when the pumping stops and the filter is sitting there growing bacteria?????

[3rdgen.maple]

I thought the house filter thing was a great idea until I tried it. If you do not keep changing the darn things daily it is like you said. I spent a few days the year I was using it out of the state and my dad took over for me while away. Forgot to tell him to change the filter daily and I came back to the worst tasting crap ever. Poor guy was trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Fixed that problem and threw the peice of crap away and not to mention saving money on filters. I went back to the old tried and true sock type filters that go on the end of your pipe. I have a few of them and switch them out daily. I can still remember the smell of that filter.

I am thinking(which usually leads to problems) that running uv when you are filling the head tank may not get you the best result. What if you filter the sap going into the bulk and then set up the bulk tank so sap keeps recirculating through the uv while it is in storage. My thinking is your holding sap longer in the bulk tank longer than the head tank which gives bacteria longer to grow in the bulk. This way you got premium sap going into the head tank. Or maybe I should just shut up.

[brookledge]

3rd gen
You are right about where to try and keep the bacteria in check. Like you said the bulk storage tanks are most likely to be where the sap stays the longest. I try to keep my storage tank as clean as possible and all of the sap that goes into it goes through my UV first.
Keith

[KenWP]

I need to pick up a few milk socks my next trip to a dairy farm. I am going to clamp them to the bottom of a big funnel and pour thru it. The local COOP had a whole box of them at distress prices but they were like 4 inches long and would plug up to fast.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I was only going to use the UV to keep the filter housing clean. I like using the honey filters they are like a thick nylon hose

[Brent]

When I was running the Merlin RO's I let them go one whole season the first year with a pre-filter built into the 3rd chamber ( 1 filter, 2 membranes ) When I took it apart I could not beleive the gung on the filter. No wonder the performance dropped. The second year I put a whole house filter with a clear cannister on the line between the pump and the Merlins. At the end of the first day the filter was slightly discoloured. The end of day two and it was yellowish and needed a change. I was using 1 micron filters to try to keep the bacteria out of the membrances, and I think it worked in that respect, but it sure may a breeding ground on the filter itself. $ 15 dollars every other day wasn't too hard to swallow.

This year with a real RO coming on line, I'm still contemplating my navel and what to do with filtering.

I have also considered using the UV filter and my idea was to have the UV on a line between two tanks. Haul in the sap and dump quickly into tank 1 then run off to the woods to get more sap. Meanwhile the slower feed rate that was needed for the UV would sterilize (it does not kill, only makes the bacteria impotent ) the bacteria as it flowed to tank two. If I had sap left over when I shut down, I thought I would have the rig plumbed so I could close a few valves and put in in a recirculate mode on tank 2.

All this planning is sort of counter-productive because we can't make enough medium or dark for what our customers are asking for. Maybe the trees and weather will change on of these seasons and we won't make so much light and extra light, but I'm still not ready to spend the money on the UV till we get too much / too dark.

Maybe I shouldn't be filtering so much either. Maybe it's the bacteria dead or alive that make the syrup darker. That's the impression I got from somewhere.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Brent Acording to my 1958 Maple Sirup producers manual (and yes that is with a I) Color formed is proportional to the amount of flavor formed BUT when background flavor "caramel" begins to be noticeably formed this relationship no longer holds. They also speak of fermenting as a facter in the formation of the color and taste.

If you take pure sap and freeze dry it it will be sweet but both white and tastless other than a sweet taste so color and taste is a product of what happens to the sap between the tree and the final product...Storage, cooking time, temps, quality of the sap, bacteria on and on and on.

[Brent]

I hear you and I'm trying to figure the real relationship here. I want more medium and a bit of dark.

There is a local sugar maker who has a fruit processing plant that decided that vacuum evaporation they use for fruit juices would be less engergy intensive than boiling so he trucked some sap down to the shop and had at it. He got nearly clear sweet syrup. But it had no maple flavour at all.

So between filtering, UV sterilizing, RO and a hotter evaporator, I'm thinking lots of this is counter productive to what I want. I guess the devil is in the details. How much of what makes it too fast and too clean and less flavourful.

Can Dr Perkins shed some light here ???

[3rdgen.maple]

Brent I'm confused a little here. If you are looking to make medium and dark then why are you going to all trouble of trying to make light? You already answered your own question. Like Haynes has said contributing factors of the quality of sap and the amount of boiling time will help in producing light syrup. So me thinks between the uv ro and all the filtering you are working against yourself. Now don't get me wrong I have never heard a clear answer as to why we produce the color grades we do and that more is involved than just the above 2 mentioned but they seem to be the ones we can help controll the best. If you like all the toys and do get some dark throughout the season blend it with your light.

[Brent]

3rdgen exactly the question.

The only reason I want to filter is to keep the RO membranes cleaner.
The first 2 years these trees gave us nothing but extra light. We were extatic. Light was so hard to make. We must have our act together. Beginners luck. But then the folks that came up the driveway kept asking for medium and dark. Finally last year we made some medium. Never made dark yet. I'd blend it if we made some dark.

So I'd really like to try to figure out the factors. Maybe run it through the RO to 8% and let if "brew" a day before we boil, to let the bacteria multiply and it will get a bit darker. I've read here that if you concentrate to much the syrup does not stay long enough in the pan and you won't get that hint of carmelization that we need. But there are members here that claim they concentrate to 22% and win prizes for flavour.

Sometimes I think its all voodoo and luck.