Lenticular Filter Odor

[IAW]

Dear Forum-

We are having issues with our Lenticular filter developing a pretty foul odor when not in use.

We have been soaking it in a solution of Phosphoric Acid and water.

We backflush after each use and the water appears to be pretty clear and clean once we are done.

We are replacing the pads because they start to smell too bad not because they no longer filter.

Is there any advice out there for us?

Thanks in advance

Ben Davis

[Ted Briggs]

I would pack it with sani instead of acid.

[IAW]

I would pack it with sani instead of acid.

We started doing that and it is still funky.

[KWLSD]

Check with your particular pad manufacturer but I would be inclined to steam sterilise.

[yap]

where do you store the filter when not in use? if you can wheel it into the cold room that may help slow down growth of undesirables...

[dubo11]

are you keeping it pressurized after backflush?

[barleywhiner]

I would be packing this thing with a sanitizer and keeping it pressurized like you would with your heat exchanger after CIP. Personally, I would use PAA, but iodophor or Chlorine Dioxide would certainly work.

[dick murton]

I would be very wary of using Iodophor as I suspect it will soak into the pad material and definitely stain, but more worryingly, be unrinseable, and transfer halogen taints to the beer. I would be happy with ClO2 or peracetic acid though.

As also mentioned, I would prefer to use steam or 90 deg C hot water to sterilise

[Geoff Logan]

When using a lenticular I ran into the same issue. I backflushed cold, heat sanitized, the packed in sanitizer under CO2 pressure after use..... it still got smelly. I tried Phosphoric acid, saniclean, and Chlorine Dioxide. PAA is too rough on the plastic in the filter according to Pall. When we used the filter we would cold flush backward, then forward, then heat sanitize, then run cool water through, and finally product. Never had an issue. I also have some extra SupraDiscs I need to move if you're interested.

[austinbeer]

We have 2 lenticular filters in house and in use nearly every day. We have a 4 high, 16" Supradisc K900 for primary filtration (brand new) and a 3 high K700 for polishing (which we got used).
We too have had the same issues everyone else is talking about. Per Pall's SOP, we backflush with cold (~5 minutes), then with 190 F hot (~5 minutes), then soak at 190 for 10 minutes, then cold flush(>5 minutes), cold soak for ~5 minutes, then additional cold flush( about 2 mintues). Yes, we use a shitload of water. This has yielded better results (less stinkums), but not perfect by any means.
Because we're using the filter almost daily, there's never much time between flushes and not much time for the stank to develop. When we were using it less frequently we would backflush with Iodophor and leave it packed. It would still get stinky after several days.
I've pulled the unit apart several times now, and I have noticed that even if you use 1000 gallons of water backflushing the damn thing there is still yeast and hop particles trapped between the cartridges in the matrix of the backflush plates, specifically on the bottom stainless plate. Pall's recommendation to me was to recirc a warm .5% sodium hydroxide solution, which I have yet to do since my uber-backflush has been working well enough.
Even though it's more expensive and sometimes stinky, I still get brilliant, clear beer through the primary filter. Though I've only used the primary for about 700 bbls so far, the secondary was our original secondary filter when we used DE and it lasted for more than 1400 bbls before I replaced the cartridges. My old DE filter would breakdown or fail in some way nearly every other run. It was VERY old and not well maintained in its former life. I much prefer the ease of use and simplicity of the Lenticular vs. the DE filter

Good Luck!
Adam

[BrewinLou]

Hey Adam, how fast do you run beer through your 4 stack?

[austinbeer]

I usually run about a bbl per minute. At least it starts off that way and then gets a good bit slower as it starts to clog up. I knocked out a 30 bbl filter in 30 minutes even, yesterday. We use pretty low floc yeasts and they don't get as much tank time as I'd like, so we only get about 35 bbls through before back-flushing. On my 90 bbl tanks it's a bit of a pain, but it still beats breaking down the old 3msq de filter midway through and the turn around is quicker. I go through the whole process-- cold rinse, hot rinse, hot soak, cold rinse but not for the same amount of time as I do at the end of filter.

[Bierkoenig]

Adam,

Are you saying that on your primary filter you haven't replaced your modules so far in the 700 bbls you've run? If not, how many bbls are you getting out of your modules?

[austinbeer]

Correct, the actual number is 659 so far through the primary k900s x 4 high. The secondary cartridges, the k700s, lasted for more than 1400 bbls. I believe they could have gone longer though since there were constant breakdowns on the DE filter, and several times the k700s were the only filter being used.
I don't have a baseline for how long the primary cartridges will last. At $300 per cartridge, well it's an expensive replacement. Right now we're looking at $2 per barrel on the cost of the filter media in the 4 high. I'm hoping to get that below $1 per bbl and anything past that would be gravy.

Edit: The K-900s are 8-10 microns; the K-700 are 5-8 microns, in case you were wondering.

[Bierkoenig]

Sorry to interrogate you, but I'm thinking about going down this road and we've got a similar situation (low-floc yeast, less than optimal settling time).

Would you mind sharing the yeast strain or type of strain? And are you fining at all prior to filtration?

Thanks!