Velo, Spadoni or Della Toffala?

[Boatrocker]

Hi all,

Just about to buy a 5sqm DE filter... Anyone have preference for the major Italian brands? Or is it comparing apples with apples?

Keen to hear positive or negative experiences...

Thanks for your time.

Cheers,
Matt

Boatrocker Brewing Company
Melbourne, Australia

[Woolsocks]

I've had a terrible time with the 4M from Velo, but maybe their 5 is better.

[dereknobleluke]

I have a DCBL 80 from spadoni. I would stay clear of this...

[Natrat]

I'd try to talk you into a lenticular filter. Most of us hate the mess of working with a DE.

Having said that, I have had success working with a lot of bands. I suppose I preferred the Spadoni, but really they are pretty similar. I prefer the filters with a couple of flip-down screw tighteners and a flat gasket, rather than what seems to be a giant tri-clamp fitting. Della Toffola filters are pretty ubiquitous, and easy to find parts for. The Velo I used was a bit frustrating, but it was pretty old and abused. How much beer are you filtering at one go?

Nat

[jfulton]

The best filter is the one you've never used!

[Woolsocks]

The best filter is the one you've never used!

Hah! Seriously, though, Della is looking pretty good in this thread.

[Boatrocker]

I'd try to talk you into a lenticular filter. Most of us hate the mess of working with a DE.

Having said that, I have had success working with a lot of bands. I suppose I preferred the Spadoni, but really they are pretty similar. I prefer the filters with a couple of flip-down screw tighteners and a flat gasket, rather than what seems to be a giant tri-clamp fitting. Della Toffola filters are pretty ubiquitous, and easy to find parts for. The Velo I used was a bit frustrating, but it was pretty old and abused. How much beer are you filtering at one go?

Nat

Thanks for the advice everyone. Much appreciated.

Natrat, we'd be filtering at any one time 20HL to 60HL... I'm actually thinking I might go down a size or two, as I think I might see too much wastage with a 5sqm...

With regards lenticular, do the replacement cartridges work out to be a lot more expensive per HL compared with traditional DE filters?

Cheers,
Matt

[Natrat]

Running a DE is a little cheaper than running lenticular, when it comes to materials.

It takes a lot less time, though.

For 40 to 60 HL runs, I don't think it's worth the mess and time for a DE. I think if you were approaching 150 HL per run, then the setup time sort of amortizes and makes it worth your while. I'd say you will save on labour with a lenticular.

Having said that, for a small brewery with a daily run of no more than 60 HL, I might spring for the ease of plate and frame. A tad cheaper than lenticular in the short run, but that lenticular will pay for itself over time for sure.

How many times a week will you filter? If it's once or twice, go plate and frame. If it's more, I'd go lenticular.

Too bad centrifuges are so dang pricey!

Nat

[Geoff Logan]

I have a horizontal 3sqm Velo and it works well for what I do. Parts can be a bit frustrating if the distributor has to order them from Italy. I recently waited for almost 2 months for a part. Not cool. Having said that, I used a 3 high Pall lenticular for a while and it was great. Pricey, but easy. No moving parts to worry about and if you get the backflushable cartridges it helps increase throughput. A 5sqm is probably overkill for 20-60 hL as I can easily get 50 Bbls through mine. Just a thought. Good luck.

[brewking69]

Currently using a Velo vertical leaf 7.5M. Parts are hard to get and support has been poor.

Horizontal leaf is easier to set up with water, good for soaking out excess iron in DE and can be drained with less chance of the cake slipping off compared with the vertical leaf filters.

Plate and frame is good.

[HinduKush]

Currently using a Velo vertical leaf 7.5M. Parts are hard to get and support has been poor.

Horizontal leaf is easier to set up with water, good for soaking out excess iron in DE and can be drained with less chance of the cake slipping off compared with the vertical leaf filters.

Plate and frame is good.

I'm a fan of Velo and have used both verticle and horizontal units. Scott Labs has always kept a large inventory of parts and their service has been top-notch. I bought my first Velo, a 2 meter erosion-type kieselguhr horizontal filter, from them in 1992.

[Starcat]

It was my charge to resurrect a used NF5 to replace a much smaller Velo that had become simply too small for the volume being run. Our Brewmaster had formerly run the same model with good results. It was a marathon to go through this machine, but a very good learning experience. This model was actually made for wine filtration but works fine for beer in the hands of a savvy operator. The larger volume was a God send to the guys running filtration.
THe challenge of getting the european pump to run on 208V 60 cycle power was steep, but I cracked it. When buying foreign equipment this kind of thing needs to be considered very carefully if you don't have a Tech on hand to sort it out. Its not the sort of thing that your average electrician would want to deal with. The units made for the american market of course will not suffer this problem.
The Toffola is a rugged, industrial grade unit. Its reported that they are now making a strictly beer unit that is highly rated and even more rugged. Toffola seemingly tends to get annoyed when people find the old units and run them on beer, but others and ourselves have made them work well.
Seomtimes you will be waiting on parts from Italy, so it pays to look at parts you want to keep on the shelf. This unit is massive and although on wheels is not easy to wield. I have not seen the new ones.


Sincerely