I wanted to know how everyone preps there New filter pads before you put your first beer through them. I have 2X12" X250's.
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Lenticular Filter Preping
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Filter "sweetening"
Brewmaster,
Hot water (180 for 20 min) or steam will sanitize / sterilize the filter, but to eliminate the "paper" taste associated with new sheets, you will need to "sweeten" them. This goes for any sheet based product, regardless of manufacturer. This includes filter pads, SUPRAdisc, SUPRAdisc II, and SUPRApak.
There are two ways to do this:
1. After installation of new modules, rinse in a forward direction with cold water, using a flow rate of 15 bbl/h (8 gpm) per installed module, for 10 minutes (equal to a minimum of 250 liters per module). During this, make sure the housing is full by allowing some water to bleed from the top vent valve.
2. As an alternate method, recirculation of a 1% citric acid solution will assist in removing any paper taste in the rinse water of new modules. Recirculate for 15 minutes, or until no paper taste is evident and then rinse out with cold water.
The second method is less water intensive, and does a very good job of eliminating the taste, HOWEVER you have to ensure that you rinse the citric out after.
Please note that this is only required for the first use. Subsequent uses of the filter will not require it, but you WILL still have to rinse out the flavor of the storage solution in the housing.
Please feel free to contact me with any filtration questions at Milton_Leland@Pall.com
Thanks!
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Originally posted by Filter Milt View Post
Please note that this is only required for the first use. Subsequent uses of the filter will not require it, but you WILL still have to rinse out the flavor of the storage solution in the housing.
Please feel free to contact me with any filtration questions at Milton_Leland@Pall.com
Thanks!
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Long Term Storage
Originally posted by brewmaster 2011 View PostHow should I store the filters in the long term. I only filter once a month on average.
You should first backflush the filters properly, then sanitize / sterilize the filters and housing. Once that is done, drain the housing and refill with a solution of water and 1% citric acid and 500 ppm metabisulfite. The housing should be checked weekly to ensure that the ph is correct, and resanitized weekly.
Please feel free to contact me and I can go over it in more detain with you.
Thanks!
Milton_Leland@Pall.com
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Originally posted by Filter Milt View PostYou should first backflush the filters properly, then sanitize / sterilize the filters and housing. Once that is done, drain the housing and refill with a solution of water and 1% citric acid and 500 ppm metabisulfite. The housing should be checked weekly to ensure that the ph is correct, and resanitized weekly.Regards,
Chris Mills
Kereru Brewing Company
http://kererubrewing.co.nz
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Lenticular answers
Filter Milt is clearly the man for the job, Pall guys usually know their stuff, but having used these filters for 2 years I figured I'd weigh in too.
When we would get new modules in we would forward flush with our U/V sterilized R/O water at 15 psi for 20 minutes. We would run a batch on new filters right after and I never noticed a problem, even not sweetening with Citric, although that makes sense and could work fine too. I've also found 1/4 cup per 15 Gal (~100 PPM) PAA to be an extremely effective flavor neutralizer and would recommend that too.
One other thing that came recommended to me by another Pall technician is recirculating, I'll explain.
Instead of sending product through your filter train and straight through to your receiving tank, we would run the filter slowly to purge all the water out, and return the filtrate to the original tank for 7-10 minutes. The reason being that those modules use cellulose and DE as part of the media and fines can come out in that first run. Recirculating will send any fines back to the product to be filtered and after a little time at full flow there should be no more fines as they will be caught in the media during the run. Some guys will put a PP or PS cartridge final filter after the Lenticular but I never did and we had perfectly clear product with zero evidence of taste change or fines in any of our batches.
Remember to limit the amount of time you give your Lenticular filters hot water, you should check the spec sheet for each different module but it is not an unlimited amount of time before you can do damage to the filter media.
We would pack our filter housing on Citric and Potassium Metabisulfite at a Ph of 2.2 at a pressure of up to 30 psi, exactly as Milt said. Its normal for the pressure to drop a little with temperature changes, rather than topping off with new solution you can charge the housing with filtered CO2 to above 15 psi and re-sanitize at least once a month. We were filtering meads and probably let it go a little longer than that with no issues, we would simply forward flush for 15 min with 180 degree filtered water if we had a concern.
Also remember to purge the housing thoroughly with CO2 or N2 prior to filtering or you will micro-aerate your product.
Hope this is at all helpful.
Cheers,
Sam
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I am getting ready to try using a Pall Supradisc and have been closely following all of the threads regarding flush and storage of these things for a while. While I understand that everyone has their own way of doing things, I am a little frustrated that there are so many different recommendations coming from Pall themselves. My rep gave me all the documents manuals etc. and made sure to tell me not to follow the recommended method for storing it. Instead they told me to do it differently. Milt is explaining a slightly different process than the one I was told. Sam is saying his rep told him to recirculate (which is the very first time I have heard that). I know a few other people using these filters and all follow the recommendations that their rep gave them for how to flush/store it. Not a single one of them do it the same way.
I would love for Pall to put together a definitive recommendation for how to use these things and then make sure all their reps are giving out the same information. Of course at the end of the day it is always the prerogative of the end user to institute a process that they feel works best for them. It would just be nice to have one consistent point to start from. As it is now, I am going to have to try 3-4 different methods to see which "starting point" I like best and then work from there.Scott LaFollette
Fifty West Brewing Company
Cincinnati, Ohio
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Originally posted by yap View PostI am getting ready to try using a Pall Supradisc and have been closely following all of the threads regarding flush and storage of these things for a while. While I understand that everyone has their own way of doing things, I am a little frustrated that there are so many different recommendations coming from Pall themselves. My rep gave me all the documents manuals etc. and made sure to tell me not to follow the recommended method for storing it. Instead they told me to do it differently. Milt is explaining a slightly different process than the one I was told. Sam is saying his rep told him to recirculate (which is the very first time I have heard that). I know a few other people using these filters and all follow the recommendations that their rep gave them for how to flush/store it. Not a single one of them do it the same way.
I would love for Pall to put together a definitive recommendation for how to use these things and then make sure all their reps are giving out the same information. Of course at the end of the day it is always the prerogative of the end user to institute a process that they feel works best for them. It would just be nice to have one consistent point to start from. As it is now, I am going to have to try 3-4 different methods to see which "starting point" I like best and then work from there.
Some of the trouble is that there are numberous channels to purchase Pall filters, and many times individual distributors will create their own "official documentation".
Pall does have Official Recommendations on "sweetening", storage, and backflushing, but there isn't only one way, since many craft brewers have uniques limitations such as not enough hot water, no access to certain chemicals, etc. Pall also listens very carefully to the brewing community, and when a brewer or brewery discovers a way of prolonging the life of the filters (without excess risk of damage), we try to get it out to the wider brewing public.
If you are in Ohio, then you are in a territory that Pall covers directly (no distributor for Food & Beverage division). Please shoot me an email at Milton_Leland@Pall.com to discuss so that we can ensure that you feel comfortable using the system.
Thanks!
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