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  • Aftek Filter Pads

    I met with a rep from Aftek today and he told me that after my filtration with his pads I could backflush with 160 degree water , then purge with CO2, then place the filter in our cooler. Then when we are ready to filter sanitize and use the same pads that are in the filter. He said we could do this up to seven times and with different yeast strains. Was wondering if anyone has heard about this? It sounds real sketchy.

  • #2
    I used to do this at the last brewery I worked. The sheet filter was basically a polish filter after a DE filter. I would backflush with about 160 degree water and then pack the filter with peracetic acid. Worked really well. The next filtration, I would sanitize as usual. After about five filtrations, I would replace the sheets.
    Steve Donohue
    Brewmaster
    Santa Clara Valley Brewing

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    • #3
      Back Flush

      Yes back flushing works very well. My experience is that if you back flush with cold water first then hot. You will have beter results. I have used the following procedure with great results.

      1. Cold back flush
      2. Hot back flush
      3. Cold back flush (sterile water) or skip
      4. Store cold
      5. Pasterize
      6. Normal filter start up

      Using this type of procedure reduced the number of pads I used by 3 to 5 times. The hot water can cause some protiens to set up and remain in the filter thats the reason for the cold flush. If you dont have sterile water purge with CO2 in step 3.

      Graydon
      Last edited by Graydon; 12-12-2006, 11:25 AM.

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      • #4
        definatly a cold (warm water) flush before hot, Hot will cook on the yeast, and it will really be a mess.

        Also if the filter is blocked durring filtering, you may not beable to use them again, it would be too much to flush and it wont be very effective.

        I usually filter a beer after 18 days of fermentation and maturation, I have had and occasionaly still do have one shot at the filter, usually resulting in a very thick yeasty mess stuck on the plates. I will reuse the filter only if it was running fine at the end of the prior filtering. (I usually dont back flush or re sanitize) just leave it cold and restart it the next morning. havent had a problem (infection) stuck filter is occasional at my place!

        My filter holds over 100 sheets so you can see why I dont feel like cleaning it and redoing it!!!
        www.Lervig.no

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        • #5
          You can get away with it...but I'd avoid it. Remember that your sheets also have a "zeta potential" which allows them to pull protein etc in addition to yeast. Your sheets ability to function in this capacity decreases with backflushing etc. Also, standared 40 x 40 noryl plates (black plastic) aren't ment to be hot. 160 is a bit low for sanitation, and a bit high for the plastic. That's why they manufacture units with ss plates.
          Larry Horwitz

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          • #6
            You can re-use filter pads. I run 10K a year through a plate and frame (2, 1 rough, 1 fine). I resanitize in the morning with hot water,180 F, then run P3 throught he filer to cool and sani. After your run, cold rinse, hot rinse, run 1% caustic, hot rinse, cold rinse and pack with phos/nitric at 1oz. per 5 gallons water. You should be able to do 200-250 bbls through your pads with this regiment.

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            • #7
              Oh, I'd much rather use a DE filter though.

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