Cleaning bladder press bag

[crushday]

Quick question:

How do you clean a bladder press bag?

I’m going to press 270 gallons of must tomorrow with my new bladder press. Never used it before. It has a bag that goes between the stainless steel cage and the skins. I’m tempted not to use it considering the size of the slits in the stainless cage and what I perceive to be a nightmare cleaning the bag.

Anyone have experience using bladder press bags?

 

[CDrew]

Hose out. I sterilize by boiling in a pot of water just before use.

270 gallons??? Dang. I hope you are thirsty!

 

[crushday]

Hose out. I sterilize by boiling in a pot of water just before use.

270 gallons??? Dang. I hope you are thirsty!

I bought this press because I have been using a hand crank wooden basket press that has a four gallon capacity. The last time I used it was for 70 gallons of must. It took me about 8 hours to press that much.

I'm hoping the basket press, 20 gallons, will go much faster. And, not just because of capacity.

I'll trying using the bag but if it's too hard to clean I know I'm gonna toss it. But, I'm willing to be talked back...

 

[Johnd]

I bought this press because I have been using a hand crank wooden basket press that has a four gallon capacity. The last time I used it was for 70 gallons of must. It took me about 8 hours to press that much.

I'm hoping the basket press, 20 gallons, will go much faster. And, not just because of capacity.

I'll trying using the bag but if it's too hard to clean I know I'm gonna toss it. But, I'm willing to be talked back...

Unless your slots are unusually large, or your fruit is too broken down, you shouldn’t need the bag. It’ll also add a layer of complexity if you intend to fluff and press your cakes a second time. I always press straight up in the basket, sure, a little bit of stuff gets pushed out between the slits, my strainers catch that be for it goes into the target vessel. Only thing I do to the basket is wrap it with Press-N-Seal to eliminate squirters. Happy pressing!!

 

[crushday]

Unless your slots are unusually large, or your fruit is too broken down, you shouldn’t need the bag. It’ll also add a layer of complexity if you intend to fluff and press your cakes a second time. I always press straight up in the basket, sure, a little bit of stuff gets pushed out between the slits, my strainers catch that be for it goes into the target vessel. Only thing I do to the basket is wrap it with Press-N-Seal to eliminate squirters. Happy pressing!!

Excellent!

 

[Kentuckyhomebrewer]

Is it the bag or the basket you are worried about cleaning? If it's the bag, how big is it and what is it made out of? Considering the size of the batches you make I'm guessing it's quite large. If your are willing to shell out some extra cash maybe look on craigslist for a washing machine in good condition, sanitize the hell out of it, and use it as a dedicated bag cleaner. Turn the bag inside out and maybe run it on delicate depending on what it's made of.

just an idea. I've never done anything that big so I've never used one. maybe it's a stupid idea i don't know, just throwing it out there.

 

[mainshipfred]

I've noticed if the fruit is soft and broken down as John states, which mine usually is, a light first press seems to solve the problem. Once it's flufed and pressed the second time it's usually not a problem. I would personally discard the bag.

 

[Ajmassa]

First off- congrats on the new press! That’s a helluva fine piece of equipment.

The bag wasn’t difficult to clean. No more difficult then the rest of the press. Was nothing at all like cleaning a mesh strainer bag. This was heavy duty nylon(?) and hosed off easily.

the time I used it (rental) I had put the entire batch through the press. Was messy so the bag was helpful as an extra strainer. If I had pumped out the free run already and only loaded skins then I suppose it wouldn’t have mattered. Whatever you do- hope you have fun pressing and breaking in the new toy!

 

[crushday]

@Ajmassa - AJ, super great information. When I press today, since it's the first time, I might use the bag. If I do, I'll sanitize it as @CDrew recommends. And, I'll post pictures of the process.

Here's a stock photo of the Lancman that I just bought.

 

[crushday]

Is it the bag or the basket you are worried about cleaning? If it's the bag, how big is it and what is it made out of? Considering the size of the batches you make I'm guessing it's quite large. If your are willing to shell out some extra cash maybe look on craigslist for a washing machine in good condition, sanitize the hell out of it, and use it as a dedicated bag cleaner. Turn the bag inside out and maybe run it on delicate depending on what it's made of.

just an idea. I've never done anything that big so I've never used one. maybe it's a stupid idea i don't know, just throwing it out there.

Hey, thanks for the suggestion. Not a bad idea (get a dedicated washing machine) but in the end too impractical.

I'm fretting over cleaning the bag. It's a tight mesh and I know it's going to fill with particles and will ultimately take a long time to clean. I have a power washer that will be employed this afternoon.

Thanks again.

 

[JoP]

Is it the bag or the basket you are worried about cleaning? If it's the bag, how big is it and what is it made out of? Considering the size of the batches you make I'm guessing it's quite large. If your are willing to shell out some extra cash maybe look on craigslist for a washing machine in good condition, sanitize the hell out of it, and use it as a dedicated bag cleaner. Turn the bag inside out and maybe run it on delicate depending on what it's made of.

just an idea. I've never done anything that big so I've never used one. maybe it's a stupid idea i don't know, just throwing it out there.

Not a bad idea at all.
I asked Speidel tech support the same question and the answer was to just rinse it with water or if it gets to dirty, use a laundry machine with the water not hotter than 30C (86F(.

 

[crushday]

Not a bad idea at all.
I asked Speidel tech support the same question and the answer was to just rinse it with water or if it gets to dirty, use a laundry machine with the water not hotter than 30C (86F(.

There's a bank of dedicated washing machines right next to my favorite Pho place. Taking the bag there feels slightly sinister, lol...

 

[Ajmassa]

@Ajmassa - AJ, super great information. When I press today, since it's the first time, I might use the bag. If I do, I'll sanitize it as @CDrew recommends. And, I'll post pictures of the process.

Here's a stock photo of the Lancman that I just bought.

View attachment 65716

Beautiful!
I wasn’t trying to sway your decision btw. Just letting you know the specific bag I used wasn’t difficult to clean.
If I used a bladder press now having added the pumping out the majority of thefree run to my routine- then I wouldn’t use the bag.

the cleaning of it wasn’t an issue. fumbling around with it when filling was kind of a pain.but like @Johnd said- anything that makes it thru is either caught in the strainer or dropping out with gross lees. So no biggie either way. Good luck

 

[Neb Farmer]

I've been using a Lancman bladder press for 6 or 7 years, now, and it is a really good press!
I use the green filter bag on the inside, just like what AJmassa had in one of his photos. I don't use a shield bag on the outside, and I find if I do not apply too much pressure too fast, I won't have very many 'squirts' coming through the stainless press basket, if any at all. Apply a lot of pressure fast, though, you might just have some squirting 3 or 4 feet away from the press. I recommend going slow...a nice gentle press.
When I'm done pressing, I usually wheel the press off the porch and into the yard to be hosed off. The green filter bag is not difficult at all to remove from the press and then hose off. Most grape particles come right off, if hosed off before anything dries. If there are a few stubborn pieces , I scrub them off with a soft brush ( while hosing). I then put the bag in a 5 gallon bucket with a little bit of sanitizing solution in the bottom, letting the fumes do their work on the bag for an hour or so. Then I store it ( dried ) inside the press, waiting until the nest press job. This seems to work well for me.
I think you're really going to like using the bladder press, by the way. It makes pressing grapes a LOT easier, AND you can sip wine while the water pressure does all the work!

 

[user 36973]

Anyone have experience using bladder press bags?

A day late and a dollar short helping answer this question. I've been pressing like mad. Pressed 11,000lbs so far in the last week.

Definitely use the bag every time. I sanitize the bag by soaking it in citric and sulfites for 10 min. When done, I hose it free from grape bits and run it through the washer using oxyclean and hang it to dry. Detergents can leave a taste. I haven't found it necessary to use sodium hydroxide on it along with the oxyclean.

 

[crushday]

A day late and a dollar short helping answer this question. I've been pressing like mad. Pressed 11,000lbs so far in the last week.

Definitely use the bag every time. I sanitize the bag by soaking it in citric and sulfites for 10 min. When done, I hose it free from grape bits and run it through the washer using oxyclean and hang it to dry. Detergents can leave a taste. I haven't found it necessary to use sodium hydroxide on it along with the oxyclean.

Question - what does the bag prevent? I didn’t use it, rather used a strainer going into the collection vessel instead to capture large particulate.

I had to clean the strainer often, however.

 

[Neb Farmer]

Exactly! If you do not use the green mesh bag, you will have quite a lot of grape skins and chunks and stuff plugging up your stainless basket slots/holes. I've tried it without using the green bag and it seemed to plug up a lot of the slots, in addition to having a few more areas 'squirting' away from the press during pressing.
Using the bag , for me , was actually not much of a bother, so I use it all the time now.

 

[Johnd]

Question - what does the bag prevent? I didn’t use it, rather used a strainer going into the collection vessel instead to capture large particulate.

I had to clean the strainer often, however.

Double the strainer, ie: put one inside the other, when the top one gets clogged, pull it out and hose it, slide under the one still in place. Never have to stop the flow, takes seconds.

 

[user 36973]

Question - what does the bag prevent? I didn’t use it, rather used a strainer going into the collection vessel instead to capture large particulate.

I had to clean the strainer often, however.

The bag keeps the skins and bits from mashing into the holes in the strainer. It makes the stainless easier to clean and reduces the squirting geysers.

Between presses, if I'm doing multiple in one run, I'll flip it inside out and hose it off. That seems to keep the next press load flowing.

 

[VillaVino]

I use the bag with my bladder press. When done pressing or between varieties, I’ll just hose the bag out as best as possible. When done for the day, hose and let dry. The grape pieces will dry too and are easy to flake off the mesh bag. Then hose again and repeat. Works for me.