Filtering

[rawlus]

Filtering can be done anytime but usually just prior to bottling. There is no need to kill any yeast, not even sure what that means.

 

[Kev]

filter ratings

I get my stuff from Filtersfast. I use a 1 micron for whites and 5 for reds.
These filters are good forr 1000's of gallons if your wine is clear when you filter which it should be. I freeze mine after use but you can also build a PVC capsule and store your filters in a kmeta/citric acid solution.

This sounds much neater than a miniject, but a bit slower.

I wonder if 5 microns is low enough for reds?

I expect 1 micron really makes the whites sparkle.

Traditional approch is 2 microns, as shown below.

1 COARSE FILTER (6.0 MICRONS)

#2 POLISH FILTER (2.0 MICRONS)

#3 STERILE FILTER (0.5 MICRONS)


Kev

 

[Wade E]

What do you mean by slower? There is no need to polish a red.

 

[Kev]

Filtering speed

What do you mean by slower? There is no need to polish a red.

I still have not tried any bottling or filtering yet, so I am a month or two to sort it all out. But I thought the main advantage of the mini jet was that it was much faster than the vacuum filter approach???

Kev

 

[harleydmn]

Getting ready to do my first filtering. I know I need to sanitize, but what about the filter itself? I'm using the whole house filter.

 

[Wade E]

You should run a 1/2 gallon or so of sulfite solution through it.

I dont see how the mini jet could be any faster then a vacuum pump as you can adjust a vacuum pump to flow faster then a mini jet can. That is why the mini jets arent very good at degassing as they cant achieve as much vacuum.

 

[Runningwolf]

You should run a 1/2 gallon or so of sulfite solution through it.

I dont see how the mini jet could be any faster then a vacuum pump as you can adjust a vacuum pump to flow faster then a mini jet can. That is why the mini jets arent very good at degassing as they cant achieve as much vacuum.

I would think any filtering would degas to some point but agree with Wade the Vacuum pump would be more efficient and it doesn't leak like the mini-jet.

 

[Wade E]

Yeah, its a known fact that pretty much all of the minijets leak even new out of the box. Its nothing to be concerned about as most filter units like that do!

 

[Runningwolf]

One more tid bit. It's good to sulfite before filtering to protect your winebut you should measure it again before bottling or long term aging in a carboy. I believe you lose about 30% of you sulfites during filtering and bottling if done together. If you're only doing one of these tasks you're still going to lose a precentage of it.

 

[Wade E]

Yes but if you run sanitizer through your filter your going to gain sulfites so better to filter and then add after testing.

 

[Lonzo]

how do u test sulphites??

 

[Lonzo]

ok wanna pick up a filter from Lowes (just easier). can anyone tell me which to get?? http://www.lowes.com/pl_Plumbing_4294935907__s?Ntt=water+filter&page=2

 

[ibglowin]

I would steer clear of Lowes and home Depot. They do not carry what you need.

Better to order from here:

just wanna make sure. if i bought these three things, would i be set? or would i still need to buy fittings?

http://www.filtersfast.com/Pentek-158117-Filter-Housing.asp
http://www.filtersfast.com/Pentek-244047-filter-mounting-bracket.asp
http://www.filtersfast.com/Pentek-PD-1-934-Sediment-Filter.asp

 

[ibglowin]

What choo talkin' bout Willis!

I use the 5u filters on all my reds. 1u on the whites....

Gets rid of any ultrafine sediment in the bottom that I would have to otherwise dump.

What do you mean by slower? There is no need to polish a red.

 

[ibglowin]

The whole house filter with a vacuum pump will filter 6G of wine in 10 minutes.

The Mini Jet will set you back close to $200 with filters and TTL.

You can pick up a used pump on eBay for ~$80 or less. The parts for the whole house filter will cost you less than $50. The house whole filter will not leak one drop, the filters cost $5 and can be reused over and over as long as you give them a little rinse and then toss them in a freezer bag and freeze till the next use, then rinse again to thaw, run KMETA through the whole setup and go.

You can even filter and bottle in the same step if you so desire.

I still have not tried any bottling or filtering yet, so I am a month or two to sort it all out. But I thought the main advantage of the mini jet was that it was much faster than the vacuum filter approach???

Kev

 

[KenS]

The whole house filter with a vacuum pump will filter 6G of wine in 10 minutes.

The Mini Jet will set you back close to $200 with filters and TTL.

You can pick up a used pump on eBay for ~$80 or less. The parts for the whole house filter will cost you less than $50. The house whole filter will not leak one drop, the filters cost $5 and can be reused over and over as long as you give them a little rinse and then toss them in a freezer bag and freeze till the next use, then rinse again to thaw, run KMETA through the whole setup and go.

You can even filter and bottle in the same step if you so desire.

Can you explain this in just a little more detail? How do you sanitize with k-meta before filtering? Should I be concerned about leaving too much k-meta in the filter and contaminating the wine when I rack/filter?

 

[ibglowin]

You just hook everything up and run a gallon of KMETA sanitizing solution into the receiving carboy. Drain it all out as good as possible and your ready to go.

You can rinse your filter afterwards with some non chlorinated (bottled water) if you want to lower the KMETA.

If you don't your wine will see an increase of 5-10ppm SO2.

I always filter the wine then analyze for SO2 to get an accurate number then top it up if needed based on the pH of the wine and the SO2 value.

 

[Wade E]

If you use the poly filters your S02 levels wont change much at all like Mike said. If you try using the crappy String would or even some other filters youll surely want to rinse them off with the water Mike said as those types will retain a lot of fluids. I too use the 5 micron for reds and 1's for whites. I havent needed anything more then that to get my wines brilliant.

 

[tonyt]

Wade & Mike and anyone else,
I'm about to pull the trigger on a filtering sustem for my wine. If you had it to do again and quality, ease of use and idiot proof were more important than $$$.$$, would you still get the pentek?

 

[ibglowin]

The Pentek filters and housings are well made and inexpensive. If you already have the vacuum pump this is the best (and easiest way to filter) IMHO. I am very happy with my setup. I love the clear housing so you can see your wine as it filters. Many of the filter housings being sold are solid and you can't see through them. After using a Vinbrite for a year waiting an hour to gravity filter this thing is a godsend (10 minutes to filter 6 gallons)

Plus you can reuse the filters if you freeze them after use.

I use the same size as Wade mentioned above.