REVIEW: *Whole House Wine Filtering*

[Charlesthewino]

I bought the kit as suggested. Works great! I marked the filter as described. No issues. Very clean crystal clear wine!


Sent from my iPad using Wine Making

 

[freqflyer]

One thing I can you about Filtersfast.com , They aren't fast. Judging from googling them. I'm not the only one who has experienced really slow shipping.

 

[freqflyer]

I received my filter today. I tested it with a carboy of water.

I didn't time it or do any sort of flow rate measurement but I can say that gavity filtering speed is adequate.

I'm not sure the black tube modification is worth while. I leaves a little fluid behind. I would think turning the filter upside down would work better.

What are your opinions on this.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I received my filter today. I tested it with a carboy of water.

I didn't time it or do any sort of flow rate measurement but I can say that gavity filtering speed is adequate.

I'm not sure the black tube modification is worth while. I leaves a little fluid behind. I would think turning the filter upside down would work better.

What are your opinions on this.

Did you actually do gravity filtering ? A couple of people was thinking the same thing until they tried it and the resistance of the filter is what stopped them.

No the tube modification is not valid - it is better to mark the housings and just turn over the filter housing

 

[freqflyer]

I ran tap water through it. It certainly came out much more clear but I haven't tried wine yet. Maybe the sediment will slow things down.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

I ran tap water through it. The certainly came out much more clear but I have tried wine yet. Maybe the sediment will slow things down.

Yes
It will definitely will make a difference because there is very little to to filter out when it comes to water. I do know people who use the Allinonewinepump to filter their drinking water.

When you did this test - was it gravity only and how long did it take for so many gallons ?

 

[berrycrush]

Inspired by you guys, here is the first wine filter I made and it worked amazingly well:

https://youtu.be/Dx9-uFc-e5c

 

[gcsherwood]

odd experience while using AIO and whole house filter

I bottled some wine a couple of months ago and had an odd experience. I'm using the AIO pump I brought from the States (I'm in Ireland for the summer, and just as a side note the AIO pump works fine on 50Hz power just using a simple step-down transformer -- outdoor power tools here have to run on 120V, rather that the 240V main supply, so a 3kw transformer was only about $75 euro and easily available -- but I digress) as well as the whole-house pump filter. I used all the parts Steve suggested, including the barbs I bought from him. The wines I've made here -- all from kits -- have come out nice and clear after filtering. They do have a tiny amount of sediment in them, but they show up as a few tiny specs at the bottom of the bottle. I'm fine with that.

Except for that one bottling experience..... I had fined with kieselsol and chitosan as usual, and after several days my wines are usually clear and ready to bottle. The light isn't the best where I filtered and bottled, so I am suspecting that the wine wasn't hadn't cleared as fully as I thought it had. I filtered it and it seemed crystal clear. Likewise it was clear in the bottle. After about 3 days, though, every single bottle threw a rather amazing amount of sediment. It collected in fairly large flakes which settled to the bottom of the bottle (or side if lying down) but they were of such low density that they were disturbed quite easily while the wine was being poured. The wine tasted bang on as it usually did (Australian Blend Pinot Grigio) but I would discard the last 1/2-3/4 inch of wine in the bottle because no matter how carefully I poured, by the time it was that low in the bottle the remaining wine was chock-a-block with flakes.

I used a 5 micron meltblown filter. I would normally use a 1 micron on the white (as I read was suggested) but I had a rose (white zin, blush) I filtered just after the white so I used the same filter for both. The filter did not clog in any way, and as I said the wine looked clear after the bottling. The zin I filtered immediately thereafter with the same filter stayed clear, by the way.

The only thing I can figure is either the yeast and fining agents are less than 5 microns so that the slightly cloudy wine made it into the bottle and finished coagulating/settling there, or that the supposed 5 micron filter doesn't really filter that well, or I messed something up when I assembled the filter. I'm not really sure how you could mess up the assembly, though.

Has anyone had any similar experiences with the whole house filter, or would have an idea as to what happened? My last few batches I let sit for *much* longer after fining and I haven't had a problem. I just would have thought that the filtering to that level should have either prevented the problem in the first place, or clogged while trying filter the cloudy wine.

Thanks for any help!

 

[vacuumpumpman]

sounds to me that you should of used a 1 micron filter

once I get to a regular computer I can hopefully answer better considering I am typing on a phone

 

[Boatboy24]

I filtered a Chardonnay with a 5 micron filter. (I was filtering a red that day as well) I'd swear that wine had more sediment in it AFTER the filtering than it did before.

 

[gcsherwood]

then what good is 5 micron filter at all?

If I should have used a 1 micron filter on my whites, what is the purpose of using a 5 micron filter on reds if yeast passes right on through? Is there something else that I would be filtering out of the reds?

Something that might make a difference is that I am only making kit wines so I am starting with concentrated juice rather than from fruit. It may be there are particulates from the fruit that might not settle and are best removed by filtration, but that wouldn't apply in my case.

I made some whites last summer here in Ireland (I'm only here during summer) before I got the AIO and they cleared very well. Indeed, I'm not really sure that there was much improvement even with the 1 micron filter. I don't have any bottles left from then so I can't do a side-by-side, unfortunately.

I did have a lot of trouble degassing last summer, and for that alone the AIO is a wonderful help -- not to mention the ease of bottle filling -- so in no way am I knocking that device (indeed, I'm planning to order another AIO in the next few days so I can leave this one in Ireland for next summer). I'm just trying to figure out what -- if anything -- the whole house filter is buying me.

As always, thanks for any thoughts! The wines I made last summer were my first (after making beer on-and-off since the 80's) and I made those only because there was a special deal on when I bought my beer supplies. Still learning.... But the lessons are pretty tasty, all in all!

geoff

 

[ibglowin]

Sounds to me like the filter was not sealed properly. when you run the KMETA through it and the filter is upright, the solution should rise ALL the way to the top before it starts coming out of the outlet tube. It it does come out before it reaches the top, you have a leak somewhere or the housing is not on tight enough. Make sure to mark your housing (top and bottom) with a sharpie line (with no filter in place) when it is fully snug tightened. Then with the filter in place tighten until you reach your line, then go about an inch more if you can. I used to have leak problems (quite often) until I installed the PP pipe insert, switched over to the filters without the plastic inserts as well as the housing without the pressure relief button.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

@ gcherwood
I looked back at your orginal post and you mentioned that it was proudly too early to filter - that being said I think that is most likely the cause of your sediment issues. Yes I would recommend a 1 micron filter for whites. I have found that cold stabilization helps alot trying to drop out sediment prior to filtering or bottling.

Please check out my filter setup on my website as it will point and discuss everything that ibglowin mentioned in one of my posts on this site.
It is also the most current place for filter part numbers

 

[gcsherwood]

Thanks, Mike. I racked two batches today. I used a new 5 micron filter -- all I have at this point, and being in Ireland I don't think I can get ones that fit the US cartridge. Well, I started to, at any rate. With your post in mind, I watched the cartridge as I began to filter. At only about 3 inches depth I had wine flowing out of the output. I cranked the filter down until the metal bracket started warping. I tightened the nipples and I have teflon tape on the threads. I used all of the parts from Steve's site. The O-ring looks good and I cleaned the mating surfaces. I have a bit of O-ring compound left on the O-ring -- but my tube of it is back in Florida so I couldn't add more.

Since the liquid is being drawn up the center, I think the only place that a liquid could be bypassing the filter is at the bottom where the filter is compressed against the bottom of the housing which would speak to the filter not being cranked tightly enough (and considering how darned hard it is to get back off, it is on pretty tightly). I don't see how leaks anywhere else could be causing an issue. Air bubbles in the wine, yes. Inadequate filtration, no. If I'm missing something, please let me know!

At any rate, as soon as I saw the flow come out so early I gave it up as a bad job and pulled the filter out of the equation. I was just taking the wines (two batches) off the sediment after fining, so I'll let them go another week before I bottle (I'm back to the US for 9 months in ten days, so not much more I can do).

And to Steve's point, which I addressed in my last post, either a 5 micron filter filters yeast, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, why bother with it on a red unless you are trying to get bits of grape skin, etc, out of the wine?

Thanks much for your help!

 

[gcsherwood]

Steve, where on the site?

I forgot to mention in my last post. Steve, I have no idea where you are trying to refer me to. You have the information about the filter down in the shop pages. A year ago I was having trouble with air leaks and you asked if I had read what you had written about it. I had looked but I could not find it. I looked in the FAQ, under 'manual' which seemed to be an obvious place for it, etc. After you told me on the phone that it was on your site I looked more and eventually stumbled across it. I wasn't trying to buy anything at the time so it didn't occur to me to look there. I *had* seen the info when I was buying the filter and assorted bits, but that had been months earlier and I had no recollection of where I had seen it -- I might even have just followed a link out of these forums.

I read over it again, and I don't see anything that addresses my problem. If you were referring me to somewhere else, please let me know.

I looked through the forum article you referenced at the bottom of that page and I saw that someone had posted about filtering a cloudy wine and that it didn't look any different post filtration -- the filter was for 'polishing' only. I am just very curious. If a cloudy wine looks no different after filtering, obviously yeast passes right through. So what is it we are trying to filter out?

I'm not trying to be a pain here, but filtering is one extra setup, expense, and something to fiddle with and go wrong. I'm coming to the conclusion, perhaps erroneously, but my conclusion none-the-less, that the filter is probably a great thing for wines made from crushed fruit but it doesn't seem to have any advantages for kit wines.

And the AIO is still fantastic regardless of my thoughts about the filter setup.

geoff

 

[vacuumpumpman]

@geoff
I apologize I am typing on a cell phone as I am on vacation.

you mentioned in post 208 of this thread that your wine was cloudy. Typically you only want to filter your wine once it is clear . I am sure that there is a reason why it is not clear yet -

.35 micron filter or less is what is needed to remove yeast.

there is a big difference from a 5 to a 1 micron filter.

 

[richmke]

I don't bother filtering. I also have time/space to let the wine age in the carboy for 9+months.

I rack off the cloudy stuff after 1 month, and every 3 months thereafter. What results seems really clear to me.

Note: I save the cloudy stuff in a glass cup (tall or short, depending upon how much), and let that settle for a week in the fridge. Usually there will be an inch or more of clear wine that I can "sample" the batch.

 

[richmke]

At only about 3 inches depth I had wine flowing out of the output.

Something is wrong with your setup. Is it vertical (head on top, clear part on bottom)?

The head should allow liquid into the "outside" portion of the filter, and the output should be a hole in the middle of the filter.

At a minimum, it should require the housing (clear part) to fill before any liquid reaches the top output hole. That is regardless of whether you have a good seal on the filter. In fact, if you assemble it without a filter, you will see it work that way.

If the unit is laying on its side, then it is possible that the liquid reaches the output hole before the air is fully evacuated. As long as there is a good seal between the filter and the housing, it should still be doing its job. No liquid will be bypassing the filter before it reaches the output hole.

The reason the unit is mounted vertically is for filter replacement. If you have it installed for your house, when you unscrew the housing, you don't want all the water pouring out. In your situation, it will work laying on its side, and you can take it to the sink when you open it up to remove the filter.

 

[gcsherwood]

Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your taking the time while on vacation. I didn't see that the wine was cloudy, perhaps not as quite as clear as I would normally go to bottle, but close (I thought). I erroneously thought that the filter would take care of what remained. After I bottled the bottles looked totally clear. I guess what happened was that the filtering evenly dispersed what yeast there was so it looked clear. After several days it clumped. Lesson learned. Since the yeast is so small, no filter I'm going to use will filter it out. Ummmm...... So what am I filtering for then? Anybody?

geoff

 

[ibglowin]

You filter to "polish" a wine. It should be clear before you filter, not cloudy. That said, if the filter is working properly and not leaking, I have filtered white wines with a fair amount of light (dust) fines on the bottom of the carboy. I use a 1 micron filter on whites. When done the wine on the other end is crystal clear and shines even more than it did before. The fines get sucked up at the very end but do not pass through. I always let the wine sit for a few more days just to make sure I didn't have a leak and all of a sudden dust reappears on the bottom of the carboy. After about 3 days it is safe to bottle.