Help with bottle top filter!!

Ok guys. This is painful.
I have a 500ml Millipore Steritop BTF - Durapore PVDF Membrane .22 as a bottle top filter and 3 hand pumps. One is new.
I am filtering gear and it is coming out one drop at a time. I have 250ml filtered after 4 hours!!
I have 250ml to go and basically want to kill myself, this so awful.
My hand pumps don't hold the pressure so for 4 hours, I have been pumping the hand pump two pumps every 4 seconds or so and getting a one drip filter.
I am filtering oil by the way.

Can anyone help????
I had two old hand pumps that would lose pressure and just bought a new one that did the same thging.

I used the 500ml Whatman Zapcap 33/45mm fitting neck - 0.45 micron before and it went A LOT faster.
Are trhe .22's that much slower? And if they are that much slower, are they that much better??
This blows ass and any help would be appreciated!!!

Sorry for the negativity, it just sucks when it takes 8 hours to filter 500ml!!!

Yes, you need a vac pump that plugs into the wall outlet, oh and don't try to heat the oil up over 130deg f to make it flow or it will melt the millipore filter membrane.

I agree that you need an electrical vac filter. The .22 filter is a micro-bacterial filter much smaller pore and takes more time. hand stuff sucks bro

What are you filtering (the recipe as well), and at what psi? 500ml shouldn't take more than 1.5 hours and that is if you keep the psi low.

.22 will filter much slower than a .45
which temp are you filtering at? what psi do you go up to?
higher concentrations clog up the filter faster (test prop and tren ace filters real easily @ 100mg/ml compared to test e @ 250mg/ml IME)
and which carrier oil? MCT will filter much faster than GSO/CSO/Safflower

Irish can't answer because both his hands are now claws after 24hrs of straight pumping with a pump in each hand with a T fitting to get 14hg of vacuum ... Lol
just messin with ya OP.

Ohyea said:

Yes, you need a vac pump that plugs into the wall outlet, oh and don't try to heat the oil up over 130deg f to make it flow or it will melt the millipore filter membrane.

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the highest temp i've filtered at with the millipore bottle-tops is 95F. i've wondered how much higher i could go but just kept it safe at 90-95F, lol...

Make sure you are using a glass media bottle with the filter. The piece that u hook the hose to is not a solid piece so press it firmly to make sure it is tight. Take some hot glue and run a bead around the piece where it meets the bottletop housing so it can't suck air. Now you are ready, and I promise it will hold pressure. These filters work great but if you don't seal the tip that the hose attaches to then it will not hold pressure. Do this and your hand pump will be fine.

Yes, the 0.22 micron filters are a *lot* slower...*especially* if your solution wasn't very clean to start with - 0.22 blocks up with anything virus-size or larger, so you would be amazed at how quickly it can block up if not pre-filtered if your material is at *all* dirty. In a previous employment we had to do 0.2 micron filtration on an industrial scale - with 9" long pleated membrane cartridges, and let me tell you, if we didn't pre-filter with a larger pore size *first* we could block up and entire cartridge in about 2 minutes. Pre-filtered, it could run for multiple hours. If using bottle-top units that can be pricy, but might still be worth it.....because if the 0.22 blocks up, you have to change it anyway, and *they* are even more expensive.

Doctor9

I know people will bash me for this, but I always use a .45 filter and have never had an issue with bacteria or test flu symptoms.

BEASTZ6 said:

I know people will bash me for this, but I always use a .45 filter and have never had an issue with bacteria or test flu symptoms.

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Thanks guys!
Big time help.
The temperature was warm, not hot, but warmer than room temp.
I am using cottonseed oil with test e 300mg

The thing took me forever!!!

As for pre filtering, would it be safe to go ahead and run the gear through a coffee filter while it is still hot and then let cool down and run it through the "real" filter ???

Hmm....if it will flow through the coffee filter (not sure it will) at *least* that will take out some of the larger particles - it's better than nothing. Again, my experience showed that even a 1 micron prefiltration *significantly* improved the flow and extended the blockage time on a 0.2 micron filter. Because you're sterilizing it anyway, the air exposure isn't really a problem...but I'm not sure it will flow through quickly enough to make a huge difference.

BEASTZ6 said:

I know people will bash me for this, but I always use a .45 filter and have never had an issue with bacteria or test flu symptoms.

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TBH, I have always used a .45 and I've never had any problems... Is .22 better? YES, but a .45 will git-r-done....

If you are using handpumpps you need to use whatman zapcaps, they are excellent no breaking no leaks, they have discontinued the line of filters but there are so many available you will likely be able to get them for another year or so.

Beast a 45 micron is smaller than any bacteria particle size so you are correct you won't get any bacteria in your brew using a .45. But there are viruses and those are smaller than .45 but larger than a 22 micron. Which leaves microbes. If you have a good pump you can get a .1 micro filter and nothing but clean gear is getting thru. I always add a paper prefilter to all even if they come with one and a simple trick to make your filters last a little longer and filter more, simply filter 10 to 12 ml BA thru it before you use it. This sounds dumb but it's a bacteriostat. Your filter slows and stops running smooth because it's usually clogged with bacteria. We all know BA isn't going to kill off bacteria but it will prevent it'd growth and the amount of bacteria you have passed into the filter membrane will start to reproduce and double in no time so all this does is stop bacteria from growing in your filter while filtering. Hopefully it's not taking that long that you need it but I have done this for years and swear that filters work much smoother but I only use zap caps. Or fast caps but using a standard bottle top and adding a little BA which you dobr filter into your gear you filter if into a sterile media bottle just to help. That little amount that's keeping the filter paper wet isn't going to over saturate your brew with BA or make it painful. To much heat will. Zap caps you can begin filtration at 50 celcius. I'd wait until 47 but it's rated for 50. I would check with any filter to see it's upper heat limit so you font end up with melted filter in your gear that you can't see causing a painful brew.

Interesting info User!

I didn't know the Whatman's were discontinued. IVP still has them but MLS is out

With Millipore bottle-tops I've filtered at 95F. Do you think 110F would be too hot?

So Irish old friend. How did your brew turn out?

Yes bro 110f is fine. I usually pour mine it at 115f and it works like a charm.

charger85 said:

Yes bro 110f is fine. I usually pour mine it at 115f and it works like a charm.

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I'll try 115F then. Just didn't want to risk any part of the filter melting into the brew or something lol. What would be the max temp to filter with these Millipore bottle tops, about 130F or so?

The max temp for these filters is 45 celsius. The max vac pressure is 700mmhg. Stay a little under on both and u will be fine.