cleaning the pan

[C&C maple sugar bush]

Is there any thing that would clean my pan to make it shine again, its pretty black on the bottom, and in the pan from when we burned a batch.
Thanks:

[Greg Morin]

Is there any thing that would clean my pan to make it shine again, its pretty black on the bottom, and in the pan from when we burned a batch.
Thanks:

at the end of season fill it with sap and leave it for a month or so the sap ferments and does an amazing job with very little scrubbing.

[C&C maple sugar bush]

do u wash it out after a month then?

[3rdgen.maple]

Well if you can stand the smell of a rotting corpse then leaving sap in the pans will work but I think the majority of us use white vinegar diluted with water 50/50 or there about and let it sit for a couple days then light cleaning and a couple rinses. Th outside Alot of us use easy off oven cleaner but the BBQ kind and let it sit for an hour and sprits with some water to keep it from drying out and power wash it after that. Almost imposibble to get the underside like new but it will look alot better.

[C&C maple sugar bush]

Thanks, I might have to try that out. I herd there was a acid that would work to.

[3rdgen.maple]

Yeah the dealers sell an acid cleaner for pans. Vinegar is just cheaper and wont kill you if you consume it. lol

[mapleack]

Is there any thing that would clean my pan to make it shine again, its pretty black on the bottom, and in the pan from when we burned a batch.
Thanks:

Considering you're in Wisconsin, your season may just be starting. Go find powdered bar keepers friend cleaner. Empty your syrup pan, then put about an inch of hot water in it, and dump in a whole can of the bar keepers friend, mix it up. Let it sit over night, it'll get a lot of junk loose. If there's still burn stuff sticking, good chance, get a brass cup brush for in a drill. (good idea to be brass) Grind away with a little water in the pan, wear safety glasses. That combo should take alot of junk out of your pan. Good luck!

[C&C maple sugar bush]

HAHA, i think i might try the acid cleaner, and just power wash it very good before i start to boil this year.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I will add that if that doesn't remove the burnt on crap sand blast it with gravel.:o Take the time at the end of the season to clean it up right. fill with vinegar and fill to the top and warm it up and let sit for a few days. Polish the outside with a car buffer and SS car polish

[danno]

Used to use vinegar, now just let the sap ferment. I'm a believer in the sap method now. My experience - it does not smell bad, it actually turns to vinegar and gets the pan very clean without having to buy vinegar.

[maple flats]

I use the vinegar, everytime I clean the pan during the season. I drain the pan (save it), andput in 2 gal vinegar. Then I heat it with a weedburner torch (500,000 BTU), from underneath, until about 100 degrees. Let set for about 15 min. Then I brush with a gentle scrub brush, and after everything is loose, I drain, rinse well, 3x and then put original contents back in. Except for the 15 minute wait it likely took me longer to explain that to do. I can have it ready to go in less than 30 minutes. My syrup pan is 3' wide by 2' long. If you have a real nasty pan it will take longer, maybe more heat and more time to set. Make sure you rinse well with fresh potable water to avoid having vinegar taste in the syrup.

[Greg Morin]

do u wash it out after a month then?

yes then wash with water

[Bruce L]

We use the rotting sap method,our customers are really happy to hear about it,luckily none of them go near it while it is fermenting.We find with the green craze lately,people like to hear about usages like this where you are not dumping anything back into the woods that didn't come from there.Our pans are now 22 years old,and I can count the few hairs on my head from the reflection of them,so the old sap certainly does it's job.

[Greg Morin]

dont waste good sap either wait for the buddy sap at the end of season!! it cost you 0$$ and 0 syrup:)