Clean up?

[Birdland Sugarbush]

The finish line is in sight – the sap may run this week, but I have obligations and an upcoming trip. I don't think the sap will keep for a week, so I'm looking at cleaning up for the season.

Any recommendations for cleaning up my equipment?
Evaporator, buckets, filters, etc?

I want to do it right this time of year instead of finding some unpleasant surprises next season.

Thanks,
Chris

[briduhunt]

I use oven cleaner from the dollar store to clean my underside pans. It seems to work real good and very little scrubbing needed. The darker the pans are the longer I let the cleaner sit on the pans. Everything else is just scrub brush and water after letting pans set for a week.

[PerryW]

The finish line is in sight – the sap may run this week, but I have obligations and an upcoming trip. I don't think the sap will keep for a week, so I'm looking at cleaning up for the season.

Any recommendations for cleaning up my equipment?
Evaporator, buckets, filters, etc?

I want to do it right this time of year instead of finding some unpleasant surprises next season.

Thanks,
Chris

For buckets & tanks, I use a 2% bleach solution (unscented) and multiple rinses.

For the inside of the pans, I buy Pan Acid from the Maple Suppliers. I use 1/2 gallon of acid to clean both the front & pack pans. Fill w/ water, add the acid, heat it up to around 160-180 deg f, and after 1/2 hour, the nitre on the back pan peels right off. The front pan sometimes requires some help from the green Scotchbrite Pads.

For the bottom, I just hit it with a flue brush.

[Birdland Sugarbush]

Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it.

I hadn't thought about cleaning the bottom of the pan.