Cleaning steamaway midseason

[batsofbedlam]

Has anyone figured out how to clean the steamaway during the season? Mine builds up a heavy coat of sugarsand during the season and I'm sure that reduced its efficiency.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Leader told me to fill it with the distilled water that comes off of it and turn the blower on and let it run all night and it would nearly clean itself.

[Thad Blaisdell]

That is exactly right. What I do is fill it just as it runs out of sap... then it warms up let it bubble away while I clean everything else up, then I scrub away at it... dump that water and refill and let it bubble all night. cleans up really well.

[batsofbedlam]

I assume you have a shut off valve between the steamaway and the flue pan to keep the distillate out of the flue pan. I thought that I would disconnect the pipe between pans and put my own shut off and drain connection in.

[Jeff E]

I am new to the steam pan world. I have been pressure washing mine each night after use, and then running the hot distilled water through, about 20 gallons, poured into the float box. I put a T fitting between the steam pan and the flue pan, with a valve on the drain side of the T.

Each night I empty the steam pan sap into the flue pan and do this. Is this overkill?

[Dill]

Jeff is your "custom piggyback" a homebrewed unit?

[Jeff E]

Kind of. It is built by a local guy that has been making syrup pans for years.
I have been very happy with it!
Here is a pic of the temp of the sap coming off of it, going to the flue pan. Better than I expected. Once things are up to temp, I have not seen the temp below 195 deg.