Pan Cleaner Recommendation

[Newfvt]

Hello all,

Looks like we will wrap up this week in NE Wisconsin. The weather may give another run late in the week but the access to the trees after 18" of heavy, wet frozen snow ... not so much!

We boiled hard and long for 2 weeks making 52 gal, 90% of which graded A light amber, a few quarts dark and then yesterday it dropped to B.

I really need to get the scale off the bottom of my front pan. Leader has the Oakite product which I think is hydrochloric acid, but it is HazMat and can't be sent UPS.

Would appreciate any ideas for cleaners and methods using materials available locally.

Has anyone tried the CLR lime away product in evaporator pans?

Thanks
Steve Van Wie
FALLEN TIMBERS
Seymour WI

[stoweski]

My recommendation:

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?t=12580&highlight=cleaning+pans


Vinegar works great.

[KenWP]

If you have a dairy farm near buy beg borrow or steal some milk stone acid.It beats vinegar even.The 6% pickling vinegar does a good job also. I used a small coke bottle of the dairy stuff and had some left after even.

[stoweski]

If you have a dairy farm near buy beg borrow or steal some milk stone acid.It beats vinegar even.The 6% pickling vinegar does a good job also. I used a small coke bottle of the dairy stuff and had some left after even.

Forgot about the milk stone acid. Tractor supply sells it. I've been told it's identical to the pan cleaner that Leader sells... only costs less.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have a 2x8 with a 2x3 syrup pan and took 1 gallon of vinegar and put in the front pan after boiling about 2600 gallon in it this year and put about an inch of water in it and next day all the scale was gone and I didn't even light a fire under it. Vinegar is $ 3.36 for 2 gallons @ Sams Club.

[maple marc]

This year I experimented with muriatic acid to clean my front pan between boils. I was rushing to clean the pan and did not have time for a long rest with vinegar. I bought some muriatic acid at the local hardware store--very cheap, about $4.00 for a pint. I carefully added one ounce of acid to 20 ounces of water in a bucket, then put this in the pan. I sloshed it around a bit, and in a very short time my pan bottom was clean. I also sponged some mix up on the sides of the pan. I was wearing gloves and glasses.

Just be careful, don't overdo it. Rinse well. Worked great for me.

[danno]

Milk stone remover is phosphoric acid, muratic is hydrochloric acid. I've never used phosphoric, but I do use muratic. It is way stronger than vinegar or EZ OFF. Ofcourse, you have to be careful and rinse, rinse, rinse. My tractor supply has liters of muratic for less than $4 and gallons for around $7.

At the season when I don't need to rush to get the pan back in action, I flood them with end of the season sap and leave them for a month. Sap turns vinegar like and cleans the pans well.

[steve J]

lemon juice and water let it set it lifts the scale right off leaving you shinny stainless steel

[CBOYER]

Phosphoric acid is sometime add in food (Soda pop etc..) you will never see Hcl in food.
Watch out for chemicals reactions whit it, i have work 15 yrs in chemical plant producing it, and have a lot of bad experience whit it. you should wear a breathing mask and a complete face shield with Hcl. after using it, rince and neutralize whit sodium bicarbonate (arm and Hammer) solution to be sure.

[markct]

sulphanic acid works very well and is available from the maple dealers, and supposedly not as harsh on 400 series stainless also