Soaking Pans

[SeanD]

At the end of the season, I gave my pans a soak in vinegar for a couple months. I filled it about two inches or so and would swish the sides any time I passed through the sugarhouse.

After rinsing, they are clean as a whistle from the top of the vinegar down. There is still a layer of scale above where the vinegar was. So I'm resoaking them with more vinegar to get the stuff at the top. I've got 13 gallons in and I'm still a couple inches from the top. Before I pour more vinegar in I want to make sure I'm on the right track.

What's the conventional practice here? Keep going with the vinegar to the top? Is there another way to clean the top of the pan I'm missing?

(Yes, I'm a cheap bast'd)

Sean

[Haynes Forest Products]

Yea but what your doing is working so fill with water to the top level and see how it works. If it cleans it then you have the best method for your set up. Next year at the end of the season fill with the vinegar and bring to a boil and then cover with plywood to keep it from evaporating and rinse and dry cover and your ready for next year.

[BobU]

SeanD,
Don't know the volume of your pans but if you have 13 gal. of vinegar in them you should be able to run in as much as 75-100 gals. of water (maybe more) and still have a good pan cleaning solution. I have found that leaving the vinegar/water mix sit for a long while makes for less "elbow grease" being needed later. We watch for the gallon jugs of cheap vinegar to go on sale and buy a bunch.

Was just trying to remember what the actual ratio of vinegar to water was we used this last year, must have been about 1/10.

Just what works for me. Good Luck.

[SeanD]

Okay, that's what I wanted to check. I didn't want to add water and kill the effectiveness of the solution. Thanks for the replies.

Haynes, does the vinegar steam trapped by the plywood remove all the scale up above the liquid level?

Sean

[Haynes Forest Products]

No because the steam doesnt have the acid in it. BUT if you keep the level below the rim and get to a boil and then add more water and vinegar the heat works wonder and will melt away the niter.

[SeanD]

That makes sense. The niter cleaned right up. It's just this grey/white stuff along the top of the pan I'm trying to get.

Thanks,
Sean

[3rdgen.maple]

I run a a 1 to 1 ratio in the syrup pan and a 1 to 4 in the flue pan. White vinegar seems to work the best. I also save that mixture, filter it through a prefilter and use it over and over all season. Never had to leave it for a couple months though. But hey if its working for you great.

[SeanD]

I wish I could say the months-long soak is a matter of research-based practice. What really happens is little league starts up, scouting gets going, I work on the garden, then the next thing I know it's late June and the SH smells like a winery. I'm sure a couple weeks would do it. :)

[adk1]

Here is an idea for someone looking to make alittle extra coin...Go around cleaning peoples evaporators! Kind of like fishtanks or pools!:rolleyes:

[3rdgen.maple]

Here is an idea for someone looking to make alittle extra coin...Go around cleaning peoples evaporators! Kind of like fishtanks or pools!:rolleyes:

Sounds good to me but I dont want a pool boy I would prefer an evaporator girl:D