what to use to wash tubing

[maple man]

what to use to wash tubing soidum base squirels like. chlorine base no good for r.o.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Just plain water

[Dennis H.]

Right now I use plain water. Suck some thru the stubby along with air at the same time to cause some turbulance in the tubing.

I am looking at the peroxide based stuff that is out there. Sounds like nasty stuff to handle but was told that will turn to water all by it self

[maple maniac65]

how about dont wash? which is the more evil leaving sap that will clean it self or introducing air(bacteria) and water to sit in your lines all year. I am trying to see for myself this year as I did not wash last year and pulled the spots with vacuum on.

[happy thoughts]

I am looking at the peroxide based stuff that is out there. Sounds like nasty stuff to handle but was told that will turn to water all by it self

It's never that simple :) Just an FYI- not all peroxide is created equal. All peroxide sold has other additives and stabilizers that can leave residues. There is both food grade and non-food grade peroxide.

I have no idea what the cleaning recommendations for food equipment are and what types of equipment can be cleaned with it or even what percent H202 should be used if recommended (there are many peroxide concentrations sold). These are all things you're probably going to want to look into. And if you choose to go ahead, make sure that peroxide is food grade.

[happy thoughts]

how about dont wash? which is the more evil leaving sap that will clean it self or introducing air(bacteria) and water to sit in your lines all year. I am trying to see for myself this year as I did not wash last year and pulled the spots with vacuum on.

You'll get a lot more bacteria if there's something for it to eat and grow- like old sugar left in dirty tubing. imho, not washing doesn't seem like good practice.
I could see stuff, especially mold growing in clean but damp tubing especially if left in warm conditions. So maybe the answer is not whether to wash or not but how often. It stands to reason, at least imho, that good practice would be to clean both just before and right after the season though that might not be practical.

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

maple maniac 65, Let me know how not cleaning works, because we were thinking about trying that. Using plain water makes the lines dirtier than doing nothing at all, and clorox solution with water just evaporates and if their is still water in the lines bacteria grows faster. I think the key is to get them as dry as possible especially the drops. At the end of the season we were going to try just turning on the vac. as we pull the taps and suck everything out, then a few days later go back and empty drops again if necessary, to make as dry as pssible.

[Tweegs]

I used this stuff last year with good results:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=11151&partNumber=9998592&langId=-1

Meant for fresh water systems on boats and RV’s. No chlorine, no residue.


I flush with fresh water, run the detergent, flush with water again, run the sanitizer, and rinse with water once more.

I start with the laterals. I use my tapping bit and drill a hole in the cap of a soft drink bottle. Go to the last tap on a lateral, fit the tap to the cap and let it rip.

I can get to the ends of my mains, so I use a 65 gallon pick up tank with a hose attached to the bung, the other end of the hose was adapted to fit the mainline.

I let a good slug of about 30 gallons go at a time down the mains.

Yep, it’s a bunch of work, there is no doubt, but there is a lot of money tied up in that tubing and I want to take care of it best I can.

I read some folks just let that first run of sap hit the ground. For me, that first run of sap is generally worth more than I pay for this cleaning solution.

[batsofbedlam]

For two years, I have used white vinegar cut 50/50 with water. All of my tubing is under vacuum; at the end of the season, I pull the tap and stick it into the jug of vinegar and let it suck enough to fill the drop. I used 7 gallons of vinegar last year on 1400 taps and all of my lines are clean.

[Beweller]

Tweegs, What is it? The add says nothing.

[happy thoughts]

I remember Tweegs posting this last year. As I remember it's a type of quaternary ammonium compound. Some are FDA approved for food surface sanitation and used in the meat and dairy industry though I can't tell you whether this one in particular is approved or not for maple equipment and production. As I remember there were several varying types of these compounds with specific ones with specific uses in specific concentrations and hang time.

I had trouble making heads or tails out of the FDA info I looked at last year. You' ll probably have to check with the FDA, a state Ag department or a maple association for more details. I can probably find the exact ingredients for this product again if you want them.

[red maples]

Don't bother washing...you can never get the sap bacteria etc 100 % out of your lines no matter what you do. besides if you put chemicals in the lines it will never come out 100% either. The tubing set up is perfect for bacteria growth. warm, wet, etc. tubing is more porrus(sp?) than you think the only time that there is no bacteria in it is when its brand new. If washing with water or chemicals was effective then why is it best to use seasonal spouts. no matter how much you wash scrub boil chemically sanitize there will still be micro scopic bacteria present whic as soon as you close up those line they multiply like crazy and by the end of the summer you have just as much bacteria. That is basically the same reason why we don't reuse needles in medicine.