Cleaning with vinegar?

[SevenCreeksSap]

I see a lot about cleaning your pans with white vinegar to get the burned spots off. didnt want to hijack the other similar thread so wondering:

what ratio do you mix with water?

do you boil the vinegar mix or just fill up and let sit?

I'm done after tomorrow and Luckily I managed somehow not to burn my stainless pans except the normal ring around the top of the sap line, but some of those are pretty black.

Thanks

[Dave Puhl]

I use it full strenght and reuse it....I been letting mine sit for two days and I can now rub the sugar sand and spots off with my finger...will drain and clean out Sun and cook...

[Larry]

Sorry I Just noticed this post was a year old I guess you have it cleaned by now....

[SevenCreeksSap]

Post is from 2012- pans still not clean.

wow full strength. Its a set of 2x8 pans and takes about 24 gallons to get 2 inches deep. guess I'll need the industrial size bottle.

[happy thoughts]

I haven't used it but in previous years some people have recommended milkstone cleaner made for the dairy industry. It's phosphoric acid based, the same as some evaporator pan cleaners like the one sold by Leader and is safe for stainless steel. Your local farm store may carry it. Tractor Supply sells it in some locations per their web site.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/cattle-handling/dairyland-milkstone-remover-acid-rinse-2214079

It looks like a gallon would go a long way and be a lot cheaper to use than 24 Gals of vinegar:)

[Dennis H.]

I did the vinegar thing last year with mixed results. I went full strength and even brought it all to simmer thn let it set for a few days. Still took some scrubing.

I am going to try the milkstone route this year.

[frankz]

I am wondering about the "burn line" that forms, at the sap line, at the ends of my 2x3 raised flue pan. Is it normal? Is it preventable? Should I clean it off periodically or wait to the end of the season?

[Newfvt]

Forget Vinegar. Forget Dairy Acid Cleaner. Forget the toxic cleaners the maple suppliers sell! Have you ever walked into an old timer's sugarhouse long about mid to late April, even early May and seen sap still sitting in the pans? It usually looks "disgusting".Anyone seeing it thinks the owner is a down right slob. Thats on purpose, not being sloppy. There's a ton of sugar in the sap and almost-syrup you can't drain from your pans at the end of the season. There's also natural yeast that has floated in from the atmosphere. Let both work for you! The yeast will ferment the sugars and you end up with factory-new clean pans.

I have stainless covers for both the front and back pans. Had them made originally so junk would not fall in the pans during the off season. When we're done, I do not drain either pan. I clean the firebox, put the covers on the pans, and put a small thermostatically controlled cube heater in the firebox set at 90 degrees. Just to make sure there's plenty of yeast in there, I scatter a small handful of raisins in the back and front pans. Close the arch door, walk out of the sugarhouse and close the door.

I usually go back on either the 3rd or 4th weekend later. Never have to wait longer. The sugarhouse smells like either a brewery or a winery - but it smells different and great. When I take the tops off the pans there will be a nice foamy fermented mat on the liquid in the pans. I just stir it up with a rubber spatula. Where the "scum line" or "stuck on foam" was from the season? It falls off with only a finger touch!

I drain the pans front through rear to syrup draw off, and use a crevice tool on the shop vac to get between the drop flues. Then just lots of warm water with minimal soap, micro-fiber dish cloths, etc - rinse and rinse. The pans come out, guaranteed, as nice as they looked the day they left Leader.

Sugaring is a natural process from tree to bottling - why not let nature finish the job. No chemicals, no purchased vinegar, no hard scrubbbingon your stainless!

Steve

[Dave Puhl]

Steve sounds like you got a good plan for the end of season clean up...When I was talking about full strenght vinegar it was in the sugar pan 1/2" deep to get rid of the niter and sugar sand that is stuck on the bottom...I rinse out both pans after I cook each time doing up to 3-400 gal of sap .. and try to keep the sugar pan very clean for the next batch...I have a 2x6 so its fairly easy to doit...

[steamvalleyFarms]

Like Steve I prefer to leave the sap in the pans and leave it ferment also. I believe it does a better job then the vinegar. Usually I leave the sap in till the end of june or so... the take a pressure washer and rinse everything out. pans turn out nice and shiny! Never heard of putting raisins in it though, might need to try that this year if it speeds up the process. Steve how many raisins do you think I need for a 3 x 12 evaporator?

[PerryW]

I fill up both pans as high as possible and buy 1 gallon of pan acid and dump 1/2 in the front pan and half in the back. After heating, the back pan nitre peels off nice and shiny in 30 minutes. The front pan takes a couple hours and some elbow grease.

[Brent]

This year the wife came home with "Cleaning Vinegar". 10% Acetid Acid. That's double the strength of normal vinegar.

One small jug in the pan straight out of the bottle covers the 30" x 36" syrup pan just deep enough. One hour later ... no heat required, all the nitre just brushes off. No scraping. Just the brush.

For a scorch, use what your wife uses, Easy - Off Oven Cleaner. Works pretty good on the creosote on the outside of the pans too ! Works much better on warm days. Spray it on, cover it so it stays moist, brush or pressure wash off after an hour or so. Repeat until it's gone.

[smokeyamber]

Not to hyjack this thread, but how about end of season clean/store for plain steel. I have heard the vinegar treatment, then spray or rub on mineral oil to prevent rust. Any other ideas ?

[treehugger]

What do you guys with pre-1994 soldered pans use, besides elbow grease?

[butch361]

your right!!! I did that last year and it worked great on a 2x4 divided pan. Just this week I found an aluminum pan that i used last year. that was full of last years sap. That was the strongest smell vinegar i have ever smelled. The pot looks new on the inside.

[adk1]

I am waiting to hear the same thing. Right now I have vinegar..Liking the natural cleaner of leaving sap in there too

[wnybassman]

I put in an inch of a vinegar/water mix in my pan on Monday when I finished up and it cleaned up very easily today. Just wiped clean. I was a little concerned because I had the darkest staining I have ever had. Might try the sap thing next year, but I live by "if it ain't broke don't fix it" most of the time. So maybe I won't :)