Pan cleaning

[whiteout]

I have a halfpint soldered flat pan. I have cleaned most of it with a scotch-brite pad. There is still crud built up on the solder and hard to reach places. Will vinegar harm the solder. do you use it full strength or dilute it? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Vinegar shouldn't hurt the solder. Put a gallon in it and fill pan nearly full with water and bring to a boil or simmer for about 1/2 hour and should nearly clean itself! :D

[Splashdam]

An ol' timer told me to fill the evaporator with sap at the end of the season. I did that. (This is my first year). Let the thing sit until Memorial day. Then drain it and wash it. He claims that the sap will in time ferment, turning basically to vinegar and bring the stainless steel to a high, clean glossy shine. Seems to make sense to me. Stay tuned.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Be careful, the sap can eat holes in the solder. :?

[ibby458]

I found vinegar to work just as good as commercial pan cleaner. I've always been advised not to scub the solder until it's shiny, so we just used a stiff bristle brush on the joints.

[ennismaple]

We tried leaving sap in the pans last year and it worked great! My father checked on them about mid-June and the smell almost turned his stomach. After draining them and rinsing the pans looked like the day they arrived in the sugar camp.

To clean the pans during the season we'll fill them with drinking water, bring to a boil and add baking soda (about 6 cups for our 2'x4' finishing pan). Once they've stopped bubbling you let the fire die out (overnight is fine) and give them a quick scrub the next morning. It works great and there's no residue or taste from the baking soda.

[Mike]

Will any vinegar work...........

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Mike,

I went to Walmart and bout 4 gallon jugs that were less than $ 2.00 each. Just regular old white vinegar, but I guess apple cider or any other would work. :)

[mapleman3]

***********************UPDATE********************* *********

well it's been a month now the sap has been sitting in the pans, yes it is pretty yukky looking and has just a touch of a ripe smell, BUT where I burnt syrup, now has the burnt stuff floating on the surfacem I swooshed the sap around a bit and it looks like it is cleaning pretty good... will try to give it another month and see what it does....

On another note, I hope that where I burnt the syrup in the syrup pan isn't too puckered... if it is I will bring it to either a metal shop nearby or take a run up to leaders.

[maple flats]

I use white vinegar full strength, heat til hot to touch but not boil, let fire go out and when cool enough to hold hands in it I use a brush. Lightly brush and start draining, chasing with fresh water to rinse. The water I heat again and let set an hour or so then brush again. Done! But as I clean everything else I use the evap to heat the water and even though the pan looks clean some more seems to loosen in the water. After everything else is clean I drain the pans, take them off the arch, tip them on end and hose them off top and bottom, drain and stack for next season.

[mapleman3]

what do you use to get the underside clean and spify??

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Turtle Wax :lol: :lol: :lol:

[maple flats]

I just stand the pan on end outside and spray it with my 1" sap pump with a nozzle reduced to 9/64 (a water sprinkler nozzel) This works good, then make sure it is dry before you put it away.

[brookledge]

Jim
Don't be too quick to clean the pans, some years I let it sit till atleast June. It is easier to wait until after it goes back to a more liquiddy state. If you try to drain it when it is still slimmy it will be harder to drain out.
Mine right now is thick and slimmy. I got both pans as full as possible.
Keith

[TWhite]

Cleaning the soot off the botom of the pan. I thought I read that you should not clean bottom of pan. IF that is not the case what do most of you do and what do you use.
Thanks,
Todd

[hangman]

I know the subject is 'Pan Cleaning' but need to know how to clean my plastic sap tanks. They have 5" openings so I’m not able to reach inside with a brush. Would vinegar work ? what about sanitizing (bleach) ?

..Thanks

[NH Maplemaker]

Hangman, I use pressure washer to clean mine! Put bleach solution though the soap injecter and soap nozzel let stand for awhile, then pressure wash again with fresh water!! Works great for me. :lol:

[brookledge]

I use pressure washer and mop to put through the small hole on top and rub the insides with it.
Keith

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I have been told that roppy sap will eat thru solder, guess it would be ok with welded pans but if you have a soldered evaporator, better not fill it with sap for 2 or 3 months. :?

[Pete33Vt]

As far as cleaning bottom of your pans. I've done it many different ways,Most of the time just brush off with a broom, then pressure wash.
I don't know if you should or not but I try to brush off the bottom of my front pans before I fire up, Same with my back flues.

My take on pans cleanning is its more fun to get them dirty then to clean them. One of the worst things about sugaring but you have to take the bad with the good. :lol: :lol: :lol: