Using vinegar to clean pans at end of season

[PerryW]

I just scrubbed, rinsed and filled the pans on my 3x10 with water (probably about 3/4 full). I dumped two gallons of vinegar in each pan and I planned on going back down to the sugarhouse after lunch, and heat it up and see if the nitre peels off the back pan (like it does w/ Pan Acid).

Should I let the front pan soak for a day or two? Is there any danger to the stainless to leave it in there for a few days? There muct be at least 40 gallons of water in the front pan and 80 gal in the back pan, so it's pretty weak. Any thoughts? (Never used vinegar before for the final season clean)

[SeanD]

I use straight vinegar. (My pans are a lot smaller that yours.) It won't have any bad effects on the pans. Your solution is pretty diluted, so it may not peel off as quickly as you might like. Another advantage to straight vinegar is that I draw it off and reuse it all season. That would be a lot of vinegar for you, though.

Sean

[lakeview maple]

At the end of my season I drained out about 10 gallons out of my syrup pan ,then I dumped in 3 gallons of white vinegar.I left it for about a week ,I went to the sugarhouse today drained out my pans and flushed with water and all the niter just washed out,no scrubbing and they look awesome.

[PerryW]

At the end of my season I drained out about 10 gallons out of my syrup pan ,then I dumped in 3 gallons of white vinegar.I left it for about a week ,I went to the sugarhouse today drained out my pans and flushed with water and all the niter just washed out,no scrubbing and they look awesome.

Hmmm. I was gonna leave the front pan till friday, but with my dilluted mixture, maybe I should let is sit longer? I have some buildup on the sides of the pan that has developed over the years but was always nervous leaving pan acid in there too long.

My back pan did clean up nice after only 2 hours of soaking w. the dilluted vinegar.

[SeanD]

You'll know when it is ready. The scale and niter will just be floating on the bottom and move around like silt when you disturb the liquid. The harder part for me is the baked on goo up above the sap liquid line. Even with the vinegar it takes a putty knife to lift it and even then it's not that it's tough to scrape, but that it just smears and sticks to everything. I have to clean the putty knife as I go or I just spread it all around.

Sean

[MapleMark753]

781578167817 Hi-- I know this thread is about vinegar, but as vinegar is a weak acid, I decided to clean our pans with another weak acid, Diet Cola. Just put about a quart of the cheapest I could find in the pan, let it sit overnight, poured it out, rinsed, and wiped it clean. The niter on the bottom felt like about 200 grit sandpaper, and after the cola, just smooth, like stainless steel should. Just an experiment on old pans, and done with a sense of humor, but it seemed to work well. Take care all, Mark.

[maple flats]

I doubt the vinegar will have enough strength to do much if anything at such a weak solution. It will need to be straight vinegar. I have used vinegar for 10 years. I just drain them as best they will without drying the pans and then pour in a gallon in the syrup pan (mine is 3x3). Since a flue pan would take far more to just cover the flues, I just use the pressure washer with permeate for that. In fact, permeate if circulated and replaced a few times will do as well, but you need to keep spraying it in the pan. A small pump and a cover with spray nozzles in it to cover the whole inside of the pan will work wonders. No chem of any type will be needed. I plan on making one for next year.

[Daves Maple Farm]

I like the cola idea..drain through sap filter, add RUM and enjoy rest of day...lol..We used to use coke to clean bumpers on car when they were made of real chrome!

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

I use Vinegar for cleaning and I heat it up and let it cool a few times. I guess I am cheap, but only used 3 gal to clean this year, adding that to 125 gal of water. Got it to a boil twice and then scrubbed it clean as new. Maybe more elbow grease with my weak solution, but still effective.