Cake O' Maple
01-07-2014, 01:00 PM
Has anybody done this? I was reading a thread on eGullet about someone sanitizing his kitchen surfaces periodically with 55w UV light, and wondered if it would work to sanitize sap storage barrels between fills.
I can only clean with a hose outside, and when it's too cold, can't use the hose. When the barrels are sanitized after being emptied, the sap stays good a lot longer, and I can't get it all boiled every day.
Am thinking of an idea to hang a UV light (for surface sanitizing, not for running sap thru it), put the cover on, turn it on and let it do its thing. I'm using blue 30-gallon barrels, approx 2' diameter.
I know you can't expose your eyes to the light, and it'll fade the barrels, but will only turn it on after lid is on, and don't care about fading barrels.
I think that the hardware part could be a regular florescent base, as long as the prongs match.
My questions (the first ones) are: I'd like to know where I could buy just the hardware to plug the bulb in, the cheapest place to buy a bulb, how long the light would have to be on and how far away it needs to be. Assuming the barrels are about 2' diameter, is 12" distance okay from bulb?
TIA for any thoughts/advice/experience.
I can only clean with a hose outside, and when it's too cold, can't use the hose. When the barrels are sanitized after being emptied, the sap stays good a lot longer, and I can't get it all boiled every day.
Am thinking of an idea to hang a UV light (for surface sanitizing, not for running sap thru it), put the cover on, turn it on and let it do its thing. I'm using blue 30-gallon barrels, approx 2' diameter.
I know you can't expose your eyes to the light, and it'll fade the barrels, but will only turn it on after lid is on, and don't care about fading barrels.
I think that the hardware part could be a regular florescent base, as long as the prongs match.
My questions (the first ones) are: I'd like to know where I could buy just the hardware to plug the bulb in, the cheapest place to buy a bulb, how long the light would have to be on and how far away it needs to be. Assuming the barrels are about 2' diameter, is 12" distance okay from bulb?
TIA for any thoughts/advice/experience.