Cleaning pans with sap!

[Jairo Cruz Rua]

I have never done this before. This will be my first attempt. So, I have a few questions.
Do I need to cover the pans and let it sit?
How long, do I let it sit?
After I flush it out, is there any further cleaning?

I've already filled it with milky sap. I hate to stop, but I have too many apple trees to prune. Pruning will keep my mind off of syrup till May! Then on to preparing new areas for 3/16 pipe!!!

Thank you all for the advice
JCR


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rayi]

Last year was the first year I did it. I made sure to add water do the level was above the boil line and left it a month. I then drained it and flushed with water. Then turned it over and cleaned the bottom with oven cleaner. Last thing I did was power wash inside and out. I have a 2 by 6 so it was easy moving things with 2 people. Have no idea how the big guys clean the flues. My pans looked like new. I'll never clean another way unless someone comes up with an easy way to clean the bottom

[buckeye gold]

I leave mine for 6 weeks, but I think a month is fine. You can leave it longer if you want. I also powerwash after i drain off the snot and clean bottom then I flush with a bleach wash and she sparkles.

[Bruce L]

One month will usually suffice, we wait until say middle of May before the bugs get real bad, and the stench has worn down by then.Take the pressure washer to it, will come out like brand new.Just make sure your syrup pan is clean on the bottom before you start, the flue pan will clean up quickly.I stick my arm down in the stuff while my wife turns her head, if the bottom and sides of the pan feel glossy and smooth, you're ready to wash.If not, leave it longer, I made the mistake one year of going at it too early and had to really work on the syrup pan to get it clean. Next spring I run water into the pans, and bring them to a boil before I start with sap, this way I can be sure no connections leak, and also if you were to go back to your cottage after a long winter I would assume you would wash your dishes again before you used them, you never know what has been crawling across them since you left!!!

[Jairo Cruz Rua]

One month will usually suffice, we wait until say middle of May before the bugs get real bad, and the stench has worn down by then.Take the pressure washer to it, will come out like brand new.Just make sure your syrup pan is clean on the bottom before you start, the flue pan will clean up quickly.I stick my arm down in the stuff while my wife turns her head, if the bottom and sides of the pan feel glossy and smooth, you're ready to wash.If not, leave it longer, I made the mistake one year of going at it too early and had to really work on the syrup pan to get it clean. Next spring I run water into the pans, and bring them to a boil before I start with sap, this way I can be sure no connections leak, and also if you were to go back to your cottage after a long winter I would assume you would wash your dishes again before you used them, you never know what has been crawling across them since you left!!!

Thank you Bruce for that tip. My pans come inside to be cleaned then stored in a Stanley steel storage room. Bug free. I also make apple cider, jams jelly and other things so I am very conscious of keeping things sterile. It's nice having a commercial kitchen and license, it makes you think differently.
I usually use white or cider vinegar. But most all of my clients require me not to use chemicals. I also like eating as close to raw as possible.

This will be a trial year of cleaning the pans this way.

Another question. Can I clean my storage tanks the same way? I still have 200 gallons or so of sap in a SS storage tank. I'm thinking of pumping it to my food grade plastic drums and let it do the same as the pans. Will it work on plastic the same way?

Thanks


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bruce L]

Not sure how it would work on plastic, your ss storage tank,and probably your plastic should just wash clean with water, perhaps a pressure washer if you like. The pans have the niter stuck to them from the boiling process, your tanks might only have a slime from older sap.