Cleaning Back Side of Wood Fired Pans

[BAP]

Has anyone used anything like Walnut Shell Blasting to clean the stuck on carbon off from back side of Flue Pans? If so, what were the results. My flue pan has a lot of thick buildup that does not come off with pressure washing. Last year I tried Oven Cleaner with some results, but it did not take it all off. Plus was nasty to use and could not get it to spray down in the flues without blowing back. My thought is if I can get them cleaned good, then maybe I can get a little better boil and keep up with the cleaning using my pressure washer.

[Sugarbush Ridge]

I had a guy bead blast,,,,, plastic beads. Done of a good job got most but not all. I've heard that soda,,, backing soda will take stainless back to almost mirror finish.

[BAP]

Did the plastic beads leave any marks?

[Rockfallsmaple]

I have a barrel stove with a 18 x 24 pan so it's a little smaller than what you have. I put a thin coat of Dawn dish washing detergent on the bottom of the pan "before" cooking, the carbon washes of with a water hose. Of course the trick is not to get any detergent in the pan or it will flavor the syrup. This is an old boy scout trick.
I have no idea if this slows the heat transfer the rig boils off 5 GPH all day long.

[maple flats]

I just use a brush for the under side. If that does not clean it (to a dull clean) you have fire issues. When you burn hot enough nothing builds up and gets hard to brush off.
A few things that can cause the under side to clean hard:
1. wet wood
2. not enough air
3. not fueling often enough

There may also be other causes.

I never found it necessary for the bottom of either pan to shine like new, but you do not want a build up to accumulate.

[deckers007]

I use a peace of copper pipe flattened at one end like a chisel, I even use it on the inside and have yet to see a scratch from it.


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[Haynes Forest Products]

My intention is not to ridicule but rubbing high carbon particles of a mirror finish with Balsa wood and cotton balls will dull the finish. If the goal is to keep it clean without working to hard at it. I vote for Ez off extra strength and red scotch brite pads. Power washing helps.

[SeanD]

I need a second person to help get the flue pan in and out, so for whatever reason, I didn't get to it last year. I use a flue brush between boils and I can't say I saw any drop in boil rate. Still haven't done it yet this year. Probably will clean it, but if I don't... we'll see what happens.

Dave, I have to disagree about the heavy soot only being a result of firing issues. At the end of my boil, after I flood the pan, I bring it back to a quick hard boil with some pine. It's hot enough to bring the back pan to a boil, but not the raging heat I get during a long boil. I also do maintenance boils when the pans sit for a while. Those aren't that hot either and I also use a lot of pine for those.

I think those smaller fires will have the same soot results as firing issues, but may not be from firing issues per se. That said, I think during the next boil, a good fire will burn off a lot of that extra soot or at least make it flakey enough that it comes off with my brush between boils - but who knows. I haven't seen my flues in two years!

[maple flats]

I haven't seen the under side of mine since 2012, when I first set these pans in place. Mine boils very well. I do not however run those little boils you speak of.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I'm with you Dave on the haven't seen it for a long time comment. The last time I tried to clean it I made the mistake of propping it up on its end spraying it with 409 cleaner and hitting it with the power washer inside my shack. :o:o:o The carbon billowed all over the place turning the place into the UNLIMITED CLASS at the tractor pulls.. What a ^&%%%^mess.

[BAP]

I was looking for experience using Walnut shells in a blaster or similar material to clean up the pans. I was not looking for criticism on wether my fire is burning correctly or how you never clean your pans. I specifically said I was not looking to try Oven Cleaner again. It makes me wonder if some of you actually read the original questions asked in these posts.

[SeanD]

Sorry, BAP. No disrespect intended, just some hot (now cold) stove talk about how people deal with the undersides of their flues. It's a slow time on the Trader.

I don't have any experience with walnut casings, but the upside to people chiming in is it gives the thread a bump, so eventually someone who has tried walnut casings will see the topic.

And, Haynes' stories always make me laugh.

[Sugarbush Ridge]

Did the plastic beads leave any marks?No,,, really didn't get all of the carbon off. Left a slight black tinge of carbon. Now I had made a power scrubber by tying,,,, sewing,,, green Scotch Brite pads to a limber piece of wood,,, about like a yard stick and and almost as long and then taped to a saw-all blade and used saw-all. Have to have a limber stick so not to get too rough on thin metal Works good in between flues. I have drop flues so probably not going to work very well on raised flues back in ends of flues

[paulslund]

I was looking for experience using Walnut shells in a blaster or similar material to clean up the pans. I was not looking for criticism on wether my fire is burning correctly or how you never clean your pans. I specifically said I was not looking to try Oven Cleaner again. It makes me wonder if some of you actually read the original questions asked in these posts.

Woah! I think you should sit back and stop insulting those that are trying to help. The above was completely uncalled for!

[BAP]

Woah! I think you should sit back and stop insulting those that are trying to help. The above was completely uncalled for!
No it wasn’t because they were insulting me by saying I didn’t know how to have a proper fire and weren’t answering the actual question I asked. There is too much of that going on lately on here of not answering the actual questions people are asking but instead telling people that they themselves are the only ones who do it right. There has been a lot of know it alls who aren’t actually reading the posts before answering including some of the moderators. I am not being rude and appreciate all that people post, but when a thread is started with asking a specific question, the answers people post should answer that question not going off on a different tangent.

[BAP]

No,,, really didn't get all of the carbon off. Left a slight black tinge of carbon. Now I had made a power scrubber by tying,,,, sewing,,, green Scotch Brite pads to a limber piece of wood,,, about like a yard stick and and almost as long and then taped to a saw-all blade and used saw-all. Have to have a limber stick so not to get too rough on thin metal Works good in between flues. I have drop flues so probably not going to work very well on raised flues back in ends of flues
Thank You, I was wondering if that might be how it would work. It is hard to get that last little bit off.

[maple flats]

We are not trying to insult the way you burn your fire.
My comment on having a fire problem was explained away when you said you flood the pan and then warm it with a medium pine fueled fire.
My thoughts on cleaning the bottom to a shine are that it will only look like that until your first fire of the next season. If you brush the bottom and keep the pans dry any soot that remains will not harm the SS. I have never heard of anyone cleaning using walnut hull media (but I used to use it to polish brass ammo cases in prep. for reloading, I now use SS media in a tumbler for that).
In your original post you say that you think if you could get the pans truly clean on the underside that you might be able to keep it clean using your power washer. Does that mean you would wash it daily in place, I think not. And a full season of regular burning, if you keep flooding the pans and warm them with pine but not to a hard boil will get you back to the same as what you now have. I say, if you want to persue it, put water in your head tank, fire the evaporator to a hard boil for 30 minutes and then let the fire burn out. I then think the bottom will brush clean without any pressure washing or oven cleaner or blasting with walnut hull media or beads.

[Sugarbush Ridge]

BAP,,,,, Now i'm sure many people click that blue circle and that takes people to the news post and not back to the original post so they only seeing the last couple comments and if they got a little off the thread gets way off. some only go to the last page