How to clean sides of syrup pan. Pic

[bawplank]

Vinegar cleaned the area below the syrup line but the side are not coming clean at all. I was using defoamer in the syrup pan if that is what this scum is from. Thanks for any advice. I know I'm a19178sking beginner questions.

[Sugarmaker]

Fill the pan/s with water vinegar mix. build a small fire to warm it. let it set for a week or so. I put 4 gallons of vinegar in 3 x 10 pans. Brush the sides as the acid works. Check the vinegar jug some is stronger than other too. Than scale on the sides is tough but vinegar should do the job. I dont think you can hurt anything by being a little strong.
Regards,
Chris

[wnybassman]

I have a tough time getting that scale above the syrup line off too. I have let vinegar and/or fermented sap sit for days, weeks and months before with little success getting the worst of it off.

[bawplank]

Is it ok to start up with a little of it still on the sides?

[buckeye gold]

try a mr clean magic eraser on it

[MISugarDaddy]

You will never get it all off, and it won't hurt running it this season with it like it is. Try some of the ideas others have suggested here next spring after the season is over and it will clean up better than it is now. I did a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar this past year and let it sit until October before power washing the pans and it helped remove a lot of it.
Gary

[maple flats]

In season and shortly after the season, on my 3x3 syrup pan I do well using just 1 gal of white vinegar. I first rinse the pan with permeate, drain it but don't wipe it dry. Then I pour in 1 gal of white vinegar. I then warm it from below by using my fire starter (a 500,000 BTU weed burner torch). I keep it moving around to heat the entire bottom, heating until I get what looks like steam coming off the pan (but it is really not steam, not boiling). Then I let it set. Once the bottom comes clean, I repeat and when I get the "steam" look again I use a green scrub pad, get the pad well wetted and gently rub the sides. It takes a few reheats and sometimes but not always, I need a second gallon of white vinegar.
When clean I drain, then rinse using hot permeate and a hose nozzle. I have a 3.1 GPM diaphragm pump, pushing permeate thru my tankless water heater, the water comes out of the nozzle at just over 100-105F after flowing thru 25' of potable water 5/8" hose. That finishes the job.
I have never waited so long after the season to finish the cleaning but it should still work. Years ago I used some milkstone remover on stubborn spots but after 8-10 years I finished the gallon jug I had bought and never felt the need to use it again.
Whatever method you use, be sure to rinse it totally, and flowing hot permeate works best but likely any good soft water should be fine if you have no permeate.

[MN Jake]

I also use straight vinegar. Im in process of plumbing to do exactly what Maple Flats does. For now I just use the spray bottle and target the scummy areas, every 10 minutes or so i will spray again. It takes several hours to work but I'm doing other things in the shack anyway.

[Sugarmaker]

I agree that sometimes you cant get this pesky scale off the pans. It wont hurt if you start and run that way. Once you start boiling you won't see this.
Regards,
Chris

[bill m]

Yes, you can get it all off and it is not to difficult. This is what I do and have had great luck with it.
I start with about 2 inches of water in my front pan and get it to a full boil. Then I slowly adjust the float to fill the pan as deep as possible without loosing the full boil. I attach a hose to the draw off and run it out the door, adjusting the valve so the level stays at the top. Continue to boil for 2 hours or more then shut down and drain the pan. Anything left should be able to be wiped out with a sponge.
I came upon this method after boiling one day and noticed the sides of the pan below the liquid level were clean and everything above had scale. I figured if reversing the flow cleaned the bottom then filling the pan and operating it as a continues flow should clean the sides.
Been doing it this way for a few years now with great success.

[maple flats]

Great idea, I may try that this year to test it out.

[bawplank]

I'll try that next year. Thanks

[VT_K9]

We use vinegar here. The quantity of vinegar varies each time either a little more if there is more build up. We use permeate to flush the pans and then add the vinegar mixed with permeate (or water if no permeate). We apply heat to get the solution to boil. We use a green pad and plastic brush to gently scrub the build up. Depending on time before the next boil we may bring it to a boil again. Then flush with a lot of water and bring it to a boil. Then flush again. We also put the boiled sap/sweet through a paper filter to help remove any sediment to help keep the pans cleaner. We find our syrup does get a little lighter after each cleaning.

At the end of the year we have left sap in the pans for a couple months...it has a unique odor. We still prefer vinegar and a pressure washer. Somewhere in the archives there is a reference to a person who ran a pipe into a brook and let the brook run through the pans to keep them clean. I think moving permeate would be a great idea.

Mike