The inside of your PVC distribution system

[UB29]

Anyone look at the inside of your sugarhouse PVC piping lately? Not very pretty. Especially the concentrate line from the RO to the head tank and evaporator. I religiously flush mine with permeate during daily cleanup. And yes it's all food grade PVC.
Any tips?

[collinsmapleman2012]

every time i work on it and see the inside i wonder. haven't come up with much of a solution yet, i was thinking of trying to run a cleaning cycle with oxisan in a loop somehow but i'm not sure how to connect it all yet for a wash cycle and get proper agitation inside it for scrubbing.

[Bucket Head]

I do not have any PVC, but any line, or tank, will foul with any moisture and just a trace of sugar left in it.

I rinse my gathering tank out after every collection and pump a five gallon bucket's worth of water through the suction hose, pump and discharge hose. I have quick-disconnect fittings on my concentrate and permeate lines. With the mating fitting on a garden-sized hose, I flush those lines also after ROing. Then after boiling, I put some fresh water in the feed tank after that is rinsed, then I pump it up to the head tank and I let that drain down through the preheater. It all drains out through the rear float box.

Yes, all of this adds some time and trouble to the overall syrup making process, but flushing everything ensures that no sugar is left behind to dirty things up.

Steve

[wnybassman]

My tip is not to look. lol

Seriously though, I've often wondered how larger operations keep their pipework clean inside. Just the few feet I have gets kinda funky.