Pan Cleaning

[backyardsugarer]

My pans are full of water now, should I add vinegar and let it sit or just use some steel wool and clean it up?

Chris

[FarmerJohn]

I also don't think that steel wool should be used. I have used the Scotch Brite pads for years and have had good results with cleaning the niter off. However, when the coating is heavy or after a particularly long boil, I use the Sulfamic acid that the dealers sell(or sold--mine is about 8 years old). This stuff is a crystalline powder which disolves in warm water and will clean up the worst deposits in an hour when warm. However, you need to really rinse well.

Here's a tip for really cleaning out the acid--after draining and rinsing, use your shop vac to get all the residual acid out. This makes the cleaning easier and more effective. The vac also works good for routine cleaning. My 4x4 front pan is too heavy to take off routinely to drain. Good luck!

[Dropflue]

I just bought a gallon of sugar sand pan cleaner for $12/gallon. The stuff works great. For a 2x6, I fill the evaporator with water and a half gallon of cleaner. Start a fire and let simmer for about 20 min. Shut down the fire and scub with a sponge or brush, rinse with water and the pans will look like brand new. I swear by it. The cleaner is a mild phosphoric acid.


Rick (Dropflue)

[MaineMapleDave]

Ditto to Dropflue's post: pan cleaner is awesome stuff. About the only scrubbing I really need to do after the hour-long simmer they recommend is with a scotch-brite pad at the areas (usually on the sides of the dividing partitions) that have the heaviest scale build up.

I've use both pan cleaner and white vinegar and the pan cleaner seems to work a bit better and faster. It's also great for removing the hard water scale buildup that happens inside stainless steel coffee pots, too.

where do you guys get these cleaners? can you mail order acid?

Mark

[WF MASON]

Steel wool or scotch brite scratches that Brite Annelled stainless . Liquid or powder pan cleaner should be used.
The pan cleaner salesman has sent me a new powdered version of their liquid cleaner as a sample , I have several to let people try , but I do need a reply on how you liked it. Good or bad. You can PM- me or e-mail me to try some .

[tubetamer]

We used some of Leader's pan cleaner on the syrup pan and it worked great, however, the directions said it was not for the flue pan. What do you guys use on the flue pans for cleaners?

[FarmerJohn]

In general, we don't clean the back pan during the season, having started with a clean pan at the start of the season. An old sugarmaker gave me the "best" way: fill the back pan(and the front, if you want) with the last of the sap, cloudy is OK. Let it ferment for a week or two and it will clean up the worst scale. Empty the pan and rinse well. You can brush off the deposits and scrub with a Scotch Brite if necessary. Seal up the pans and wait for next year. Happy sugaring!

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Leader told me to fill the pans and add about a pound of baking soda for every 200 gallons and let it simmer for an hour. Then, let it set overnight and the pans should scrub and rinse off easily the next morning.

Don't know, but sounds good and baking soda can't damage the pans! :D

[mapleman3]

Picked up some "oakite" powdered pan cleaner yesterday at my local dealer, guess that will go in this weekend.. also will go and pull the rest of the buckets... after all the rain we are getting.

[backyardsugarer]

Baking soda has worked well on everything else so I will give that a try. Thanks for all the advice. Have a good off season everyone.

Chris

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Chris,

Let me know how the baking soda works because it is sure cheap enough! :D