Cleaning solution

[325abn]

Whats the concensus on the bleach / water ratio for cleaning gathering tanks and buckets etc?

Do you clean everyday, everytime you gather or as needed?

[VtSugarhouse]

To start with I dont recommend using any bleach of any kind in or outside the sugar house. Sugar makers which use bleach to clean lines only invite squirrels or the like to chew up there lines. They love bleach.
I would only use hot water to clean buckets (making sure to air dry them before storing them) & tanks, and if you have a nitre build up in pans etc. use a solution of 50-1 of vinagar with hot water. This cleans stainless steel pans easily and to full brillancy.
Some sugar makers think you have to use Pan-X or some other chemical to clean with which the maple suppliers sell for 12-15 dollars a gallon. You dont need that chemical.

Try it .....it works for me !!

[OGDENS SUGAR BUSH]

I clean my feed tank every night with hot water, try to clean the pan every 2 maybe 3 days. like vtsugarhouse says vinegar works good.

RICH

[325abn]

So no bleach just hot water?

[mountainvan]

Bieach gets such a bad rap. I use 1/4 cup to 10 gals of water and use a mop to clean out my tanks. Then triple rinse, I spray with the hose all around for a couple minutes with each tank. I try to clean the tanks every morning before putting fresh sap in them. I normally only clean my buckets at the end of the season, bringing in 300 buckets is a chore. I fill a 300 gal tank with water add 1/2 gal beach, let the buckets soak for at least ten minutes, spray them with the pressure washer( to rinse and blow the crud out), and then dry. Bleach is fine to use an nonsoluble surfaces as long as you rinse well.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I rinse my woods tanks several times during the season with water and a touch of bleach. I won't use it any more on my lines, but I don't think they are going to bother the tanks any.

I also use vinegar for the evaporator.

[Sugarmaker]

325,
I used 20:1 water to bleach for years on buckets as soon as possible after the season is over then dry them. I have also used it to scrub tanks that may have a off odor or some water or sap that you could not get out. Rinse and rinse again with hot water. As they say, might not want to use on lines that are up year round.
I also use the vinegar in the pans works great for me. Just had to do that Monday night after small scorching problem:)
Chris

[brookledge]

Another option is to use Calcium hypoclorite instead of sodium hypoclorite(bleach). It is available at pools supply store and smells like bleach but does not attract the squrrels trying to get the sodium residue. I switched a few years ago and it helped alot.
Keith

[ibby458]

When we first started making syrup, everything (Except buckets and evaporator) got washed in bleach water every day and well rinsed.

We then switched to peroxide for a season, then just clean hot water for the last few years.

We found NO difference in sap quality or syrup grade, regardless of method used. I think frequent, careful cleaning works, no matter what sanitizer you use, if any.

The gathering tanks get sprayed with hot water every day and aired. The storage tanks and feed tank get swabbed out with HOT water every day, and all transfer lines get rinsed with hot water after every use. This seems to work as good as the more complex methods.

At the end of each season, we wash everything with dishwasher detergent, rinse throughly, dry completely and stow away.

[argohauler]

I use bleach and water to wash my storage and gathering tanks and to wash my buckets and lines.

To wash my boiling pan at the end of the season all I do is just fill it to the brim with water and let it soak for a few weeks and it brings back the shine.

To clean my syrup pan I've been using Della Brite 40 or Della Shine. It's a food safe acid that I buy from a farm supply store that is a lot cheaper than a syrup supply store.