Keeping sweet in the pans -- how long?

[Winton]

Drew off last night and left some sweet in both pans. How long can I leave it there? Won't get to boil again for another four days, and the weather between now and then looks moderate -- sub-30s at night, 40s during the days.

[ackerman75]

Winton,
I have left my sweat in the pans for up to a week before and not had any problems.

[PerryW]

I never drain the pans during the season.

I think the theory is that...

Raw sap will spoil quick in higher temperatures, but once you bring it to a boil, you essentially kill all the naturally occurring bacteria. That's way the sap in the pans will keep longer.

[Jeff E]

Agreed, If you get all the sap into the pan at the end of the day, and be sure to get it to a boil, you should be good for several days. Keep it covered and cool!

I also but in the plugs between pans to keep the syrup pan sap from back flowing into the sap pan, i.e. keeping the more concentrated stuff just that, more concentrated.

When you fire up next, you will be making syrup pretty quickly after you establish the boil.

[Smith's Maple]

I never drain my pan during the season, and have never had any problems.