Mid Season Bucket Cleaning

[Dan W]

I tapped in mid January when I really should have waited. But that is water over the dam. We are looking at a pretty fair cold spell coming up that should give me some time to redo my taps. I was thinking of using 2 coolers on the racks of my quad. One would have hot water to wash with and the other a no rinse sanitizer like you use for bottles in home brewing. I am planning on pulling the taps, re-drilling, brush cleaning, sanitizing and re-installing, then clean clean and sanitize the buckets and re-hanging . I guess after all this my question is; has anybody used this no rinse sanitizer and do you think it would work? If I don't do this, I will most likely dry up before the real season gets here. Any other suggestions?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I try to sanitize my tanks and buckets about once a week or after a run is finished with a hand spray bottle that is high output. I use an ounce or two of bleach to a 32 ounce bottle of distilled water off of the evaporator. Spray the entire inside of each tank and bucket and then drain them. Definitely makes a difference.

[PerryW]

It is not recommended to bore a second set of holes in maple trees during a single season as you are essential over-tapping. While the holes may dry up earlier than normal, I would wait until you noticed reduced flow before I did anything; and then I would just ream only the holes that dry up (usually the sunny-south side taps first).

[Dan W]

I should have said ream the holes. Didn't mean to drill new ones. I've read this is a not really recomended and doesn't do much for production, but I may not have any choice. Live and learn!

[TF Maple]

I try to sanitize my tanks and buckets about once a week or after a run is finished with a hand spray bottle that is high output.
I use an ounce or two of bleach to a 32 ounce bottle of distilled water off of the evaporator. Spray the entire inside of each tank and bucket and then drain them. Definitely makes a difference.

I was wondering what the strength of a bleach solution should be? I saw on the Ontario Ag site they recommended 200 parts per million bleach solution for sanitizing. With a 5.25% bleach it only takes 15 ML or one tablespoon (half ounce) to a gallon of water to get 200 ppm. That is what I was planning to use. Is that maybe too weak to do any good?

[PerryW]

Dan,

Reaming does work, but they dry up again in a week or so after reaming. So just wait until a tap dries up before reaming. Or ream just before some promising sap weather.

I used to use 5% unscented bleach, but I use much less concentration now (to wash buckets & metal tanks) and it seems to work great. I just use a couple of glugs from the chlorox bottle per 5 gals of water. What ever you do, make sure and rinse well after washing.

[Frank Ivy]

Did a quick search and couldn't find anything . . .

I wasn't planning on cleaning the lines/buckets at all in-season.

I tapped about 4-5 days ago. I have gotten a bit of sap out so far, but the next week looks sub-freezing. The season will likely be over by end of March.

If I don't clean the buckets, is the problem that I'll get an off-flavor from bacteria?

Do people clean their tubing lines during the season?

Thanks.

[Toblerone]

I have never cleaned or sanitized anything in the middle of the season, nor have I ever had the need to ream the tapholes and I have always made mostly Grade-A and a small amount of Grade B at the end of the season and I have always done better than the "quart of syrup per taphole" rule for gravity systems.

I would not want to use anything that is "no-rinse" even if it's safe for bar glasses, since, in syrup, you will be concentrating it 40 times. Also, I wouldn't use bleach unless it got rinsed well. I've heard bleach in the sap can cause the syrup to taste salty. I could be wrong about that memory though.

If you tapped early and it got really cold, then I wouldn't worry about the taphole "drying" up since it stops flowing mainly due to bacteria and fungus growth and not "drying" from being exposed too long. Since it's been really cold (below freezing) bacteria wouldn't have had time to grow. In any case, I certainly would not ream the taphole until actual drying is observed, reaming before then is only going to introduce more bacteria and hasten further drying.

See the timing of tapping research from the PMRC: http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/tapping.pdf

Good Luck

[TF Maple]

I did some Internet research now and 200 ppm is strong enough if left in contact for one minute. If you have hard water it might take a little more than a half ounce per gallon to get to 200 ppm because the minerals in the water take up some of the chloride. The chloride tends to evaporate when allowed to air dry, but I plan to rinse pails and tanks with fresh water. Use only unscented bleach, sometimes refered to as regular bleach.

There is sodium chloride (salt) in bleach and if you left it on equipment in the woods it could attract animals like squirrels.

Some people say you should rinse your holding tank and buckets if there is a time when it is empty, or during a period of warm weather to slow bacteria reproduction.

[Frank Ivy]

I have never cleaned or sanitized anything in the middle of the season, nor have I ever had the need to ream the tapholes and I have always made mostly Grade-A and a small amount of Grade B at the end of the season and I have always done better than the "quart of syrup per taphole" rule for gravity systems.

I would not want to use anything that is "no-rinse" even if it's safe for bar glasses, since, in syrup, you will be concentrating it 40 times. Also, I wouldn't use bleach unless it got rinsed well. I've heard bleach in the sap can cause the syrup to taste salty. I could be wrong about that memory though.

If you tapped early and it got really cold, then I wouldn't worry about the taphole "drying" up since it stops flowing mainly due to bacteria and fungus growth and not "drying" from being exposed too long. Since it's been really cold (below freezing) bacteria wouldn't have had time to grow. In any case, I certainly would not ream the taphole until actual drying is observed, reaming before then is only going to introduce more bacteria and hasten further drying.

See the timing of tapping research from the PMRC: http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/tapping.pdf

Good Luck

Awesome! Thanks for the advice. Hearing experience say this is nice. And I agree with the no-rinse thought. Unless the "no-rinse" evaporates 100%, I wouldn't want to eat it, that's for sure.

[BryanEx]

I don't normally make a habit of cleaning my buckets during the season but every now and then I get a season where temps are in the 20's (70's US) and I'm out collecting sap in a T-shirt & shorts. That kind of warm weather and I will do a rotation of bringing in a dozen or so buckets at a time and scrubbing them down with a bleach solution. I probably wouldn't bother if I was commercial and processing sap as it was collected but I can only process Wednesday nights and weekends so storage is a big issue when it's warm.

[wnybassman]

I have been known to go out later in the season with warmer temps and at least give the buckets a water rinse. I know I'm not getting rid of 100% of the bacteria but probably helping a little anyway, maybe.

[Homestead Maple]

If you have the time, rinsing or disinfecting any of your equipment is always a plus.

[The Dude]

I've noticed that after triple-rinsing the bleach solution out from my 5 gallon buckets and 32 gallon Brute storage container, the scent of bleach still lingers the next day. Is this okay? Is there anything I can do to rinse them better? I rinse with just water and rub my hands all over the surface, no soap.

[C.Wilcox]

Dude,

I would rinse them out with really hot water and let them air out. I think everyone (including me) tends to use way too much bleach when we sanitize. It only takes a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water to effectively disinfect most surfaces. If you use too much the container you were disinfecting ends up smelling permanently like bleach. I made that mistake with some of my sap pails and it took a while for the smell to leave them.

[The Dude]

Thanks for the information C.Wilcox. I did follow some sort of guidelines, but it was definitely more than a tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. I think it was 1 part per 30. That would be about a gallon of bleach for my 32 gallon Brute trash can I filled up. I remembered feeling like a gallon was too much, so I used maybe 2/3 that amount.

When I rinsed the 32 gal. container, I lifted it upside down, put my head in, and took a big wiff. Nothing. I decided to put the rinsed lid on overnight to see if it was smell in the morning, and it did. I dried it out in the sun and now the smell is gone. I just want to make sure the syrup is safe to consume. That's the reason I bought the food grade Brute can in the first place instead of using Rubbermaid totes or cheaper trash cans.

[BryanEx]

When I rinsed the 32 gal. container, I lifted it upside down, put my head in...

:lol: The things we do to make maple syrup.

Dude... I posted a link in the "Web Info" section on this site titled "How to clean almost anything". I'm pretty sure the bleach mixing ratios were listed in there. I've been using that info and haven't had any problems yet and know things are sanitary.

[vtjeeper]

Dude,

I would rinse them out with really hot water and let them air out. I think everyone (including me) tends to use way too much bleach when we sanitize. It only takes a tablespoon of bleach in a gallon of water to effectively disinfect most surfaces. If you use too much the container you were disinfecting ends up smelling permanently like bleach. I made that mistake with some of my sap pails and it took a while for the smell to leave them.

to me this seems weird. either because people don't know about it or because it's more expensive. I have been using some "five star, star san" sanitizer that I got for sanitizing beer brewing stuff. no lasting smell of taste and I know it's sanitized. seems like some people might prefer this stuff. mix 1 oz to 5 gallons of water. it's made for the job.

here's one source. nothing wrong with bleach, it works I know, but I don't like it. http://morebeer.com/view_product/16022/102376/Star_San_-_8_oz

edit: thinking about it now, seems like whatever they use to sanitize milking equiptment that comes in gallon jugs might be a good thing too. I should talk to my wife's uncle about what he uses. I'm sure some on here milk and sugar and probably could describe it

[Gary R]

I use plastic buckets and clean them when I see mold in the. This usually happens about 2/3rds of the way through the season. Another new sugar maker has switched from plastic to traditional metal buckets. He says he was told they do not mold. There is a chemical reaction with sap in the bucket that prevents mold. Any truth to it? I just figured the mold blended into the galvanized color.

[TF Maple]

I still have a jug of sanitizer from the old days of dairy farming. It is 7% chlorine and the recommended solution is 2 ounces in 10 gallons of water for a 100ppm solution left in contact for 2 minutes. Hard water or dirt in the solution can lower the ppm of chlorine so if you don't have a test for chlorine the bottle recommends 4 ounces in 10 gallons.

If you check my post number 5 and 9 you can find the amounts of chlorine to add too.