Let my pan go nasty

[Woodsrover]

For the second year in a row I let my last bit of sap sit in the pan after my last boil. And let it sit. And let it sit. Even more than last year. 7 weeks.

March 7th was my last boils and I cleaned my pan out today, April 29th. The sap was full on nasty, moldy, ropey and brown. Stuck a hose in the float box and a 1" drain hose on the outlet. Let the water run as I scrubbed it with a brush. The fermented sap has melted all the niter and stuck on minerals and the pan came sparkling clean with no vinegar and not a lot of harsh scrubbing. My only mistake was not leaving the sap deep enough to take all the stuff above the boil line. Next year I'll leave 4" or so in the pan.

Won't even have to take the pans off the arch I don't think. Just flush out once more with clean water, suck out the drop flues with a suction gun and let it sit until next year.

[Mel]

We usually let ours sit until mid-summer. It works!

[buckeye gold]

I fill mine to within about 3" of the top, but I have a small pan. I powerwash it after draining and I do very little scrubbing.

[motowbrowne]

Same here. Works great.

[ennismaple]

We fill ours to 1/4" from the top in both the flue pan and the syrup pan and leave it until you get the dry heaves from the stench - normally early June. It takes almost 400 gallons. It does polish the stainless up very nicely.

[maple flats]

I think I'll try that, next year. I just don't think of it at the right time.

[DrTimPerkins]

Works great...especially if you don't have to be in the sugarhouse much for a few months OR if you have an exceptionally poor sense of smell. We fill our pans right to the top and let it sit most of the summer. For those with older soldered pans...don't let it go TOO long or the (acetic) acid can eat right through the seams.

[Ghs57]

I'll let mine soak as long as I can, usually into July. I filled it within an inch of the top, which is what I usually do. It takes about 100 gallons of sap, which at the time was spoiled and disgusting. It's really bad now, but it seems the worse it smells, the better it works. Usually, warmer weather speeds it up. Funny, but this year we really haven't had any since the season ended (we had nicer weather during the season). Last year most of the scale came off easy, but there were a few spots that wouldn't give up. So, hoping it works on everything this year. I want to keep my pan "scratch-free" if I can.

[bill m]

I have been doing it this way for years, works great. I bought new pans this year, Leader max flue and revolution syrup pans, and they said not to let sap ferment in them. Did not say why, maybe to sell more pan acid? Now I don't have any sap available to do this and I really didn't want to use acid.

[tcross]

i think i'll also try that next year... sick of scrubbing. the only reason i haven't, is i HATE the cleaning process and would rather get it done and over with as soon as possible and not have to do it in the middle of the summer. but if it works that well, and only minor scrubbing is necessary, then it is probably worth doing in the summer! Question though... does it get off the slimy defoamer residue that sticks to the sides? Vinegar sure doesn't!