Hi All
Been awhile…. Question if you’ve used white vinegar to clean your pans do you do the baking soda rinse afterwards like with pan acid???
Hi All
Been awhile…. Question if you’ve used white vinegar to clean your pans do you do the baking soda rinse afterwards like with pan acid???
I have been soaking/cleaning my pans with white vinegar for the last 6 seasons and just rinse thoroughly with water afterwards. I supposed it wouldn't do any harm to take the extra step and use the baking soda after.
6th season solo sugar maker in a young sugar bush of mostly red maples
320 taps
2x6 self built arch, Flat pans w/ dividers
New 12x16 sugar house
CDL hobby 250 RO
We just rinse and go
I always just rinse with just plain water.
2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
made 17 gal. syrup
2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
2021 - Didn't work out
2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start
There are two purposes of adding baking soda to any acid pan wash:
1. Neutralize the acid mix for discharge into the environment
2. Neutralize the acid that might be left behind in the pan.
For discharge into the environment, I think that you should target a pH of 6 to 9 which may require you to neutralize the wash water. You should ever discharge directly into a wetland or waterbody.
It is also good practice for all hobbyist, and required of a commercial operation, to have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for all chemicals used in your operations. That could include vinegar and especially commercially available pan cleaners. The chemical specific SDS sheets provide information on a variety of things related to handling, storage, disposal, and exposure. I keep my SDS sheets in a binder in my sugarhouse since it needs to be readily available. If you have employees, it is required by OSHA under the Hazardous Communications Standard which includes other labeling and training requirements. And just because you have volunteer help doesn't mean that your exempt. I don't think you would need to worry about an OSHA inspection - unless you had a serious accident involving a follow up investigation.
Organic and other certification programs require the sugar maker to manage their chemicals properly, including following the Haz Com Standard.
Ken
Ken & Sherry
Williston, VT
16x34 Sugarhouse
1,500 taps on high vacuum, Electric Releaser & CDL Sap Lifter
Wood-Fired Leader 30"x10' Vortex Arch & Max Raised Flue with Rev Syrup Pan & CDL1200 RO
https://www.facebook.com/pumpkinhillmaple/
How should I go about pan cleaning during the season with white vinegar? Does the white vinegar/water solution need to stay in the pan for many hours, or does it work in a relatively short time (about an hour) when heated and stirred?
We generally finish our daily boils in the early or mid afternoon, so in the evening the syrup pan is cooled down enough that I can drain it. I pour in 1.5 gallons of straight vinegar and let it sit overnight. The next morning I drain the vinegar out and save it for the next cleaning. I then rinse out the pan with lots of clean water and dry it out before adding the syrup back into it. I do not heat the vinegar, I just let it sit overnight.
Gary
16' X 24' Sugarhouse
2' X 6' Leader Inferno Arch with Revolution Raised-Flue Pans, Smoky Lake preheater and hood
Deer Run Maple gas-powered 250 RO
WesFab 7" filter press
Kubota 1100 RTV with tracks and 125 gallon tank for transporting sap
800 taps on gravity and vacuum
Very supportive wife who is the best coworker
http://mapletrader.com/community/sho...ing-Sugarhouse
Thanks for the reply!