Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I swap the front or rear syrup pan every day with a clean pan. The pan I pull off I add a couple gallon of vinegar and about 6 to 7 gallon of water to it and soak it overnight. Like a new pan the next day and I keep reusing the vinegar and water mixture all season. Cross flow pans sure make life a lot easier keeping the pans clean.

The pan that had the vinegar in it I rinse out real good for about 30 seconds with a water hose.

[MJPJ Sugars]

Vinegar & Water, Baking Soda, and a little bit of elbow grease with a copper scrubber -- shocked at how well it worked!

Brought one part vinegar & and one part water to a boil for 10-15 minutes, removed the heat, and dumped-in some baking soda over the bad scorch, and let it fizz for 10 minutes or so. The small stains came-off with zero effort, and other than the main scorch, the pan never looked cleaner.

We scrubbed the scorch with the copper scrubs (tried the Scotch Bright pads, too -- copper worked better) and removed 90%, then re-did the process above -- the remaining black lifted right off.

[to100]

Sorry that it did not work for you, I use stainless steel scrubby and rinse with baking soda. I have to use house water and I am using my second container of BKH for stainless that was recommended by a kitchen store.
I also will try vinager tomorrow.
I was told to use raisens and sap to soak pan at end of season for a week or so, it helped.

[GeneralStark]

Looks like we may be back to cleaning those pans soon....I let the first of the new sap run onto the ground this morning as it did not look or smell pretty....the ice is scrubbing out the slime that grew in the lines last week when it was pushing 70 degrees. Still a little cloudy but no big deal.

I'm going to get around the woods for a good leak check in hopes for some serious sap the next few days...

[madmapler]

I'm going to get around the woods for a good leak check in hopes for some serious sap the next few days...

I hope that's the case. I've been sitting around the last few days waiting for things to start happening. I tried to do some leak checking yesterday but there wasn't enough sap in the lines to be able to pin point. Wasn't much better today.

[tcross]

sap ran half way decent last night. I'm a bit concerned by the amount of swelling I'm seeing in my red maples, which is about half my crop. I'm tempted to go around and unplug them over the weekend and hope I don't' have a bunch of buddy sap in my tank tonight when I get home! normally I end just a week or less before most people around me on all sugar maples, but that may not be the case this year!

[spud]

Sap started running a bit last night. I woke to about 3000 gallons in the tank. Sugar is 2% this morning. Should pick up at about 11:00 when the sun and temp goes up. The 10 day forecast is saying no sugaring in my area. I will shut the pump off tomorrow morning. I hope the last two weeks of March and the first 20 days of April will give us a ton more sap. I feel I'm at 45% of what I hope for this season. I noticed some swelling in the buds of my Zestar apple trees. These are a very early apple.

Spud

[madmapler]

Guy I know stopped by just as I was getting up this morning and told me I had sap running on the ground. That's one of the few things that could keep me from my morning coffee. On went the boots and cap and down the road I went, still wearing my sweatpants (basically pajamas). Looks like we're back in business. Sugar is 1.8-9 up from 1.3.

[to100]

I forgot to mention that I moisten pan, turn over to drain. Then I shake some on and wait 15 seconds or more while it activates. Then elbow grease.

[MJPJ Sugars]

Wow... looks like a week off after tonight? Getting cold again.


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