Star San turns cloudy, use iodophor instead?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
P

petrolSpice

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
833
Reaction score
101
When mixing Star San with my tap water at the correct proportions, the mixture turns cloudy quickly. Would using iodophor be a better solution for me? Buying distilled water would become very expensive very quickly.
 
I suppose I should get some litmus paper strips. What's the recommended maximum pH of the Star San solution
 
thadass said:
Cloudiness doesn't matter to the effectiveness of star san, really. The only way to know if it's still effective is to test its pH.
Many people have reported that their star san turns cloudy immediately but pH tests have shown it's still effective and the cloudiness is just a reaction to something in your specific water.

https://www.google.com/search?q=immediately+cloudy+star+san+site:www.homebrewtalk.com
Click to expand...

If I use my local tap water, it turns cloudy very quickly, but the pH is fine. I often make it with distilled (88 cents/gallon at WalMart) water when I have some on hand. It doesn't add much to the cost since StarSan is reusable except for that which I run through the spray bottle.

I have no plans to ever switch to iodophor. I like to be able to dunk my hands in the StarSan if needed and spray it on surfaces without concerns about staining.
 
RO water works great as well. I get mine from the local walmart machine for 38 cents a gal.
 
Cloudiness doesn't matter to the effectiveness of star san, really.
Click to expand...

Actually hard water does degrade the solution.

Many of us use a spray bottle for Star San. A quart lasts for four or five batchs.

You’re right that Iodophor does not react with hard water. It does stain a little. Also it evaporates out of solution. If the color goes away, add some more.

The official answer is that Star San solutions should be clear and a pH below 3.5.

If you used Distilled water the solution would not turn cloudy. The product can react with hard water and turn cloudy. The Minerals in the water can react with the anionic portion of the star san and cause it to go bad. Yes, when this happens you should consider making a fresh solution. The cloudiness usually forms after a dwell time or when people try and store the solution for multiple weeks. If this is the case then, yes always start with a fresh solution.

Jon Herskovits
Five Star
Click to expand...
 

Similar threads

Clint Yeastwood
How to Get Gelatin into Pressurized Beer?
Replies
27
Views
2K
sibelman
sibelman
Clint Yeastwood
Duotight and CO2: Hand-Tight not Enough?
Replies
8
Views
849
DuncB
D
R
First timer
Replies
17
Views
808
oakbarn
oakbarn
bolepa
My first try on forced mead carbonation
Replies
5
Views
1K
bolepa
bolepa
O
Tangy Aftertaste
Replies
5
Views
801
hottpeper13
H
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top