lou2row

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Was going to de label some bottles while bottling and brewing today. Decided to make a new batch of starsan up so I dumped the old stuff in the tub my bottles were in. Added some oxyclean (1/3 scoop) in prior to running my wort chiller water in. After a while, the water looked like a snow globe; flocculating into floating rafts.



Has anyone done this before? It wasn't giving off a bad smell or doing anything but clumping up.

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jtupper

Recipes 

FWIW and keep in mind I am not chemist*

Starsan is an acid based disinfectant. Thats how it works. microbes can't live in the acidic environment it creates.

Oxyclean is a bleach. Not chlorinated like clorox but still a bleach. Therefore it is an alkaline product. Allalines are in most household cleaners as they break down greases quite well.

I would say your rafts are a byproduct of the neutralization taking place. I would probably choose one or the other. Typically mixing acids and bleaches can have some nasty effects.

Once again I am not a MD or a chemist so take what I say for what it's worth. Maybe a more qualified person should chime in as well.

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BradleyBrew

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I havent had luck reusing XX bottles. My wing capper can not crimp down on them...

McLompoc

Recipes 

Wash with oxy clean. Rinse! Sanitize with star san. Do not rinse.

To remove the labels soak the bottles overnight in some baking soda and H2O and then do the oxy-star san method.

lou2row

Recipes 

That is my normal ritual. I have to bring out buckets of water from in the house to the shop, so I was just saving a trip with the old starsan.

I'll try the baking soda and see how that works on the bottles. I was given a bunch of XX bottles, so haven't tried them yet. As hard as it is getting the labels off, if they don't work I am going to be P.O.ed!

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McLompoc

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Yeah, that would suck! I'd be P.O.'d too! Have you tried to cap one empty just to see if the cap stays tight?

william_shakes_beer

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I usually use (tap) hot water and a 24 hour soak to remove labels. No chemestry involved.

CannibalAJ

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If I remember Chemistry 101 correctly, combining a base and an acid causes neutralization to occur. The neutralization creates H2O and "precipitate". Essentially you created a weaker cleaning solution with a bunch of trace minerals floating around.

*DISCLAIMER* I was drunk in Chemistry 101

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seabass07

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You basically made your old starsan useless. If you have too much oxyclean residue on your equipment from not rinsing enough, it can bump the ph of the starsan up to where it is not effective.

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BamaRooster

Recipes 

Ammonia also works great for removing labels.

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