5 Star Cleaner, Why does water level go down?

I've always wondered this, just for curiosity...

I put the proper amount of Five Star cleaner powder in my carboy, then fill with hot water, stopping to shake to stir it up somewhat.

Once I get it all the way full, to the brim, I walk away. I come back several minutes later and the water level is below the neck of the carboy.

My Five Star cleaner appears to defy the laws of physics! Matter cannot be created nor destroyed- but somehow my water level drops!

You mention hot water. Water when hot expands, so after you wait a little while it cools and "shrinks". I notice the same when I chill wort, there is even a "wort shrinkage" variable in brewing software to calculate the amount it will shrink.

I thought that as well. Was hoping I wasn't crazy.

Thanks! Mystery solved

Five Star is a company. Are you referring to PBW? It releases oxygen when it dissolves. I always chalked it up to that.

mpcluever said:

Five Star is a company. Are you referring to PBW? It releases oxygen when it dissolves. I always chalked it up to that.

Click to expand...

I was going to say this. There's a ton of bubbling going on as soon as the hot water hits the PBW. You aren't destroying matter, just evolving it as gas.

Its from the expansion from the hot water, the PBW shouldnt cause enough evaporation to notice

It's a cleaner, right? Cleaners clean up messes and make them disappear. Well, it cleans up water too and makes it disappear. That's why they call it no-rinse, because it cleans up the water too, so it dries automatically.

Glass carboy stretches, flexes and settles to a larger volume.

ryan0914 said:

Its from the expansion from the hot water, the PBW shouldnt cause enough evaporation to notice

Click to expand...

Over a couple minutes? I'm guessing it's gas suspended in the liquid (it's hard to fill a carboy without a bunch of aeration) coupled with the gas evolution.

Hot water shrinks everything! Don't you do laundry!?

could be some of the volume was gasses that have left