5 stars iodophor

i am using 5 stars IO star (iodophore) - https://secure.midwestsupplies.com/index.php/aitdownloadablefiles/download/aitfile/aitfile_id/500/

it calls for 1 oz per 5 gallons to achieve the required concentration of 25ppm.
do you think i can make a smaller size solution and put it in a spray bottle?
dont want to waste so much sanitizer each time i brew or bottle.

It won't last long that way, but you can. If you are implying using that for sanitizing the bucket you need to maintain the minimum contact time. I don't find it that wasteful to add a couple caps to five gallons and use that once for everything on brew day. I had a large bottle that lasted quite awhile.

If you want a sanitizer you can decant into a spray bottle and store for a while, I'd recommend switching to StarSan by Five Star.

I make small doses whenever I'm doing hydrometer tests, or racking into an already sanitized container. I got a medicine dropper (a syringe without the needle) with graduated marks. 1.5ml will do 2Q IIRC.

You can use half the listed amount to get to 12.5 ppm, which is the no rinse amount. Contact time at 15 minutes as per George Fix in An Analysis of Brewing Techniques.

thanks for the reply's.
MattHollingsworth, unlike the BTF brand , the five star IO requires 25ppm for no rinse. but do you think i can make a smaller solution and spray my fermenting vessel instead of making a 5 gallon one and soaking it ?

I've used iodophors dilluted in spray bottles with RO water quite a lot, it stays longer than in the open air, when it's in a sealed bottle. You can get maybe a month's efficacy our of it, before it turns clear and becomes useless.

You can also mix small batches of it, like a gallon or so, just like with starsan, and swirl it around. You just have to figure out how much for you need to measure out/volume of water.

Just like with Starsan I find that translating it to ML makes it easier to measure. I use a medicine style eyedropper from the drugstore, the kind used to give liquid medicine to children.

thanks revvy. i will try that

dooksh said:

thanks for the reply's.
MattHollingsworth, unlike the BTF brand , the five star IO requires 25ppm for no rinse. but do you think i can make a smaller solution and spray my fermenting vessel instead of making a 5 gallon one and soaking it ?

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I don't know this brand, but it sounds like they're just trying to get you to use it twice as fast. That "25 ppm" or "12.5 ppm" number quoted is for how many parts per million of iodine in the solution. This is how iodophor works, that iodine is what's killing the germs. And, 12.5 ppm of iodine is sufficient to kill germs in a 15 minute period and is a no rinse concentration. The iodine in your solution should be no different from any other iodine and 12.5 ppm, for 15 minutes will be enough.

I don't use mine in a sprayer, but looks like you already have others answering that for you. If I were spraying, I would likely use the 25 ppm number anyway though, but can't say from direct experience.

thanks MattHollingsworth. i think maybe its a less concentrated iodophore, thats why it requires twice as much . i tryed to look look it up on HBT but i dont think many people use it. they probably prefer star san from the same company (cant get it over here)

dooksh said:

thanks MattHollingsworth. i think maybe its a less concentrated iodophore, thats why it requires twice as much . i tryed to look look it up on HBT but i dont think many people use it. they probably prefer star san from the same company (cant get it over here)

Click to expand...

You're misunderstanding. That number, 12.5 ppm or 25 ppm is not the parts per million of the Iodophor. It's the parts per million of the *iodine* IN the iodophor solution you make with water. The iodophor I use has 5% iodine, for instance. Going from memory, they recommend 5 ml per 10 liters of water to yield 25 ppm of IODINE in the solution, so I cut that in half to get the 12.5 ppm number, which is a no rinse concentration of iodine in the solution. Think of the iodophor as a delivery vehicle for the iodine.

In their own information sheet, they say that you use 1 oz in 10 gallons for 12.5 ppm of titratable iodine.

http://www.brew-winemaking.com/ProductPDF/7170.pdf

Is this making sense? If *their own* information is telling you that 1 oz. per five gallons yields 25 ppm of iodine, then cutting that in half will yield half of the iodine, or 12.5 ppm. It doesn't matter if it's a different concentration. I'm not telling you to match the dilution rate of another product, I'm telling you to cut the amount they recommend in half based on their own information. And that linked sheet above it even says you can use 12.5 ppm and that's their info. Bear in mind, though, the contact time should likely be 15 minutes then.

Hope this is making sense.

Also, you can use Google to search and will see some threads here on HBT about that product.

your right MattHollingsworth , i misunderstood the whole thing. thanks . i will follow your advice and use half the amount (more contact time).

Glad to help. If you use a spray, I'd follow the advice of the others here who've done that as I haven't.

I never measure my iodophor. Just add slowly to whatever amount of water you wish, til its a light straw color. Never had any problems when kegging or brewing(that I noticed).

Head over to Basic Brewing Radio and search for the podcast on Iodophor.

March 22, 2007 - Sanitizing with Iodophor
Murl Landman of National Chemicals talks to us about sanitization techniques in general and using Iodophor specifically.