How long do you keep Starsan in use?

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joyceman

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I keep a 5 gal Home Depot bucket about 1/3 filled with Starsan and use it for about 3-4 weeks before dumping, usually because it accumulates crap from stuff that I rinse. Thats usually good for a couple of brews and 1-2 bottle sessions.

A guy I know locally dumps it after 1 use, which seems excessive to me.
 
I toss it at the end of the day. I use regular tap water and I don't care to test it with acid strips to be sure the stuff is still effective. Distilled water costs more than Star San. At the most I would use .5 ounces a week, if I brewed every week. And if I brewed every week, a 32 ounce bottle would last well over a year. However, 52 weeks times 5 gallons is 250+ gallons, which is unfortunately illegal in my household. I could probably reduce .5 ounces to .25 which would give me two years and over 120 batches.
 
When it turns cloudy you are suppose to dump it according to the manufacturer as stated in a podcast that is floating around here.
That time varies according to your water, it could last several months in distilled water. I have very hard water, it turns cloudy in less than 24 hours so I have to mix a new batch each time I need it. ( I am considering mixing a spray bottle with distilled water)
 
I usually mix up a gallon, and use it until I don't have any more. I end up spilling it over the course of a few weeks by pouring it back into the jug I store it in. I've kept a bigger batch for several months in the past, but now only mix up a small 1 gallon jug at a time.
 
I use it until the pH is greater than 3, or until the quart squirt bottle made with Star San and distilled water runs out...
 
AZ_IPA said:
I use it until the pH is greater than 3, or until the quart squirt bottle made with Star San and distilled water runs out...

I've heard that 3.5 is the magic number.
 
i make a 4+ gallon batch at a time with distilled water that i keep sealed in a bucket and test periodically with pH strips. makes sanitizing fermenters super easy; just fill it up, put the drilled lid in with whatever else you need sanitized, cover, flip and let sit a few times. usually use it a few months and mix a new batch once it get cloudy or just get too much hair/dirt/etc in it.
 
I've heard that the cloudy water test is not accurate because it's the minerals in your water turning the Star San cloudy, not the fact that it's "gone bad". Sometimes it looks cloudy after the first use. I dump mine every few weeks to a month. Don't really have a regular routine but have yet to have a problem.
 
i make a 4+ gallon batch at a time with distilled water that i keep sealed in a bucket and test periodically with pH strips. makes sanitizing fermenters super easy; just fill it up, put the drilled lid in with whatever else you need sanitized, cover, flip and let sit a few times. usually use it a few months and mix a new batch once it get cloudy or just get too much hair/dirt/etc in it.

What kind of pH strips do you have? The ones I got at the brew store start at 4-4.5 or around there, so when I use them there is a bit of guess work.
 
Though starsan has got a patent on it, we have something similar in Australia, and that can be bought premixed in 500ml spray bottles so I presume it would last quite a while
 
I never understood keeping the stuff and having to test it. Since you just need to get the surface wet, i just make up a half a gallon (doing the math to figure out how much starsan i need) or even less. Sometimes i just make two pints (32) oz. Doing this a bottle will last forever. No need to buy distilled water and worry abiut testing.
 
I test with strips because I usually keep it for 2 months or more. During that time the ph slowly creeps back up. By testing I know when to spike the mix with more Starsan or toss it.
 
This scares me. I just use it when I sanitize before brewing; I just pour some in, add some water, and let it sit until ready then i give it a thorough wash. is this bad?
 
This scares me. I just use it when I sanitize before brewing; I just pour some in, add some water, and let it sit until ready then i give it a thorough wash. is this bad?

No, although you dont need to wash it...assuming your just using tap water your just unsanitizing it by rinsing out the foam.

This thread is more related to how long you can use starsan before it goes bad, as a lot of people(myself included when i started) would make 5 gallon batches then dump it at the end of the brew day. Its just wasteful and i noticed i was going through starsan way too fast.
 
I try and start off brewing with a fresh batch of sanitizer and then end up hanging on to that same batch until I am kegging another brew usually (2-3 weeks or so). I also keep it until the level of "stuff" sitting on the bottom excedes my comfort zone.
 
I've heard that the cloudy water test is not accurate because it's the minerals in your water turning the Star San cloudy, not the fact that it's "gone bad". Sometimes it looks cloudy after the first use. I dump mine every few weeks to a month. Don't really have a regular routine but have yet to have a problem.

The cloudy water test was stated by the manufacturer in his podcast, that's where I heard it.
That said I found a very interesting video test that should put this question to rest.
 
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i typically keep mine for 2 or 3 months, but it'll depend on how many times i brew. if i've been using a batch for a while, i might re-dose it with a little more star san to ensure i'm back under the required pH. i should get some test strips... but i haven't.

when i'm ready to replace my batch, instead of dumping all of it i save a gallon or two in an empty milk jug. i then use that less-than-fresh star san in my blowoff tube setup.
 
I have heard that if you swish your hand around in it and it still makes bubbles it is still good. of course if you leave a bucket without a lid and a bunch of crap gets in it you should prolly change it.
 
untill i see more then 2 dog hairs at the bottom of the bucket.. my starsan does not get cloudy.EVER. that said. i did have a rogue dog hair get into a batch of skeeter pee i made. so it was then called diesel fuel (my dogs name is diesel). i donno how they get in there.. i keep the bucket sealed and try not to ever leave it open.. well i have a theory.. i sometimes forget to rinse off the bottom of measuring cups i might be pulling starsan out with that..
 
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