Brew Hauler vs. Starsan

After being thoroughly impressed with the Brew Hauler on my secondary, I am considering buying second one for my primary and I have a question...

In order to keep my fermentation temps down, I use the tub of water and ice bottles method I have found on this site, so the question is this: Since I add Starsan to the water in the plastic tub, (to inhibit the growth of mold/bacteria) would the acidity level of the Starsan eat away at the Brew Hauler? I only ask since it will be partially submerged in the water for over a week at a time.

Also, I generally pour 1/2 gallon of pre-diluted Starsan (diluted to the directions on the bottle) that I have leftover from sanitizing while brewing into the tub, so I am sure the ph level is pretty low. I just hate to order the Brew Hauler and have it disintegrate due to prolonged exposure to Starsan.

I'm not sure if the acidity level of Star San would cause problems or not but you can also use a small bit of bleach in the water to achieve the same protection without concern.

Thanks for the reply, duboman, and have considered this, but I would be more worried about the affect the diluted water/bleach would have on the fabric of the Brew Hauler, as it would be partially submerged in the solution until fermentation was complete. After several batches, they bleach might just weaken the fabric of the hauler. The Brew Hauler website states that the "materials are washable and bleach resistant". The last thing i want to do is start an "I broke my carboy and almost severed my foot" thread, lol....or am I over thinking this?

My brew hauler got moldy so I soaked it in weak bleach for a day. It got rid of the mold but the brewhauler is permanently faded from the bleaching. The structural integrity of the fabric does not seem to be affected.

I wouldn't use a carboy without a brewhauler.

I would take some discoloration over disintegrated fabric any day

duboman said:

I'm not sure if the acidity level of Star San would cause problems or not but you can also use a small bit of bleach in the water to achieve the same protection without concern.

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Prolonged contact with bleach would not be good either. IMO

Personally, I would not bother to add anything to the water for only a week.

And I would not recommend using an acid (starsan) or bleach with the nylon strapping.

Have you had a problem with mold or algae in your water for such a short time before?

I have not had a problem with mold or algae in the water so far, but the first time I used this method I noticed the towel I was using to cover the carboy started smelling soured. But, since I have been using the starsan, I haven't had an issue.

I didn't even use a towel this time. I just placed the plastic tub in the spare bathroom tub, and closed the shower curtain! I am beginning to think a milk crate may be my best option....

Nylon does not break down easily. I don't think you will have any issues with this. It would be a prolonged exposure at a highly concentrated amount for it to break down the hauler.

itsernst said:

Nylon does not break down easily. I don't think you will have any issues with this. It would be a prolonged exposure at a highly concentrated amount for it to break down the hauler.

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Yeah. Now that I think about it, it would probably take years for there to be a noticeable effect on it. If it were repeatedly subjected to a strong solution and used in a safety situation I might be hesitant, but your really not going to hurt it much with a weak acid or bleach solution.

Also, you know that adding a bit of starsan to your water is not helping anything? At that dilution the acids are too weak to be effective at killing anything. You really need to mix it at close to it's recommended dilution for it to be effective. Bleach is a more cost effective sanitizer for that role.

I don't generally add anything to my swamp cooler, but when I do, it's just a tiny bit of bleach

Thanks for all of the input! I just ordered another Brew Hauler! I realize that I am not mixing at full rate when I add the starsan, but as mentioned earlier, it keeps the towel wrapped around the carboy from smelling soured. I just want a better way to haul my carboys, as I recently found out the neck mount handles WERE NOT for hauling them when full! Since I'm now addicted and brewing every other weekend (brewing and imperial porter partial mash this weekend) I want to keep these carboys around as long as possible.

Homercidal said:

Also, you know that adding a bit of starsan to your water is not helping anything? At that dilution the acids are too weak to be effective at killing anything. You really need to mix it at close to it's recommended dilution for it to be effective. Bleach is a more cost effective sanitizer for that role.

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My first 8 months or so of brewing I misread (I read through it quickly once) the starsan label as 1/2 oz per 5 gallons. I used that mixture for a long time with no infections. Just the other day my girlfriend was mixing the sanitizer and said "how much" I told her 1/2 oz. She said "really? this says 1 oz." From experience I'd say it does work when diluted more than recommended. This is just FYI, I don't condone the misuse of starsan