Spray or Soak to Sanitize?

Ok, I think I went through my bottle of Star-San faster than I needed.

I had basically been making a full five-gallons each time I needed to sanizitze then submerged my gear. But, I see that some people just make a spray bottle and spray.

Is spraying enough? Even just spraying the inside of a fermenting or bottling bucket before adding ingredients?

Thanks!

i'll let you know. my first time i soaked everything, this time i sprayed everything. i'm 1 week into and everything looks good so far... i'm sure there are some OG's around here that can tell you before i'll be able to though.

You dont have to throw out your sanitizer everytime. You can reuse it a few times before pouring it out. I used mine for three batches and then poured it out and made a new batch.

I mix 2 gallons and dunk all my junk in there. When I'm done, I bottle it up in old water jugs and reuse it for 3-4 sessions.

soak it this won't cause you to use more plus its just easier to throw your gear in a bucket of star san when its not in use during your brew session

I personally don't see spraying as ever being "enough" though I'm sure if you spray enough on there, it would be fine. Just have to wonder at what point would it be easier to dip than spray a hundred times.

A few things you should do. Make smaller amounts when you don't need a full five gallons. When you need a full five gallons, ask yourself, can I make 2.5 and slosh it around the bucket. Last, try to find a tall slender container for sanitizer. Something tall enough to fit a good portion of an auto siphon or wine thief in while not using a ton of sanitizer.

You can spray StarSan onto your equipment to sanitize it....just be sure to give the piece(s) of equipment at least 15 seconds of contact time with the solution for it to be effective. I also make about 2.5 gallons at a time, fill a spray bottle with it, and use it to spray anything that will come into contact with the brew (yeast packs, stirring spoon after flame out, etc.)

The back of the bottle indicates that spraying is fine, but they also indicate that it needs 60 seconds contact time. I have always abided by the 15 second rule, and have yet to have an issue.

+1 to re-using the stuff. I keep a gallon of in the garage fridge to use when i brew my next batch. After 10-12 days I toss it though.

Technically, spraying it is enough. IMO, though, spraying also makes it possible to miss things. Plus, seems kind of PITA to spray everything. I mix up 10 gallons in a big plastic tub and just throw things in as I need them sanitized. I can submerge jugs for yeast starters, throw in tubing, Buckets for fermenting or bottling. I can even fully submerge my 3 gallon kegs. I can take a small bucket and fill kegs with starsan and dump them back in. Just super easy and handy for me to do it this way. I make a batch of 10-15 gallons and I will use it for 4-6 weeks or so before making a new batch. It keeps very well and retains its sanitizing properties. To be honest, Probably would not even need to make a new batch as often as I do. Any time I have tested pH, it has still been 2.5-2.8 which is the key to its effects. So, personally, I prefer dunking stuff, but definitely don't make a new batch everytime.

I typically mix up 2.5 gallons of Star San at a time. To sanitize my fermenting vessel(s), I pour about 2 quarts in and swirl it around to completely cover, then close it off until needed (I dump out the Star San solution right before I go to fill them). I submerge hoses, and small items until I need them. Anything too large to submerge in the solution I mix up gets sprayed. I (as with many here) keep a spray bottle of Star San available at all times. Never know when you'll need a quick squirt of it on something. Things like the liquid posts of kegs for example (before connecting up a line).

Remember, people, you ONLY need to sanitize things that come into contact with the wort POST BOIL... Mixing up 5 or 10 gallons per batch is making far too much. You can also continue to use the solution until the PH has gone up enough to make it ineffective as a sanitizer. Most say to do that when it hits a PH above 3.0. There's some saying the line is at 3.5.

BTW, Braufessor, you're going WAY over the top. If you're even moderately competent you can use the spray bottle method on a LOT of things. A heavy mist spray setting will cover items easily, quickly, and not use an excessive amount. I also use the bucket of Star San solution (2.5 gallons typically) to sanitize my flasks before pouring the starter wort into them (for the first starter step). IMO, submerging kegs is unwise at best. You're probably putting crud into the mix that you don't need to. 1-2 quarts poured in, the lid closed and pressurized to seal, and then swirled around is more than enough to do the job. I also run the Star San solution out the liquid tube to make sure that part is good. Of course, I also do that when cleaning my kegs (after they kick) so I don't worry about it later.

Hmm, ok. much to think about. I don't think storing is an option as I only make a batch about every six weeks. (hopefully more this summer).

I'm thinking maybe I'll just make a gallon, slosh what I can, siphon through tubing what I can, then, pour that into a spray bottle to spray what I missed.

Thanks all!

ryan_howard said:

Hmm, ok. much to think about. I don't think storing is an option as I only make a batch about every six weeks. (hopefully more this summer).

I'm thinking maybe I'll just make a gallon, slosh what I can, siphon through tubing what I can, then, pour that into a spray bottle to spray what I missed.

Thanks all!

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Depending on the size bottle of Star San you got, you might only have the 1/2 and 1 ounce markings on the measure section. I think the 8oz bottle might have smaller measure increments on it, but it's been so long since I've had one that small it's hard to remember (I usually go for the 16oz bottle since it's cheaper per ounce). So unless you have another way to measure 1/4oz of the concentrate, just make 2.5 gallons.

Get a bucket with a solid lid and you can keep it there. Use either filtered, distiller, or RO water and it should stay clear for a long time. I'm doing a test with my filtered water now.

I mix it by the gallon using measuring spoons to get 6ml/gal.

For sanitizing I generally soak, except for bottles and buckets, into which I put a (relatively) small amount then shake to thoroughly wet all internal surfaces then drain out the excess. Doing it this way I get it all done on 2 gallons and have most of that left over. I don't brew all that frequently though so I just make a fresh batch each time.