If iodophor solution has been sitting in a keg for weeks...

... can I just empty it and rack my beer in there? I have two 3 gallon kegs that I 1/2 filled with iodophor when I cleaned them. I didn't know until recently that iodophor loses its effectiveness. Since the kegs have been sealed, is it safe for me to rack into them after emptying?
And given that iodophor breaks down so quickly (based on what I read on here), what is a cost-effective way to use this stuff? I used to keep a bucket full of it and soak equipment as needed. I guess I was lucky that nothing got infected.

Thanks.

It was my understanding that iodine solutions are one of the few sanitizers that don't lose their effectiveness...so I'm interested in this as well.

If they've been sealed they should be fine...what I would do though is pop them one at a time add a little bit of iodophor concentrate into it, swirl it up and shake up the carboy...

As long as the iodophor is sealed and has color to it it is still good...In a sealed spray bottle using RO water, that could be months....I have a spray bottle with purposefully OVER concentrated iodophor/Distilled Water that hasn't lost it's color in 3 or more months...

Some of us who do store iodophor just "prime" the solution with some more concentrate every now and then, just to bring it back up to the straw color....the color is an indication of efficacy, just like PH is for starsan....

If your bucket was SEALED with your equipment in it then everything is and WAS fine...Relax.

If you want to make the efficacy of iodophor or starsan last longer mix it with RO, Distilled or Pre Boiled water...and leave the container sealed.

You will be fine...

I too have read that iodophor will lose it's effectiveness over time. I do not know if it is slowed in a sealed container or not. It doesn't take long to make a new batch so if it was me I would likely re sanitize.

There's an interesting experiment on iodophor storage here;

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-bKq6zTQ8f7NO6pp3_3b2GA--?cq=1&p=348

He doesn't distinquish whether or not the base water was tap or distilled, I'm going to assume since he didn't clarify that it was tap...

His conclusion using iodine test strips is that;

onclusions:

* Storing 25ppm iodophor solution is OK for a limited amount of time.
* Pay careful attention to storage conditions. Avoid direct sunlight and don't use aluminum foil to seal the container.
* 3 weeks max. With even more careful storage it may last longer, but you should test for yourself to be sure.

Click to expand...

He admits in a later post that the aluminum foil used to seal the test jar as well as the pin holes in the tinfoil may have hastened the degredation of the iodophor...

So I maintain that you're good for AT LEAST a month..if the vessel is sealed.


And this is from an I-view with Natl. Chemical's (The maker of BTF Iodophor) General Manager...

Dr. Landman explained that there are a number of things that work to degrade the products' efficacy. Chlorine and protein load were the two mentioned first, but Dr. Landman agreed that both sunlight and exposure to the atmosphere may very well be factors. Iodophor is very stable in it's undiluted form, but will begin to degrade, (albeit slowly), once it has been diluted to a working solution. In either case, it is far more stable than chlorine which begins to degrade immediately upon being manufactured. The color of the iodophor solution is a rough guide to it's effectiveness as a sanitizer. If the solution still has its amber color, it is most likely still active. It is recommended that a fresh solution should be mixed when the color fades...

Click to expand...

So go back into relax mode everybody...

Thanks. I am down to the last 1/4 or so of a 4 oz bottle I bought YEARS ago (believe it or not)...I hadn't brewed in a very long time. Based on other threads I've read on here, I'm now considering switching to Star-San or possibly buying straight iodine (due to the economics of it).

According to the directions on my package of B-T-F "as long as there is an amber color in the solution a sufficient amount of Iodine is present in solution for sanitizing"

I've always just used that as my indicator and never had a problem

yup - I routinely leave a keg filled w/ BTF (iodophor) solution in my keezer. very convenient for flushing out my lines every couple weeks. i always use that keg for my next batch - it's all clean, sanitized, pressure-tested and ready to go. (note to self: remember to turn off the gas to the sanitizer keg when not using. i don't know how much co2 i've wasted carbonating iodophor water).

when i make a fresh iodophor keg, I always leave it sit upside down for a day to sanitize the top of the keg. then i put it in my keezer.

a couple of times, i've noticed dark brown/black sediment in the bottom of my iodophor keg. i'm pretty sure i wound up mixing too-high a concentration, and evidently some fell out of solution and caked on the bottom of the keg. it comes out with a rinse, no prob - just watch out that you don't rack a beer on top of that.