question about starsan

I recently ordered some supplies from AHB one of which was some Starsan.. forom what i gather (being a newbe) It is mixed at 5 gal. My question is if it is mixed in 5 gal how long can i keep it before i need to dump it. Can i keep it stored in one of my empty pails between uses or do i need to dump it and re-mix every batch.

packy28 said:

I recently ordered some supplies from AHB one of which was some Starsan.. forom what i gather (being a newbe) It is mixed at 5 gal. My question is if it is mixed in 5 gal how long can i keep it before i need to dump it. Can i keep it stored in one of my empty pails between uses or do i need to dump it and re-mix every batch.

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I use Iodophor, but I'm pretty sure you can mix it in any quantity you like.

It's one ounce of Star-san for five gallons of water. The best part is that if you overshoot it a little, there won't be any negative effects.

IIRC, you can keep it for a few weeks before it starts losing it's effectiveness. It stays best if you cover it up!

You don't need to mix a large batch. It isn't necessary to fill containers to sanitize them. A small quantity splashed or sprayed to make contact with the entire surface area of a vessel or tool will take care of things.

thanks for the fast replies this site is awsome..:rockin:

If you use distilled water and keep it sealed, it will last for months. When you use tap water it becomes hazy in a few weeks generally indicating (but not always) the pH has changed and it is no longer an effective sanitizer.

I have been working off the same 5 gallons for almost a year (10 brews or more) and I still have 2+ gallons. If your equipment is cleaned thoroughly before sanitizing you can pour it back in your storage container when you are finished.

Two things in closing

1. A $.99 spray bottle and wallpaper tray are your friends. The spray bottle is handy when taking hydrometer reading among other things. The wall paper tray is good for long spoons, hoses and two handed bottle sanitizing. Both can be found at your local big box hardware store for less that $10.00.

2. Don't fear the (starsan)foam! You can search this site for a number of threads on this topic.

Cheers

From what I understand it doesn't last that long if you mix it with tap water. I had a bucket go south over night. It made everything slimy that was soaking in it.

If you mix it with distilled water it will last for around a month or until it goes cloudy. I have a gallon of distilled water starsan mix that I always keep on hand. I pour it in a spray bottle and use that for a lot of the sanitation. It was the best bang for your buck addition to my brewing supplies period.

Best was to tell if it's still good is with ph strips. You can buy them off eBay for around a buck a pack. They are not super accurate but close enough to tell if sanitizer is still good.

bad67z posted while I was typing so I guess +1

ShakerD said:

From what I understand it doesn't last that long if you mix it with tap water. I had a bucket go south over night. It made everything slimy that was soaking in it.

If you mix it with distilled water it will last for around a month or until it goes cloudy. I have a gallon of distilled water starsan mix that I always keep on hand. I pour it in a spray bottle and use that for a lot of the sanitation. It was the best bang for your buck addition to my brewing supplies period.

Best was to tell if it's still good is with ph strips. You can buy them off eBay for around a buck a pack. They are not super accurate but close enough to tell if sanitizer is still good.

bad67z posted while I was typing so I guess +1

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+1

If you plan to keep it over a day or so, use distilled water. Tap water mixed with StarSan won't last long. (Watch for it to get hazy, you know its not working at that point)