Star San - Hard vs Soft Water

[J2W2]

Hi,

I had recently read somewhere that Star San should be mixed with soft water, as the minerals in hard water tend to make the active chemicals settle out; in turn shortening the life-span of the batch.

I've always mixed mine in the kitchen sink or my brewing sink, both of which don't go through the softener. I recently made a batch of Star San using soft water. I believe (this was a few weeks ago) it was kind of cloudy like it always is for me when I mixed it. But after a few days I noticed it was just as clear as plain water. The batches I make with hard water start cloudy and stay that way.

I've also noticed after they sit for a week or two, the ones made with hard water will have a white residue on the bottom of the jug. The one I made with soft water did not have any residue on the bottom. I just dumped it out, and it foamed fairly well in the sink.

So, is it best to mix it with soft water, and assume a recent batch is still good, even if it's clear? I just want to make sure on this since I'm used to using the cloudy batches.

Thanks!

 

[Mexibilly]

Can't attest to any dos or donts, but I have a soft water spigot for car washing next to my driveway and garage door. I always make my starsan from this spigot and have never had any sort of infection.
I use my hard water spigot (near the garden) for hydrating yeast, but always use soft for rinsing and sanitizing

 

[Yambor44]

According to Starsan (I think) once it turns cloudy it it's time for a new batch. My results are the same as yours. We recently moved to a home with it's own well and water softener. On city water (other house) my starsan would start at stay cloudy. With the well water and softener, stays crystal clear. Both foam up when agitated. If I had the choice, I would mix with the soft water.

 

[imasickboy]

All I can say for certain is that as long as the pH is not above 3, then it is still effective. Cloudy or clear, the important part is the pH.

If you really want to know what kind of water is best, mix 3 batches at the same time. One with hard, one with soft, and one with distilled, which, I think, was supposed to be best. Measure pH weekly, until you only have one "good" batch left.

 

[day_trippr]

The cloudy thing is completely misrelated two posts above.
What has actually been said (repeatedly) by Mister Five Star is cloudiness is no indication of viability.
Only a pH test knows for sure...

Cheers!

 

[Yambor44]

Good call on the PH. Totally forgot about that. I had a digital ph meter and would test it monthly until Duracell decided it needed to leak acid in it and ruin it. I would get over 3 months and never get above 3. At that point I felt it needed changing just because I wanted cleaner water.

 

[ebstauffer]

I've mixed SS with hard and soft water. When mixed with the former the Ca and Mg do in fact precipitate out and give a cloudy appearance. The pH, however, is fine. Incidentally, over time the precipitate will eventually settle out as the OP noted. Bottom line: get a pH meter or test strips.

Edit: spelling

 

[J2W2]

Thanks for all the advice!

I'll start mixing it with soft water, and I'll pick up a ph test kit.

 

[schematix]

My North Carolina tap water (moderately hardness; moderate alkalinity) never turned cloudy. My St Louis MO tap water (about same hardness but much higher alkalinity) turns cloudy within a few minutes.

I make it with RO water now. I mix up a strong 32oz batch about once every other 10G batch. I used to mix up fresh 5G buckets of the stuff for every brew day, but since determined that was a huge waste. Never turns cloudy.

 

[Wynne-R]

The official answer is that Star San solutions should be clear and a pH below 3.5.

If you used Distilled water the solution would not turn cloudy. The product can react with hard water and turn cloudy. The Minerals in the water can react with the anionic portion of the star san and cause it to go bad. Yes, when this happens you should consider making a fresh solution. The cloudiness usually forms after a dwell time or when people try and store the solution for multiple weeks. If this is the case then, yes always start with a fresh solution.

Jon Herskovits
Five Star

This is a question that won’t die. Check the label. Two ingredients. 15% dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and 50% phosphoric acid.

I suppose it’s possible Five Star added the DBSA detergent as a goof and we could be using much cheaper phosphoric acid. If all you care about is the pH you could use vinegar or lemon juice. Maybe Coca Cola. Y’all try that and let me know how it turns out.