Star San turns cloudy, use iodophor instead?

When mixing Star San with my tap water at the correct proportions, the mixture turns cloudy quickly. Would using iodophor be a better solution for me? Buying distilled water would become very expensive very quickly.

 

Cloudiness doesn't matter to the effectiveness of star san, really. The only way to know if it's still effective is to test its pH.
Many people have reported that their star san turns cloudy immediately but pH tests have shown it's still effective and the cloudiness is just a reaction to something in your specific water.

https://www.google.com/search?q=immediately+cloudy+star+san+site:www.homebrewtalk.com

 

I suppose I should get some litmus paper strips. What's the recommended maximum pH of the Star San solution

 

If I use my local tap water, it turns cloudy very quickly, but the pH is fine. I often make it with distilled (88 cents/gallon at WalMart) water when I have some on hand. It doesn't add much to the cost since StarSan is reusable except for that which I run through the spray bottle.

I have no plans to ever switch to iodophor. I like to be able to dunk my hands in the StarSan if needed and spray it on surfaces without concerns about staining.

 

RO water works great as well. I get mine from the local walmart machine for 38 cents a gal.

 

Less than 3.0 is what I've read in a few different places.

 

Actually hard water does degrade the solution.

Many of us use a spray bottle for Star San. A quart lasts for four or five batchs.

You’re right that Iodophor does not react with hard water. It does stain a little. Also it evaporates out of solution. If the color goes away, add some more.