Bottles in Starsan - how long?

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I cleaned a bunch of bottles about a month ago when I bottled a batch; turns out I cleaned more than I needed

I left them in a cooler full of starsan, its been about a month, and in between that time i've brewed another batch thats ready for bottling next weekend.

Only curious how long any of you have left bottles submerged in starsan to use them - in my case - its been a month or so

In an earlier thread i think someone said that they can stay in there forever as long as they are submerged and the water ph stays at about 5.2

Any thoughts?
 
I think that they can stay as long as you need to, but there is really no need to keep bottles in Star-San. Star-San should have a pH of 3 to continue being effective.

I clean bottles, let them air dry for one hour and then drain and store away in plastic or cardboard cases. Next time I need to bottle, I take them out, rinse them and just bottle away.
 
I have hard water and things left in star san get a thick slimy film. I would have no desire to drink something coming from a container with that film on it. From what I've heard softer water doesn't have the same effect.

I use my RO water to fill starsan spray bottles and suck and don't get a film on those things.
 
Gameface does point out an important thing. Stra-San should be mixed with distilled water, as it will work better, but anyway, the pH of the Star-San solution is important and should be 3 or around there. Otherwise, it will not be as effective. Moreover, well-cleaned and rinsed bottles can be stored clean and dry in cases for the next time you are using them.
 
As was pointed out, items left in Starsan can get covered with a film and feel slimy.

My water is not considered hard, it's actually quite soft. But I noticed a white precipitate forming on everything left in an undisturbed Starsan bucket for a few days or longer. The precipitate is on the bottom of the bucket as well. It's kinda powdery, and will rinse off easily. Your bottles may have that precipitate on the bottom. I wouldn't want that in my beer!

I would rinse them out and resanitize. It only takes a minute of contact time to be sanitized.
 
The pH you want is 3.0 or below - no higher. I have never left them in Starsan long enough to get slimy. I don't use anything but tap water for mixing.

If you store bottles dry there is no need to sanitize them first. Once the Starsan dries they are no longer staying sanitary. If you did you need to sanitize again before bottling.
 
Im goin to split a few hairs here. This is similar to my question but slightly different.
I keep starsan, premixed, in a squirt bottle and was wondering how often I should flush/replace it?
It comes in handy for things laying around that need to come into contact with wort, like thermometers or spatulas etc.
 
Im goin to split a few hairs here. This is similar to my question but slightly different.
I keep starsan, premixed, in a squirt bottle and was wondering how often I should flush/replace it?
It comes in handy for things laying around that need to come into contact with wort, like thermometers or spatulas etc.

Get some cheap pH test strips. If the pH is 3.0 or less it is still good. I would say that in a bottle it should last years. The bottle on the other hand.... I have had some last a week or two and others years....
 
Get some cheap pH test strips. If the pH is 3.0 or less it is still good. I would say that in a bottle it should last years. The bottle on the other hand.... I have had some last a week or two and others years....

Thanks and Sweet. I won’t worry about a few weeks then. I usually only fill it about 1/2 way so it gets cycled through semi-regularly
 
Get some cheap pH test strips. If the pH is 3.0 or less it is still good. I would say that in a bottle it should last years. The bottle on the other hand.... I have had some last a week or two and others years....

Starsan tends to eat through things - plastic tubing in particular
 
The pH you want is 3.0 or below - no higher. I have never left them in Starsan long enough to get slimy. I don't use anything but tap water for mixing.

If you store bottles dry there is no need to sanitize them first. Once the Starsan dries they are no longer staying sanitary. If you did you need to sanitize again before bottling.
True dat! I rinse my bottles with a drop of unscented 7th generation soap, flush and store on the bottle tree and then sanitize right before bottling.
 
I prefer to use distilled water, if for no other reason than the mixture stays clear so I can see things I've dropped into it. Since I only make a new batch of star san every month or two, it's worth the tiny expense and tiny bit of trouble to use distilled.
 
Starsan tends to eat through things - plastic tubing in particular

You must be mixing it too strong. My first spray bottle lasted 6 months, the second one lasted 6 years, the third one is a 1 1/2 years now.

Or it is just the bottles, they are not precision instruments. Life expectancy anywhere between one day and many years.....
 
My water is not considered hard, it's actually quite soft. But I noticed a white precipitate forming on everything left in an undisturbed Starsan bucket for a few days or longer. The precipitate is on the bottom of the bucket as well. It's kinda powdery, and will rinse off easily. Your bottles may have that precipitate on the bottom. I wouldn't want that in my beer!

I have never left them in Starsan long enough to get slimy. I don't use anything but tap water for mixing.

My water is pretty soft - it runs 40 - 50 ppm hardness. The Star San turns cloudy, and items just left in it during the brew day get a slimy feel. Five Star told me it is fine, but it bothers me. I've gone back to using distilled water for now.

kh54s10: Does your Star San solution turn cloudy?
 
My water is pretty soft - it runs 40 - 50 ppm hardness. The Star San turns cloudy, and items just left in it during the brew day get a slimy feel. Five Star told me it is fine, but it bothers me. I've gone back to using distilled water for now.

kh54s10: Does your Star San solution turn cloudy?

My water in RI (from reservoirs never turned cloudy. The water here in Florida does. I've never notices slimy in either location.
 
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