camden tablets limitations

[misha]

Is it ok to apply camden tablets for the 3rd time? I'm thinking of doing that to try to get rid of that whit stuff forming, and stabilize it befor final stagfe of botling. Before that it was treated that way - first when decanting from buckets to smaller containers, then after about two months - again to stabilize it in those containers, now the final time...it was around 1tablet per gallon, and now i want to use the same proportions. Thanks!

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Misha, many seasoned wine makers add SO2 (campden tabs or K-meta) every time they rack. Adding SO2 inhibits oxidation.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The "white stuff" forming is probably a pellicle (from wild yeast and/or bacteria), but it could also be mold, which is dangerous. It's important to know the difference.

The growth of either one indicates that you don't have a high enough level of sulfite.

Repeated racking and multiple sulfite additions vastly increases the chance that you will either have too much or too little sulfite, leading to problems with spoilage or oxidation respectively.

This article should help you move past the random guesswork of adding a generic number of camden tablets at random times.
https://***************.com/wiki/Sulfite

Cheers