Contact time?

[OzarkPA]

I have a question about sanitizing - when star san says a 1-2 minute contact time, does that mean spray on and let sit for 1-2 minutes, or does that mean I have to make 5 gallons and let it sit in my fermenter for 1-2 minutes and then dump the whole thing out? Seems silly to dump the whole thing, but I haven't seen anything that actually defines what 'contact time' is!

 

[broadbill]

Contact time is defined by the amount of time the Star-san is in physical contact with whatever surface you are trying to sanitize. Regardless of whether you are spraying it on a surface, or mixing some in vessel you are sanitizing, wait 1-2 minutes and then it will be properly sanitized.

 

[Wellshooter]

I use the fill and dump method. The only way I can be sure.

 

[3PegBrew]

Fill and dump works.

You can also fill and swirl.

Or maybe fill and twirl.

Or fill and shake.

You can do what I love doing....fill and then plug with your finger (beer bottle). I don't care how old I get I am always amazed by suction.

Just don't fill and drink

 

[pericles]

You can absolutely spray and wait 3 minutes, then turn the carboy on its side and let the inside dry. I've not found spray to be effective with a carboy, so maybe half-fill and swirl. Or fill the whole way and let it sit.

Remember though, that star-san is a SANITIZER, not a cleaning agent. If you have anything larger than a couple of microorganisms, star san won't take care of that. I let the whole thing soak in oxyclean for 30 minutes before I sanitize. It's a two step process.

 

[stevo155]

I only put a quart or two in my fermenter and shake it up. The foam that Star San creates also sanitizes. I generally only make 2.5 gallons per brew session ( 2.5 gallons of water plus .5 oz of Star San ). I'd make less but it's easier measure the .5 oz on the Star San jug.

 

[wyzazz]

You only need wet contact time, not soaking. FWIW, Charley Talley (from 5-Star Chemicals) says that you only need 30 seconds of wet time, the 1-2minutes is required by the FDA. Don't let it dry, it won't hurt your beer...

 

[OzarkPA]

Well - the horse's mouth is where it seems logical to start. An ounce (max?) of spray vs. 5 gallons is quite a variation! I'm using one of the 5 gallon plastic buckets, so even distribution on the surface is a lot easier than a carboy.

 

[RCCOLA]

I spray on all the time. Works great and I only use ~ 1-2 ozs. Many, many batches done this way and I've never had an infected batch.

 

[Frank99]

When sanitizing the fermenter I clean throughly with a good cleaner and spray the inside, including inside the spigot, lid, etc. I do use the fill and dump method with my kegs as it's impossible to get into all the small areas with a sprayer. However, I only fill up with 2.5 gallons and cut the recommended dosage in half. Instead of dumping it down the drain, just pour it into a couple of sprayers that way your not wasting.