how long is starsan good for?

[bottlebomber]

And I don't mean in the bottle. I would assume that it would last forever there.

I mean, I often keep a 5 gallon bucket full, and since I have been making a lot of beer lately, like every or every other weekend, I've just gotten in the babit of using and keeping it around till it gets funky then I dump it. Has anyone ever had a problem with doing this? Is the starsan only effective for a limited time once it goes into solution? Thanks.

 

[phidelt1499]

It's good so long as the pH remains at or below 3. Just go find some cheap pH strips that will show this and test before you use.

FWIW, I have kept starsan in my bottling bucket for about 4 weeks now and it's still good.

 

[Fetus]

If you mix up StarSan with distilled water, it'll last quite a long time. As was mentioned, as long is the pH is at or below 3, it's still good.

 

[bottlebomber]

Ok ill pick up some test strips... good rule of thumb. Thanks guys

 

[unionrdr]

My gallon of star-san is about 2 months old,down to 1/3 jug. But still good till yesterday,when dog dander got in my secondary after cleaning it a second time. Gotta get more distilled water & make another batch. About 1 1/4tsp per gallon of distilled water.

 

[janivar123]

I newer use it after it is no longer clear

 

[bottlebomber]

I soak my poly hoses in it for a day or two after I brew. Has anyone had their tubes cloud up after that? I recently left them in a little long, and im pretty sure it etched the poly

 

[cactussam]

I soak my poly hoses in it for a day or two after I brew. Has anyone had their tubes cloud up after that? I recently left them in a little long, and im pretty sure it etched the poly

I was also wondering about cloudy hoses, I left mine in some oxy clean over night to try to get out some stubborn coloration and they came out cloudy. Should I be worried?

 

[smagee]

Hoses often get cloudy (and in my experience, slimy/oily) after a good starsan soak. I just rinse with tap water after that and it usually takes care of it. Same deal with oxyclean. Even if the cloud doesn't fade, the hoses are still fine.

 

[bottlebomber]

Slimy hoses I've definitely experienced. I just assumed it was the starsan I was feeling, but maybe it does break down the hose a little. As long as its sterile I guess it doesn't matter

 

[gr8shandini]

I never use it after it is no longer clear

This. I don't have a PH meter, but I listened to a podcast on Brewing Network a while back that featured the inventor of Starsan. He said that turbidity is a pretty good measure of its sanitizing power. If it's still clear, it's probably OK.

 

[unionrdr]

After 2 months,mine's pretty clear. But yesterday I used a funnel,coffee filter,& 1/2G vodka jug to filter my star-san & pbw. Had dog hair/dander,label glue/shreds in it. All nice & clean now,just a little wisp of cloudiness.
I've used pbw for 7 weeks straight,24/7 soaking recycled bottles before I finally pitched it. Tough stuff.

 

[smagee]

I've seen a lot of people using the "good as long as it's clear" statement for how long to keep their sanitizer, and it's always confused me. I've never seen a solution of star-san that *wasn't* cloudy, be it several months old or freshly mixed. Am I the only one with this experience? I've always used it cloudy and never had a problem regardless.

 

[bottlebomber]

I've seen a lot of people using the "good as long as it's clear" statement for how long to keep their sanitizer, and it's always confused me. I've never seen a solution of star-san that *wasn't* cloudy, be it several months old or freshly mixed. Am I the only one with this experience? I've always used it cloudy and never had a problem regardless.

Mine is clear right when I mix it, for example in a freshly sanitized carboy. But after I dump it in a bucket and clean a few things its cloudy immediately, but I don't think that means it isn't good

 

[mdgagne]

I think the mineral content of the water can make the starsan solution cloudy, I have well water with moderate-high mineral content and my starsan solution is semi-cloudy from the moment I mix up a batch. I've had my hydrometer sitting a tube filled with starsan for a couple weeks and haven't noticed the cloudiness change at all.