How to properly use StarSan?

[Beer-Baron]

Do I need to mix up a 5 gallon batch of the stuff in my fermenter and let it soak for a couple of minutes?

Or can I make about 1 gallon worth and throw it in the fermenter and put the lid on and shake the hell out of it for a 30 seconds or so, then pour it into another bucket and wash all the stuff in the same gallon and then dump it?

Is swishing it around good enough? Or do you have to let it soak? Thanks!

Making 5 gallons of it everytime to wash my fermenter seems so wasteful!

 

[BendBrewer]

I don't know about the options, but I do fill it and let it soak and then I dump the Sani into a Homer bucket and save it for next time.

I say this as I dumped a lot of sani solution out prior to realizing that I could simply save it and use it again.

 

[KCBrewer]

I just do a gallon or two in the carboy and swish/shake well every 30 seconds or so for a few minutes, and then leave it in there until I'm ready to use the carboy. Then I swish it again right before I use the carboy, and pour the sanitizer into a bucket to use while brewing.

 

[TeufelBrew]

I make about a gallon at a time and put the extra in old PET screw top bottles. If it clouds, I pitch it. Otherwise, I have a spray bottle of StarSan on hand all the time and refills ready when needed. Since it's a contact sanitizer, a good spray is enough to sanitize almost anything I use.

 

[wyzazz]

Mixing up a gallon and shaking it up is fine, if you use distilled water it's good "forever". It's a contact/no rinse sanitizer so if you get the surface wet and let it stand for a minute you're golden.

 

[torque2k]

I mix up a gallon, then put a quart each in a few big spray bottles. As I need it, I dump out a bottle into whatever needs sanitizing. I like to use a quart or so in my bottle squirter (you know, that Italian spray thing which fits on the top of the bottle tree), and I put my bottle caps in that thing to soak the caps at the same time I'm rinsing. I grab the caps right from that rinse liquid. When I'm done, I pour the StarSan mix back into the spray bottle. If it's cloudy, it's dumped. However, with softened well water, I've yet to see any of the liquid cloud up, as I end up dumping or spraying about a quart every time I brew and bottle. It just goes forever!

 

[HSM]

What does the cloudiness indicate?

 

[springer]

What does the cloudiness indicate?

the chemicals in the Star San is combining with the minerals in the water.It still may be working as long as the PH is lower than 3 but I wouldn't chance using cloudy sanitizer

I mix up a gallon at a time using distilled water a quart in a hand sprayer the rest into a small garden sprayer . Star San is a contact sanitizer as long as the surface is wet it will sanitize . I just spray everything down with it no soaking , the garden sprayer is great for carboys spray all the sides have some on the bottom invert to wet the top and its good to go, no waste

 

[torque2k]

What does the cloudiness indicate?

It's an indicator which shows that the mixture has lost its magic powers. Dump it and refill with fresh. :rockin:

 

[ChshreCat]

I do the spray bottle method. Starsan just has to touch the surface to work, so if you have 5 gallons of it, then 4.99 gallons are being wasted since only what's up against the fermenter is doing anything. 16 oz spray bottle lasts me for weeks. I just spray down everything I use.

 

[bwible]

I know this is an older thread, but I’m posting something I just discovered:

https://fivestarchemicals.com/faqs
How long is Star San good for once it’s mixed into a solution?
Star San is an EPAs registered sanitizer and must be used immediately. We do not recommend using it if has been in solution longer than an hour.

I’ve been doing what some in this thread wrote. Saving Star San for re-use. I’ve been keeping it for weeks at a time. I also just ran into a string of 5 contaminated batches in a row I had to dump, strong phenols/band aid, with one batch in the middle of those that was good. I was struggling for an explanation as I ruthlessly sanitize everything with Star San. It appears Star San does not last for any length of time and should not be kept and re-used. I plan to make it up fresh each time going forward.

 

[TheMadKing]

I know this is an older thread, but I’m posting something I just discovered:

https://fivestarchemicals.com/faqs
How long is Star San good for once it’s mixed into a solution?
Star San is an EPAs registered sanitizer and must be used immediately. We do not recommend using it if has been in solution longer than an hour.

I’ve been doing what some in this thread wrote. Saving Star San for re-use. I’ve been keeping it for weeks at a time. I also just ran into a string of 5 contaminated batches in a row I had to dump, strong phenols/band aid, with one batch in the middle of those that was good. I was struggling for an explanation as I ruthlessly sanitize everything with Star San. It appears Star San does not last for any length of time and should not be kept and re-used. I plan to make it up fresh each time going forward.

Huh, who knew. I always make 5 gallons of it and re use it for weeks and have never had an issue at all. I've been brewing like that for more than a decade. I do check the pH periodically to make sure its below 2.5. The pH definitely stays low for a long time, so it doesn't just magically dissipate. That strikes me as one of those "its a food product and we have to legally say this" statements, just like "it's important to cook steak to 145F" and "runny eggs are not safe to eat"

 

[bwible]

That strikes me as one of those "its a food product and we have to legally say this" statements, just like "it's important to cook steak to 145F" and "runny eggs are not safe to eat"

Yeah, could be some of that for sure.

 

[Imhoppy]

How long is Star San good for once it’s mixed into a solution?
Star San is an EPAs registered sanitizer and must be used immediately. We do not recommend using it if has been in solution longer than an hour.

Hmmmm....if I were to sell StarSan, I would surely recommend that too. That way, customers could buy even more. Open a 16 oz. bottle, and use it all IMMEDIATELY. Ok, so it would last an hour in solution. Maybe just a marketing gimmick, idk.

 

[madscientist451]

I make 2.5 gallons at a time and keep it in a bucket. I re-use it until it starts looking "suspicious" then I sanitize the toilet with it.
If I haven't brewed in a long time I usually dump it.
Haven't had any problems.

 

[IslandLizard]

I make 3 gallons at a time, since I have a few handy and sturdy 3.5 gallon "half" buckets. It takes 18ml (3 gallons x 6 ml/gallon) to make a working solution. I find that volume works great for me, for dunking and soaking. For larger vessels, I pour a quart to a gallon into it, swirl and/or thoroughly mop all sides with a small dedicated wash cloth. The foam it creates is as good a sanitizer as the liquid, and I'm sure every square inch of surface has been mopped several times over. Lids etc, get dunked or mopped too, depending on size.

Although we have soft water, my Starsan working solution starts getting a bit cloudy after a couple days. But even cloudy, I've had no problems using it for weeks as a time, pH remains under 2.7 (it's actually around 2.5 at mixing).

Cleaning and sanitizing:

1. Cleaneverything well using a dedicated alkaline cleaner, (Washing Soda, Oxiclean Free, Homemade PBW, etc.).
   • You can't sanitize dirt or dirty items.
   • Soak and/or use a non-scratching brush, nylon pad, or washcloth to create enough friction to remove tenacious dirt patches without scratching the surface.
2. Rinse off with water.
3. Sanitize (Starsan, Iodophor, etc.).

 

[Alex4mula]

Huh, who knew. I always make 5 gallons of it and re use it for weeks and have never had an issue at all. I've been brewing like that for more than a decade. I do check the pH periodically to make sure its below 2.5. The pH definitely stays low for a long time, so it doesn't just magically dissipate. That strikes me as one of those "its a food product and we have to legally say this" statements, just like "it's important to cook steak to 145F" and "runny eggs are not safe to eat"

Same here. 86 brews with no problems. Normally I threw it out when I get a spider in it LOL! Those bad 5 batches probably had some other problem.

 

[Falstaff]

I do five gallon fills because I've heard the acid will remove any leftover Oxiclean or PBW. It's my last "rinse" that doubles as sanitation.

 

[soccerdad]

I make 2.5 gallons at a time and keep it in a bucket. I re-use it until it starts looking "suspicious" then I sanitize the toilet with it.
If I haven't brewed in a long time I usually dump it.
Haven't had any problems.

The dogs and the humans alike are happy to drink out of Mad's toilet.

 

[tld6008]

I know this is an older thread, but I’m posting something I just discovered:

https://fivestarchemicals.com/faqs
How long is Star San good for once it’s mixed into a solution?
Star San is an EPAs registered sanitizer and must be used immediately. We do not recommend using it if has been in solution longer than an hour.

I’ve been doing what some in this thread wrote. Saving Star San for re-use. I’ve been keeping it for weeks at a time. I also just ran into a string of 5 contaminated batches in a row I had to dump, strong phenols/band aid, with one batch in the middle of those that was good. I was struggling for an explanation as I ruthlessly sanitize everything with Star San. It appears Star San does not last for any length of time and should not be kept and re-used. I plan to make it up fresh each time going forward.

Mix it w/ RO water, I make 5 gal at a time and keep in PET carboy the unused portion never clouds at least not within 12 months or so. I don't pour used solution back into carboy but store in 5 gal bucket that will cloud over time but it takes quite a while after multiple uses.

 

[tracer bullet]

I mix up a gallon while I am boiling. Some things get soaked in it, some stuff gets it poured in and swished around. Dump at the end of the brew day. Seems to be working - only infected batches (2 in my life, and not for a very long time once I finally learned the lesson) have been clearly 100% from me not removing an O-ring from a fermenter and having hops trapped in places it should not be trapped.

 

[Lebowski509]

I mix it with distilled water per John Palmers instructions, he says as long it does not cloud it is still a low pH. Use it for weeks.

 

[tld6008]

The surface you want to sanitize needs to be clean first then wetted with starsan for 1 minute. 1 cup in a carboy swished around a couple times is enough.

 

[ncbrewer]

I know this is an older thread, but I’m posting something I just discovered:

https://fivestarchemicals.com/faqs
How long is Star San good for once it’s mixed into a solution?
Star San is an EPAs registered sanitizer and must be used immediately. We do not recommend using it if has been in solution longer than an hour.

I’ve been doing what some in this thread wrote. Saving Star San for re-use. I’ve been keeping it for weeks at a time. I also just ran into a string of 5 contaminated batches in a row I had to dump, strong phenols/band aid, with one batch in the middle of those that was good. I was struggling for an explanation as I ruthlessly sanitize everything with Star San. It appears Star San does not last for any length of time and should not be kept and re-used. I plan to make it up fresh each time going forward.

There is a Basic Brewing podcast with a Charley Talley interview (inventor of Star San and retired company president) - https://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/3/9/0/39...30090546&hwt=6bd17e291128971e50bf5023239c18d8
At about 36 minuites in, he discusses storing Star San. The EPA requires a new batch every time using it, but in reality it is good for months if it is made up with deionized water.

 

[Nuke83]

Buy some packs of cheap PH Strips off Amazon and you can test the PH of your StarSan solution before use. So long as the PH measures below 3, you're fine, whether it's 5 minutes or 5 years old . . .

 

[ncbrewer]

Soak and/or use a non-scratching brush, nylon pad, or washcloth to create enough friction to remove tenacious dirt patches without scratching the surface.

I started a thread recently - Dipping washcloth in Star San . Several members thought washcloths are a really bad idea for applying sanitizer because they can breed microbes. I'm considering switching to paper towels. It may be worthwhile to read through this thread - it definitely got me thinking.