I think Im using too much Star-San

[Dylan42]

So I have done four batches of beer all 5 gal batches and I have gone through one and a half 16 oz. bottles of Star san. It says to use 1 oz. to five gallons of water. Plus I use quite a bit throughout the brew process on equipment, bottles, kegs, etc. (and I have secondary racked all the batches)

I am using too much? I tend to be very AR when it comes to sanitization so maybe I tend to use too much for each batch? Tips?

Call me cheap but I'd rather not spend $12 every four batches on more sanitizer.

 

[JDGator]

get a 5gallon bucket and add 1oz of star san. you can reuse it for atleast 4-5 batches before you need to dump it. just make sure your items are clean before sanitizing.

 

[JDGator]

16oz should last you 40+ batches of beer.

 

[gavball6]

Store it! A batch using distilled water lasts me a couple of months. Just clean and rinse everything then rinse with your Starsan solution. Pour back into a bucket, cover and save for next time. I have only maybe used about 8 oz. of StarSan in a year and a half!

 

[kh54s10]

I would say yes, you are wasting a lot!

It seems like you are diluting properly. Are you dumping all the solution every time it is used? If so you are wasting a lot. It is still usable. Keep it and reuse it. I also put some in a spray bottle and spritz everything thoroughly with it. Get some PH strips and if the reading is 3 or less it is still good. I have been brewing for 2 years and have used 1/2 of a bottle.

To sanitize a fermenter or keg I put maybe a couple of cups in the vessel and swirl it around. That is plenty.

 

[unionrdr]

I bought an 8oz bottle of Starsan in like February of 2011. Barely used a fourth of it. I measure 3/4's of the way up to the 1/4oz mark per gallon of water. And that lasts a couple months. A little can go a long way.

 

[TyTanium]

Remember it just needs wet contact time, not soaking. So you don't need 5 gallons. 1-2 gallons is more than enough. And get a few jugs of distilled for 99c at Walgreens and reuse it. Put some in a spray bottle for incidental needs (like pulling a sample)

 

[BigFloyd]

+1 on reusing your StarSan.

One item that I often use that can help you control your usage is a wallpaper glue tray from Lowes. It's only a few bucks and, when filled 2/3 up with StarSan, is a very handy place to dunk small items that you don't want to have to fish out of a 5 gallon bucket.

The other thing to do is use a spray bottle filled with StarSan. Very, very handy for lots of brewing tasks.

 

[Dylan42]

I would say yes, you are wasting a lot!

It seems like you are diluting properly. Are you dumping all the solution every time it is used? If so you are wasting a lot. It is still usable. Keep it and reuse it. I also put some in a spray bottle and spritz everything thoroughly with it. Get some PH strips and if the reading is 3 or less it is still good. I have been brewing for 2 years and have used 1/2 of a bottle.

To sanitize a fermenter or keg I put maybe a couple of cups in the vessel and swirl it around. That is plenty.

Yes, I have been dumping it down the drain everytime :smack: I dodn't know you could re-use it. Im glad I asked, I will make batches of it and a spray bottle for the next brew day, thanks for the great info.

 

[justkev52]

Store it! A batch using distilled water lasts me a couple of months. Just clean and rinse everything then rinse with your Starsan solution. Pour back into a bucket, cover and save for next time. I have only maybe used about 8 oz. of StarSan in a year and a half!

Same here.

 

[dmiller224]

I thought you could only reuse for like a week. When I dump my buckets I sometimes find green slime on the bottom..

 

[theveganbrewer]

What about when it turns cloudy?

 

[J187]

I don't really have the space to store it, but I surely don't use that much. Remember, the foam sanitizes.... contact sanitizes... I have a spray bottle full for all small jobs like the fermenter lid, my yard stick, turkey baster, etc. When I san my buckets, I usually fill a couple gallons and swash it around, maybe spray the edges with the bottle... soak some tools in the couple gallons - spray the siphons and stuff where they are too tall to be submerged. Also, pump a bit through the siphon. Why are you using a secondary? If you aren't adding fruit, souring or dry hopping, I'd stop doing that and save yourself the hassle, the star san, the equipment use, and the risk of infection.

 

[firerat]

What about when it turns cloudy?

That's a good time to make a new batch.

To the OP, don't feel bad I used to do the same as you.

Now I mix up a 5 gallon bucket and use it until it gets cloudy. I don't even use distilled water, just tap.

I'd probably get a bit more use if I went distilled, but my 5 gallon batch usually lasts me 4-6 months before it goes cloudy on me so long as I clean stuff before I sanitize.

 

[TyTanium]

What about when it turns cloudy?

Not necessarily an indication. For some people it turns cloudy almost immediately, but it still is in the proper pH range. You'd have to take a pH reading to be sure. Or just relax and hope for the best (my go-to strategy)

 

[Ster]

Interesting.. I may be wasting too.

I use 0.5oz in 2.5 gallons water to rinse bottles. Then I fill a spray bottle with it for sanitizing buckets, hydrometers etc.... then it goes down the drain. So I get 2 batches per ounce of starsan.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Mine is cloudy the day after I make it. What's ideal pH for it?

 

[Setesh]

Mine usually turns cloudy within an hour of mixing it up if I use tap water. The cloudiness doesn't matter as long as your PH is still good. As mentioned earlier get some PH test strips (you don't even need to use a full strip, I tear them into 3rds) and make sure that it's still under 3 you are good to go. The spray bottle approach saves not only starsan but a ton of effort too!

 

[reverendj1]

Mine is cloudy the day after I make it. What's ideal pH for it?

Same here. Mine is immediately cloudy. Definitely not a good indication of it's usefulness. According to the manufacturer, pH must be below 3. http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/wp-content/uploads/StarSanTech5.pdf

"Solution must remain at a pH at 3 or below to maintain proper sanitizing level"

 

[m3n00b]

I agree. I have hard water so mine turns cloudy in the first few minutes. I check it with PH strips. I usually change it every 6 batches/bottlings(basically 12 uses)....when I see dirt and stuff at the bottom of the bucket.

 

[theveganbrewer]

Going to get some wide-range pH strips on ebay.

 

[masterfool101]

Yes, I have been dumping it down the drain everytime :smack: I dodn't know you could re-use it. Im glad I asked, I will make batches of it and a spray bottle for the next brew day, thanks for the great info.

To check for viability, you can always get pH test strips and make sure the pH is LOWER than 3.

 

[firerat]

Will I learned something new today

 

[woozy]

So I have done four batches of beer all 5 gal batches and I have gone through one and a half 16 oz. bottles of Star san. It says to use 1 oz. to five gallons of water.

Um. one and a half bottles is 24 oz. 1 oz. to five gallons of water is 120 gallons of water. Between four batches that's 30 gallons of StarSan solution per batch!

*HOW* are you doing this?!?!?!?

 

[Yooper]

I'm on my second bottle of star-san. I've only been using it for about 7 years, though. I used to use one step when I did mostly wine.

I mix up one gallon at a time, with 1/4 ounce of star san to one gallon of water. I use, reuse, etc, and end up spilling it before it loses effectiveness as I pour it back and forth. I use it for my kegs, my fermenters, my siphon, tubing, bottling bucket, etc and I brew ten gallon batches about 2 times per month. I make wine about once per month, and use star-san for the bottles and all of the carboys and things associated with winemaking.

 

[SpentGrains]

I also only make up one gallon at a time when I brew or keg, and 16 oz of that goes into the spray bottle every time. I don't reuse and the bottle still should last for years.

Swish or spray man!

 

[Brewskii]

I over use Star San. But process wise it makes sense to me so that I always have it on hand for whatever I do.

I make up and store 1 gal fresh star San (diluted to label spec.'s) in each freshly cleaned carboy.

On brew day, I sanitize hoses and spoons and other equipment with a spray bottle. The 1 gallon in the carboy gets transferred to a 1 gal water jug for further storage.
I use the 1 gal jug for all re-filling of the spray bottle and for larger volumes needed for bottling day ( rinse/soak bottling bucket, wand, canes, hoses after boiling, etc.).
After bottling, the carboy is cleaned and a fresh gallon is made and the cycle starts again.

Even at this I'm usually dumping a quart or so due to no room in my "storage jug".

BTW - I use glass carboys. As I understand it from my fellow HBT-er's, storing star-San in Better Bottles may not be a good idea.

 

[unionrdr]

Here's another lil tip;I stopped using milk jugs/water jugs for storing my mixed Starsan. They have a double seam that crosses on the bottom,& the thinner plastic combines to make them start leaking sooner. I instead use SunnyD jugs,or those from Arizona iced tea in the 1 gallon size. They're heavier plastic,& I get more than a year out of them before they develope a leak. I store Starsan & PBW in them. I also have one marked off in quarts for measuring water For mashing & the like.

 

[Dylan42]

Wow thanks for all the input guys I appreciate it.

 

[Dylan42]

So I have given this a go and each time I go back to the bucket there is mold in it and/or it is super cloudy, any way to get around this? I have wasted two more 5 gal batches