My fermenter sucked up a gallon of starsan. Help.

[SquirrelCage]

This topic has somewhat been addressed on the forum, but I didn't get a definitive answer.

I have about 4+ gallons of imperial stout in a 5 gal carboy that is about 1.5 months old. It was set up with a 1" blow off hose to a bucket with about 2 gallons of sanitizer in it. When i checked on it yesterday, I noticed the level in the bucket was extremely low. So, I checked the carboy and it looks like at least a half a gallon to a gallon of Starsan sanitzer had been sucked into the fermenter.

With all the danger poison stickers on the starsan bottle, I worry that the beer is a waste. I don't want to let it sit for another 4 months just to find out it is definitely a waste. Has anyone else run into this problem and what did you do? Also, How in the world can the fermenter suck that much sanitizer into the bottle. My thoughts are temperture swings change the pressure and could create a vacuum, but I'm a bit surprised by how much.

Thanks in advance.

 

[E_Marquez]

Is your starsan bucket an equal height to the carboy?

I would think the only way it could suck back that much would be if it started a siphon action during the normal low volume liquid movement that might suck back during temp or pressure changes.
The contraction of 5 gal of beer when cooled a few degrees should not equal 1/2 of displacement from your blow off bucket.

 

[MuddyCreek]

For what it's worth, a google search on the toxicity of Starsan...

Safety: the EPA requires testing on various materials to determine if they are toxic or not. They, have determined that the safe level of Star San is no greater then 1oz in 3 gallons of water. We need 1oz in 5 gal to get the proper kill rate, but not to exceed 1oz in 3 gallons. Beyond this level you would need to rinse the surface. You are correct in assuming that these chemicals can be harmful. For example, to get enough kill to be considered "Disinfect, or Sterilize" you must rinse after. The only level of kill that is "No Rinse" is "Sanitize".

 

[MuddyCreek]

For what it's worth, a google search on the toxicity of Starsan...

Safety: the EPA requires testing on various materials to determine if they are toxic or not. They, have determined that the safe level of Star San is no greater then 1oz in 3 gallons of water. We need 1oz in 5 gal to get the proper kill rate, but not to exceed 1oz in 3 gallons. Beyond this level you would need to rinse the surface. You are correct in assuming that these chemicals can be harmful. For example, to get enough kill to be considered "Disinfect, or Sterilize" you must rinse after. The only level of kill that is "No Rinse" is "Sanitize".