Pardon my ingorance....I have some "new guy" kit sanitation thoughts/questions....

[max384]

Nope. Wrong. Cloudiness has no baring on acidity. A ph of 3.0 or lower & it's fine.

But the cloudiness can be a result of small particles suspended in the solution. These particles can then be deposited on the items we sanitize. And nothing is sanitized unless it is cleaned.

This being said, I realize that many people use cloudy sanitizer with no infections, but how many do get infections and contribute it to something else?

When it gets real cloudy, I definitely dump it. Call it cheap insurance, even if it's unlikely to change any outcomes.

 

[hunter_le five]

Star San is cheap. I don't mind dumping it as soon as it becomes visibly dirty or I have the slightest suspicion that it may have lost its potency. Yeah, I'm probably dumping it way before I need to, but as max384 said: "cheap insurance". A bottle still lasts me a long time.

I suppose the only way to be sure would be to buy a PH tester and test the PH level of the solution before every batch.... but that sounds suspiciously like work.

 

[IslandLizard]

Back to the OP.

Alcohol at 40% (80 proof) is not as good of a sanitizer as you may think. At 80% (160 proof) it is still marginal and takes several minutes (5-10) to kill micro organisms. Use your vodka for steeping spices, oak, and vanilla, or just drink it. Starsan needs only 30 seconds of contact time for most uses (1-2 minutes for some applications), and is way cheaper than alcohol. One of the most economical uses is to put it into a spray bottle. The foam sanitizes as well as the liquid. Awesome stuff!

 

[unionrdr]

Or just get some PH test strips. I use a gallon jug with a radiator funnel & coffee filter to filter my Starsan once in a while. Or just dump it for a fresh batch, since at that point it's a month or two old anyway. As long as the PH is 3 or lower, it's good.

 

[ncbrewer]

Starsan needs only 30 seconds of contact time for most uses (1-2 minutes for some applications),

Could you elaborate on the 1 - 2 minutes needed for some applications? I've been using 30 seconds for everything.

 

[unionrdr]

As I understand it, by law they have to say at least 1 minute. Seems to me he said it actually takes a minimum of 15 seconds contact time. I just dunk my caps, for example, a couple times shake it off lightly & place on top of newly filled bottles. Never a bad bottle that can be attributed to that.

 

[m00ps]

yeah, plus once you remove whatever you're dunking from the solution, a thin film will still be making "contact" for additional time

 

[cannman]

You dump the Starsan after each brew? What a waste!

Mine stays in use for months or until too scummy for my taste. That 32 oz bottle can last 5 years.

I've often wondered if there was "dirty" sanitizer....

Months? really?

 

[dlester]

You don't have to throw out your Starsan solution. I use it for my Gardenias which grow in acidic soils. The soil around my house is not the best, in fact it's very high in Ph due to the type of soil. My Gardenias were not doing well, light green leaves, little to no flowering and some outright died. I decided to water the plants with the left over Starsan solution, and I was greatly surprised. They flourished, leaves turned dark green and beautiful flowers were bountiful. Other acid soil loving plants include Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Fothergillas and Holly. There are also acid loving ground covers and evergreen trees.

 

[IslandLizard]

You don't have to throw out your Starsan solution. I use it for my Gardenias which grow in acidic soils. The soil around my house is not the best, in fact it's very high in Ph due to the type of soil. My Gardenias were not doing well, light green leaves, little to no flowering and some outright died. I decided to water the plants with the left over Starsan solution, and I was greatly surprised. They flourished, leaves turned dark green and beautiful flowers were bountiful. Other acid soil loving plants include Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Fothergillas and Holly. There are also acid loving ground covers and evergreen trees.

You can acidify your soil in many ways. I used a lot of Hollytone and similar products. As a side effect, grass around the perimeters also took off and became nice green and lush.

 

[IslandLizard]

Could you elaborate on the 1 - 2 minutes needed for some applications? I've been using 30 seconds for everything.

1-2 minutes contact time is an FDA requirement for food related applications. Apparently 5 Stars needs to list it that way, although in their Product Tech Sheet they say 30 seconds of soak is enough. The owner actually claimed that 15 seconds is all it really takes.

It is important to keep the pH at 3 or lower for it to be effective. It doesn't have much buffering capacity, so when needed add some phosphoric acid (@90%, 1 ml in 5 gallons) to bring it down. I got a gallon jug from Duda Diesel and split it with a few other brewers. That also acidifies my mash and sparge water for years to come.

Because of the low buffering capacity, if you've used PBW or another alkaline cleaner, it is mandatory to rinse it off very well before using Starsan to prevent its pH to rise, which would yield the sanitizer less effective to useless. If your PBW/washing soda/lye treated equipment still feels slick, there is residue left.

 

[m00ps]

Haha. This started as a poor dude asking a general question about how to use starsan and now were talking about pH chemistry.

Ahh the internet....

 

[Jupapabear]

Derailment continue. Hijack away!

 

[IslandLizard]

Haha. This started as a poor dude asking a general question about how to use starsan and now were talking about pH chemistry.

Ahh the internet....

Derailment continue. Hijack away!

All but only a couple posts here are very much ON Topic. Threads do tend to digress after the initial post has been answered or beaten to death. That's life on forums where there's so much dedication and knowledge flowing around.

FYI, I've witnessed a lot of "Starsan abuse" where users are too lazy or ignorant to simply rinse their equipment and hoses before dunking in Starsan.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. Gotta rinse well after cleaning before sanitizing.

 

[dlester]

One last thing you can do with left over Starsan. Pour it down your kitchen sink or any drain that tends to smell due to the lack of daily use to kill bacteria.




.

 

[unionrdr]

Like the porcelain alter, for example. Yeast, PBW & Starsan go down there to keep it cleared out & at least a little skank free.

 

[dlester]

Like the porcelain alter, for example. Yeast, PBW & Starsan go down there to keep it cleared out & at least a little skank free.

Gross, but 1+

 

[unionrdr]

He he he...what a mess!...ew, something smells rotten in here?!