Quick StarSan question

[MashTun-Kutcher]

Hey guys,

I try and brew every sunday so i fly through bottles of StarSan. I make a new 5-gallon solution for brew day, racking day, and bottling day so i was wondering if i could leave that 5-gallon solution in a spare bucket and use the same solution on a weekly basis. If i can, would the bucket have to be closed? And how long would it keep its bacteria killing power?

Thanks,
Jake

 

[rycov]

not sure, but you could just use less each time and save some loot that way.

 

[MashTun-Kutcher]

Yeah true. 5 gallons is a convenient amount it seems like though.

 

[Walker]

I mix up 2.5 gallon batches of starsan every two weeks. I do all of my kegging, racking, and brewing on the same day.

I put a lid on the star san bucket when I am done brewing in the event that I find myself needing sanitizer in the next couple of days for something. It's still good after a few days.

From what I read, as long as it's not milky white, it's still effective.

If you are in your brewery every week doing stuff, I would bet that the solution you mix today will still be good one week from now if you have it in a closed container.

 

[Hex23]

One other way to use less Starsan is use a spray bottle. You can easily coat the surface of what you want to sanitize and not waste much Starsan.

 

[DakotaRules]

Get some ph papers (1-5) and test the sanitizer. It's good for as long as it's acidic. I've kept starsan around for 4 months. I've gotten better now about using less because I bought a spray bottle and I use milk jugs to make a gallon at a time.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I just use a spray bottle to sanitize my stuff. Like Hex said, all you need is a coat of StarSan on your equipment and you'll be fine. I usually just spray it up into my bottles and then place them upside down to allow the StarSan to run down the insides of the bottle and down the inside of the neck. Don't know if this is an issue or not, but it works for me.........so far.

 

[VegasBrew]

If you use distilled water, starsan will last a long ass time. As long as it is clear and in the proper ph range you are good. I keep mine in a home depot bucket with the lid just resting on it (because it is too hard to pull the lid off) and it lasts 4 or 5 months.

VB

 

[wh4tig0t]

If you use distilled water, starsan will last a long ass time. As long as it is clear and in the proper ph range you are good. I keep mine in a home depot bucket with the lid just resting on it (because it is too hard to pull the lid off) and it lasts 4 or 5 months.

VB

I don't use distilled, but RO and it seems to last forever. I also test it maybe every other time i use it with strips and no issues, no cloudiness either. I also buy the biggest jug of starsan i can get and its a lot cheaper that way.

 

[MashTun-Kutcher]

A spray bottle sounds like a damn good idea. I already picked one up!

 

[VegasBrew]

I don't use distilled, but RO and it seems to last forever. I also test it maybe every other time i use it with strips and no issues, no cloudiness either. I also buy the biggest jug of starsan i can get and its a lot cheaper that way.

RO is great as well, just don`t use tap water. Starsan reacts to the metals and other chemicals in tap water and it will turn cloudy. Cloudy = bad starsan.

VB

 

[MashTun-Kutcher]

What is RO?

 

[MashTun-Kutcher]

Reverse Osmosis, got it.

 

[bruin_ale]

the laundro-mat around the corner has RO water, I made a batch of StarSan from that and the thing never changed to milky white - it was awesome. I think they charged like $1 to fill 5G.

 

[jeffmeh]

RO is great as well, just don`t use tap water. Starsan reacts to the metals and other chemicals in tap water and it will turn cloudy. Cloudy = bad starsan.

VB

Depends upon the hardness of the tap water. Mine is pretty soft and the solution will remain at the proper pH for months.

 

[AnOldUR]

Mix a gallon at a time with distilled water and keep it in a sealed container. Pour it into one of these on brewdays and keep some in a spray bottle. Put in back in the sealed container when done.

 

[starsailor]

Mashtun,

Charlie Talley from 5 Star talks at length about how to tell if StarSan is still good and how long it's good for in this sticky thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/charlie-talley-five-star-chemicals-notes-brewcasts-58928/

You'll get all your answers and some for question you haven't asked yet just by listening to his talk. It's well worth your time. If you have a notebook PC and WIFI just listen to it during your next brew day. :rockin:

 

[starsailor]

Mix a gallon at a time with distilled water and keep it in a sealed container. Pour it into one of these on brewdays and keep some in a spray bottle. Put in back in the sealed container when done.

1+ on the wallpaper tray. It's great for tubing and expecially racking canes, auto-siphons, those pesky corny dip tubes (you just can't tell if they get sanitized in the keg), spoons, etc.