Star San Brown from Blowoff

[Rkb1983]

So yesterday I brewed the Northern Brewer Scottish Wee Heavy, and pitched two packets of rehydrated Nottingham. Set up a blowoff tube into star san because I knew it was going to be violent (12 lbs of LME). Less than 24 hours later and it's pushing so much krausen that the star san is brown and bubbling out of the bottle. Is the star san still sanitizing when it looks like that? I don't think there's anything I can really do anyways, right?
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1435409709.434247.jpg

 

[YeastMode]

I usually change out the starsan when that occurs. I have no idea if it prevents the starsan from sanitizing, but why risk it. More importantly, I would use a cup or jug with a bigger opening to allow the co2 to escape the starsan more easily.

 

[SeraW]

There's no sanitizing really being done in the blowoff jug. It's really just keeping oxygen out and collecting any blowoff. I just use tap water. (I also use water so that if any yeast comes out and settles at the bottom, I can collect it for bread - wouldn't use it for beer, but there's good yeast here and bread bakes hot enough).

 

[CUrchin]

I'd wait until things slow down a bit and then change it out. There really is no concern while there is large amounts of CO2 being produced.

 

[popgunandy]

The C02 is pushing out so heavily there's no real risk of infection here.

+1 on the tap water - StarSan is overkill in this situation.

 

[unionrdr]

I also use a longer blow-off hose so the collection jug sits on the fermenter stand even with the bottom of the primary fermenter, so it doesn't suck-back quite so easily.

 

[NervousDad]

+1 get the blow off jug at least the same level any temperature variation and you will start a siphon and suck all of that starsan back in.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, having high like that just lets gravity work against you at the point where a partial vacuum is created & " suck-back" occurs.

 

[Clonefan94]

IT's really a non issue, but as others have said, I'd switch the layout you have there, put the fermentor on top of the bucket and have the star san container sit on the floor. This will prevent any suckback that may occur. With the starsan being that dirty and exposed to air, it is a possibility you could get something unwanted growing in the starsan, since it's probably not viable as a sanitizer anymore, so if it did suck back, you could pull that stuff into your beer.

 

[Rkb1983]

Thanks everyone for the advice, especially about the suck back. I'd never thought about that.

It seems that it's not pushing any more krausen, at least for the last few hours. Just a good about of CO2. Do you think I'm safe to replace it with an airlock? I tried a couple ways to get the bottle lower with the tube I have, but I couldn't get anything to work.

 

[unionrdr]

In my experiences, it's best to wait till the blow-off slows down to where no more foam is releasing & the Co2 blowing off slows down to install a sanitized airlock. Usually at the end of initial fermentation.