Star San "durability"

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2pugbrews

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I mixed up Star San using RO water November of '09. Sto;red it in a bucket w/tight fitting lid. Opened it to sanitize bottles - it was clear. Don't have any ph strips. Is it still good if it is clear. I believe the Star San site makes this claim.
 
Really the only way to know is by checking the pH. The clarity of it is not a true indicator of it's pH.
 
What can happen to it in a closed bucket? It's a mixture of water, phosphoric acid and sodium docecyl benzene sulfate. All are stable chemicals for long term storage. There are no chemical reactions that take place in the mixture. I keep mine for months at a time in a plastic pail with a cover, and it stays clear and foams up, I have not checked the pH but will do so. I do take care not to put reused Starsan back in the bucket if I think it might have gotten some organic matter in, like wort.
 
A big +1 on what "Scut Monkey" said. Checking a sanitizer visually is akin to determining the end of fermentation by looking at the wort. If you like these methods, you'd probably also enjoy Las Vegas.

Pragmatically, I put aside most of a gallon jug of Star San solution last Fall when I quit brewing for Winter. When I checked it in the Spring (yes, Virginia, with pH test strip) it was just peachy-fine, < 3 pH. I might note that I mix Star San only with the RO (reverse osmosis) water from the supermarket, due to the high concentration of calcium and iron in our well water.
 
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