star san first time user question

[Teaman]

Ok I just used star san for the first time. I bottled a batch and soaked the bottles in a sink of water and sanitizer as I usually do with iodophor. I followed the directions on the star san bottle which say mix 1 oz with 5 gal of TAP WATER. Shortly after the water became cloudy and I didn't know as a first time user, and the fact that the bottle doesn't mention anything about effectivness, that most likely means that the ph is too high and or it is becoming less effective. Anyway I continued using it thinking the cloudiness was normal but now reading posts here I realize it shouldn't be cloudy.

Do you guys think my bottles were sanitized by the star san or is it just unusable when it clouds up. All this took place within about a 2 hour time period. I was wondering if I have basically bottled a batch of beer in non sanitized bottles.

 

[Germelli1]

At this point, there is not really a good reason to dwell on it. What is done is done!

Currently I am using chlorine bleach/vinegar/water solution for my no-rinse sanatizer since my sanatizer has run out, but when I can finally find some starsan, I am going to be sure to pick up some pH papers.

Besides, if you just mixed up the starsan I don't think you have much to worry about!

 

[marubozo]

What's done is done, so I wouldn't worry. I've never seen Starsan cloud up that fast before. Do you have abnormal water? I've only had a few batches of Starsan ever get cloudy and I usually let it sit for a few months in a bucket without issue.

Obviously it isn't ideal if your water is nullifying some of the effect of Starsan, but like most things with brewing I'd just relax and have a homebrew this time around and next time try to make sure your water isn't causing any problems.

For what it's worth, I really wanted to keg one of my beers and when I grabbed my Starsan bucket I noticed it was cloudy. I was out of Starsan and said screw it and used it to sanitize my keg and siphon and everything and the beer turned out just fine.

 

[Teaman]

That's good to know.
I have really hard water with high ph. It is the ph I am sure.

 

[Captain_Bigelow]

It gets cloudy all the time when I use it. I recycle it and use it for several batches without problems. I have used Star San on 20+ batches and never had any issues.

RDWHAHB

 

[KAMMEE]

Mine does this too, but I'm usually done sanitizing whatever I'm needing to sanitize in under 15 minutes so I never gave it much thought. It still stings a little if you happen to be a little clumsy and splash it on your lips like I have done before. Mine clouds immediately. To date I've had no infections or issues but I keep everything thoroughly cleaned, and give my fermenters and any reused bottles a bleach soak every other brew just to be safe. I also replace my racking tubing every couple months since its cheap and notorious for harboring the nasties.

 

[wyzazz]

StarSan clouds in hard water, nothing to worry about. Your beer will be fine, however I wouldn't reuse the batch of StarSan for more than a few days. If you mix a 1 gallon batch with distilled water, you can fill a spray bottle and use it "FOREVER", for the bigger stuff just mix a batch as you need it.

 

[Teaman]

That's my plan.
I may use iodophor when soaking my bottles, carboys etc...
The spray will be really handy.

 

[malkore]

That's good to know.
I have really hard water with high ph. It is the ph I am sure.

not so fast. i have hard water with 7.8ph from the tap. my star san is never clear, but the pH is 3.0

it won't keep as long as using RO/distilled water, but I really doubt you were screwed, especially since you soaked WAY more than the 30 seconds needed at normal concentration.

The FDA makes them put the longer duration on there. The higher the pH the longer it takes to work until it simply isn't acidic enough anymore.

 

[Revvy]

StarSan clouds in hard water, nothing to worry about. Your beer will be fine, however I wouldn't reuse the batch of StarSan for more than a few days. If you mix a 1 gallon batch with distilled water, you can fill a spray bottle and use it "FOREVER", for the bigger stuff just mix a batch as you need it.

Exactly. If it turns instantly cloudy that is just a reaction to the minerals in the water but the ph level is still fine and it is ok to use. If itbegins clear then later it turns cloudy that is the sign that the ph has dropped out of effective range.

 

[Teaman]

Cool. Thanks!
I am going to the shop to get ph strips this weekend.
I'm glad to hear all this because after one use I think I prefer it to Iodophor.
Thanks again for the info.

 

[Teaman]

Ok I did the test. Thanks for all the replies on my post. The results confirmed what you guys said. Many of you probably know this but for newbies like me here they are.

Star san at strength prescribed on the label in 1 gallon containers.

1 gal of tap water at ph above 8.0

1 gal of tap water thru an undersink 2 stage filter which removes chlorine etc

1 gal of water from RO machine outside the grocer

Results:
tap water and filtered tap water became cloudy after star san was added
RO water stayed clear after star san was added
PH on all 3 gal ended up between 3.0 and 3.6 after star san added

So it does seem that the cloudiness IS caused by the hard water that comes from the tap. Chlorine or lack of chlorine didn't change the cloudiness at all.

Thanks again. I suppose my bottles are sanitized and my beer will be great. Hope this info helps some new brewers

 

[bad coffee]

I use a bottle of RO water to make my Starsan and reuse it over and over for about 6 months.

B

 

[gmeadevt]

So at what PH is Starsan no longer considered an adequate sanitizer?

 

[wyzazz]

So at what PH is Starsan no longer considered an adequate sanitizer?

From what I can find, once it goes above 3.0 it's no longer effective.