Star San Solution life

[BrooZer]

CAn i leave a solution of star san in a spray bottle for a few days. This way i can spray it on anything I need or open the bottle and dump some out to use. Im going to put some in the spray bottle anyway so i was wondering how long it can sit.

Thanks!

 

[robnog]

I think it stays good for weeks and maybe even months. I leave about a gallon in a pot that I use to sanitize keg parts, airlocks, etc.

You can tell when it starts to go off because it gets cloudy.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Yes, lots of people do this. If you search you should find plenty of examples. Starsan remains effective as long as it's clean and clear and the pH is below a certain level - I think it's 3.

 

[Evan!]

I don't think cloudiness has anything to do with it. Mine gets cloudy when I leave any plastics in it for awhile (even quicker if I sanitize some bottles that have silkscreened labels, like stone or rogue)---but it's still effective. I just add an ounce or so to my 17-gallon bucket of solution every couple weeks. Once it gets cloudy enough, I'll dump it and make a new batch.

 

[jcb317]

Mixing star san in distilled or RO water will extend the shelf life, but the best way to check viability is checking PH as said above.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

I don't think cloudiness has anything to do with it. Mine gets cloudy when I leave any plastics in it for awhile (even quicker if I sanitize some bottles that have silkscreened labels, like stone or rogue)---but it's still effective.

From the man himself:
http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?pagenumber=2&perpage=15&threadid=10932

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]First it is still active as long as the pH is below 3, and the solution is clear. When the solution turns cloudy the soap in Star San has reacted with the mineral in the make-up water and has made the final solution useless. [/FONT]

My 32oz bottle cost me about $16, so it costs me 10 cents a gallon to mix up solution. ANY time that I use it and have ANY doubt whether it got contaminated at all I don't hesitate to throw it out. For the price, I don't lose any sleep over getting only a single use out of it once in a while when sanitizing certain things, especially since MOST of the time I can reuse it many times.

 

[BrooZer]

So if my solution is greenish does that mean it came in contact with soap? I take it that it is bad then.

 

[Chriso]

Don't know about greenish. But as far as spray bottles are concerned, since a spray bottle is a closed environment, if you mix it at the correct concentration, and if you use "good" water (e.g. distilled, RO, I even just use anything "bottled") it should last virtually indefinitely as long as contamination is prevented..

I said virtually, use your common sense of course. When in doubt, make a new batch, right?

 

[Kevin Dean]

That line from Charley about SS turning cloudy making it useless... If this is true, we don't need to sanitize, since almost every BIT of Star San I've ever used has been cloudy. It turns cloudy for me after about 5 hours and if that statement is as true as he says (being useless) then I need to investigate other sanitizer options (or start a "sanitization is pointless" trend.).

 

[Jim Karr]

I've got a batch of SS in my spray bottle that I've used for months. When I shake it, and it still gets foamy, I think it's still OK. It still has that "smell" when I spray it on a surface.

 

[Kevin Dean]

That's my unofficial guage. The official is pH, which is always in check.

 

[BrooZer]

I've got a batch of SS in my spray bottle that I've used for months. When I shake it, and it still gets foamy, I think it's still OK. It still has that "smell" when I spray it on a surface.

Is that smell sort of like pee. That is what it smells like to me.. Maybe im weird.

 

[Jekster]

I was wondering this questions. I kegged a batch of beer tonight and had some extra star san sitting around. I thought I would put it to use so I cleaned up to used kegs and tossed in some star san. Capped with the lids and figured next time I keg I could just give the old keg a swirl, dump and it would be ready to go. Think this would work out as long as it was done within a month or so?

 

[Funkenjaeger]

That line from Charley about SS turning cloudy making it useless... If this is true, we don't need to sanitize, since almost every BIT of Star San I've ever used has been cloudy. It turns cloudy for me after about 5 hours and if that statement is as true as he says (being useless) then I need to investigate other sanitizer options (or start a "sanitization is pointless" trend.).

I don't know why you sound so bitter about it... If your starsan is going cloudy immediately, it sounds like you probably have a lot of minerals/etc in your water - which is not the fault of the sanitizer, it's just apparently sensitive to such things - and many of us have no problem with using our tap water (I mix starsan with tap water and it stays crystal clear for weeks or months). Talley recommends mixing up starsan with D.I. water as a method for prolonging its longevity (especially if you've got hard tap water) - though distilled water is probably more realistic for most people. But, that bumps up the per-gallon cost of sanitizer tremendously. If your water is too hard to make effective starsan solution, then I think looking for a different sanitizer is a good idea.

I've just been going off the things he said in that thread I linked. If I were you, I'd email Charlie Talley and ask his opinion on the matter, I've heard he's good about responding to questions, and I know he's very knowledgeable.

 

[BrooZer]

Ok, Ive had some star san in a spray bottle for a few days now. When i shake it it still bubbles like crazy and smells like that sulfur smell.

The water is the slightest bit cloudy though. Since it bubbles and smells is it still good??

 

[EdWort]

I have a 5 gallon water bottle that I fill up with RO water at my local grocery store and then add 1 ounce of starsan. It is several months old and still the PH is good to go and it is still clear. I use this for filling my spray bottle, sanitizing beer bottles, and other quick items. I mix a fresh batch with tap water for sanitizing carboys, buckets, hoses, etc.

Good stuff and goes cloudy the same day. It still is good when cloudy.

 

[BrooZer]

I have a 5 gallon water bottle that I fill up with RO water at my local grocery store and then add 1 ounce of starsan. It is several months old and still the PH is good to go and it is still clear. I use this for filling my spray bottle, sanitizing beer bottles, and other quick items. I mix a fresh batch with tap water for sanitizing carboys, buckets, hoses, etc.

Good stuff and goes cloudy the same day. It still is good when cloudy.

so i shouldnt worry then..

 

[PseudoChef]

My star-san is cloudy but the pH is still below 3. I've been using it for 3 months with absolutely no problems.

 

[jdoiv]

I mix up a 2.5 gallon batch and keep it in a corny keg. I'll use a picnic tap to sanitize things or pop the lid and drop things down in it. I've kept a batch like this for up to 6 weeks without a problem. I'll make up a fresh batch about every two brewdays, just to keep it fresh and as someone else pointed out, it's pretty cheap in those quantities. I can also use CO2 to move it from keg to keg after they have been cleaned and rinsed.

 

[Kevin Dean]

I don't know why you sound so bitter about it...

I really didn't mean to sound bitter about it, I didn't think I came off that way. My personal opinion is that Charley would say "it's inefective when cloudy" because not saying so may hurt the image of the brand. I've never used Star San that was not cloudy and I think it's still effective. This may not ALWAYS be the case so rather than say "It might be effective" he says it isn't - that way the product is exceptional if it works.

 

[smizak]

The "cloudy is uneffective" StarSan thing is news to me. My StarSan solutions are instantly cloudy, as soon as I mix them, and I've yet to run into trouble.

Granted, I'm a relatively new brewer.

If that is the case, then wow, I guess sanitation is not that important.