Star San Storage

[Pdeezy]

Ok enough with the alliterations...

I have been making a new 1 gallon batch of star san every brew day (using the same batch to bottle and brew), and I was wondering if it is ok to store in a milk or water jug, or do I need to buy a glass jug?

I have also seen some people saying that they store them in hdpe plastic jugs, but I haven't been able to find one of those except online.

Thanks

 

[corrales_305]

from what i understand as long as its stored in an air tight container and the solution is not clowdy it is fine and while keep for a while ...ive heard of people using star san for months....also to keep it for long periods of time alot of folks recommend using bottled water instead of tap water......i dont know something about tap water raising the ph of the solution and messing it up.

 

[TyTanium]

If you use distilled water, it will stay good indefinitely. Get a 1g jug of distilled water at Walgreens, mix to the appropriate dilution, and transfer some to a spray bottle. VERY useful for incidental needs.

Cloudiness is not a reliable indicator, though if it is cloudy, I wouldn't save it for reuse. Should be fine on that day though.

Plastic should be just fine, no need for glass.

 

[Komodo]

Go clean your bathroom, shower, etc regularly lik Softscrub or something. Then take your leftover Starsan and mop it all over the shower, walls, corners. You won't believe it. NOTHING grows for quite some time, and SWMBO is spectacularly happy.

 

[Fly_Rodder]

I bought a 5 gal Homedepot bucket and lid, added the appropriate amount of starsan for 5 gal of water, added 5 gal of distilled water ... and voila.

Still clear after after 4 months of use and no infections ever, in anything. I typically auto-siphon into anything I'm going to be using (to sterilize the siphon), then pour back and forth to get a foam built up. I'll probably whip up a new batch in the next month or so.

 

[TyTanium]

Go clean your bathroom, shower, etc regularly lik Softscrub or something. Then take your leftover Starsan and mop it all over the shower, walls, corners. You won't believe it. NOTHING grows for quite some time, and SWMBO is spectacularly happy.

Great idea for bathroom use! My wife LOVES bottling day because her kitchen is left completely cleaned and spotless. I'll have to try StarSan in the bathroom next time.

 

[Spartan1979]

I mix up 2-1/2 gallons of distilled water and some star san in a 3 gallon keg. I have a bicycle pump rigged to provide air pressure. Keeps for months.

 

[BrewThruYou]

I use a glass 1G jug with a polyseal cap. Call me paranoid.

 

[Apoxbrew]

i mix 5 gallons up in a home depot bucket (2 bucks) with distilled water and it keeps forever. i change it about once a month (depending on use) simply because it gets crap in it and even though it's sanitized crap, it still freaks me out so i change it out. i use ph strips to test and haven't ever had it go bad. if you're paranoid like me, but spend 6 bucks on a tube of ph strips. you get like a million and you can have peace of mind that you're still good to go.

 

[DamageCT]

I litterally pour the amount I need into anything that I am cleaning and then add water then and there....

 

[Komodo]

What should the Ph test at for it to still be good?
BTW, theres a really good podcast with the Starsan guy on. I think it was Basic Brewing podcast.

 

[day_trippr]

Below 3.5, I believe.

I just tested the remaining 3 gallons of a 5 gallon batch I made using distilled water back in October, and it was 2.95. I decided to mix up another 2 gallons and poured it in with the 3 to get back to 5 gallons, which I find is just right for brew days...

Cheers!

 

[Stephen_The_Tinkerer]

Does anyone know the storage temperature of unmixed starsan? Can the product be kept in my garage/shed that may freeze? Other than the obvious of the bottle possibly cracking, will a freeze/thaw render the product useless? Thanks.


I know this is an old thread but I like adding to them to keep topics together.

 

[Stephen_The_Tinkerer]

I heard from 5 star and figured I would share

"If at all possible, Starsan needs to be stored in an ambient temperature. That being said, it is not necessarily going to lose efficacy if the product has accidentally frozen. Once thawed out at room temp, you would need to shake up the container to get anything that may have come out of solution mixed back up again. Once diluted with water (at a rate of 1oz per 5gallons of water), as long as the pH of that solution is 3.5 or below, (some run of the mill pH test strips will do. You should be able to find them at a local homebrew shop or), the Starsan is working as intended. To sum up, it is not recommended to store Starsan at freezing temperatures. Yes it can still remain effective when the product thaws. Yes, Starsan can freeze but try to prevent this if you can. And I wouldn't say the container could explode, but I would exercise caution when handling any container full of hazardous chemical that has been subject to extreme temperatures only because we cannot guarantee the structural integrity of those containers at that point. Hope this helps. "