Starsan Caps $uck!

Williams 728
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DPBISME

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I love the product but the caps are the worst.

Screw them down, not even all that tight, and they break.

I would think this would be a SAFTY ISSUE.

Both caps broke on my recent large bottle and so I stuck it in a ziplock bag for safety...

Sure enough some where along the way the bag tipped over and about a cup poured in the bag,.

Lucky for me the Ziplock held else I would have acid all over the place.

I am going to complain to them about this issue...

They are lucky I did not burn myself.

DPB

UPDATE: (Five Star responded already,,, I mean less than two hours)

I let them know of the problem and they are sending me caps...

Nice Customer Service but I hope they fix the problem... ( do like the product )

Maybe I should send them this link...

DPB
 
The_Bishop said:
You don't need a pipe wrench to tighten the caps down, you know.
Click to expand...

Ya, I get that,,,, but no other product I have ever bought has problem with the caps breaking... nothing in my shop and nothing in my kitchen...

In fact I cannot think of any example where these the cap of something is so poorly designed other than some yogurt containers that have cheap lids...

This is a potentially dangerous chemical... it should at least have a cap as good as a ketchup bottle.

DPB
 
Aren't StarSan caps like what you'd find on a medicine bottle? They seal into place and then spin freely, then you have to push down and twist to get them off? Seems safe to me, what is the company supposed to do about someone cranking them down until they break?

User error, send that email to yourself.
 
My last 2 bottles the caps broke, the caps weren't over tightened. Funny thing is the cap is fine when placed on the bottle and stored. It's the next time I grab the bottle in 2-4 weeks I notice the top of the cap is cracked.
 
LBussy said:
I have had that issue as well and I am not a gorilla nor do I use one to tighten caps.

I thought I was the only one ......
Click to expand...

No Lee, it seems we are the only brewers with any MAN hand strength... HA!

Actually I have never had strong hands in spite of doing construction and other physical jobs... and since I have broken probably half a dozen of these makes me think it is not ME!

I mean really, it should be made to "crank down" since the last thing you need is to have acid leaking out in your house.
 
DPBISME said:
I love the product but the caps are the worst.

Screw them down, not even all that tight, and they break.

DPB
Click to expand...

Yep. Happens to me too. I suspect it's the acidic pH somehow weakening the plastic. And, no, I don't tighten them that tight. I have noticed that when the caps break, the caps (what's left of the caps) are very brittle.
 
I also have had my caps break. It's not a normal occurrence with other bottles.

The other day I read that a 2 L soda bottle lid fits. Haven't tried it yet though.
 
Interesting, I have never had this issue either. Then again a small bottle of star san lasts me over a year because I pre-mix and reuse it so I don't have to open the bottle often.
 
Mine always break... gone through 3 32oz bottles in 6 years of brewing (stuff lasts forever using spray bottles!) but the top of the caps have always split at some point... it's got to be the acidic solution.
 
They changed them. Just bought starsan and it's got a child proof cap that's a lot stronger than the old ones. I've broken at least 3 of the old ones.
 
I'm still working my way through my first bottle but both of the caps on mine are broke. The top of the caps broke clear leaving me with threaded cylinders.

I just ripped a couple of pieces off of a plastic shopping bag, put them over the openings and screwed the "cylinders" down over them. This appears to work fine but I am very careful that the bottle remains upright (wedged into one of my brew supply boxes) so that the starsan doesn't make contact with the plastic bag material for any period of time.
 
I am working on a 16 ounce bottle that I bought 5 years ago, about 1 ounce left. One of the caps broke about 3 or so years ago. I did not replace it. I also did not over tighten it!!! Just put a cap from an old White Labs vial on it. :)
 
I agree that they are very flimsy caps. And it's not user error. I've never had a bleach cap break... or break a medicine bottle cap for that matter. Starsan just needs to use better caps to contain such a caustic solution.
 
UPDATE:

I let them know of the problem and they are sending me caps...

Nice Customer Service but I hope they fix the problem...

DPB
 
Also have had starsan caps break. My replacement, which has been working for almost 3 years, is from a Dasani water bottle - was the closest thing at hand when the original cap broke and is still working fine.
 
The main thing that I have learned from this thread is:

1. I thought I did a good job at conserving and reusing StarSan...using a "big" bottle every 1.5 year or so.
2. I do not do a good job conserving StarSan compared to everyone else.
 
Mine broke about a couple months in and I, like others have stated, found a substitute (soda bottle cap) and it has been in place for many years. I bought a gallon jug which I have used to refill my 32 ounce bottle (when it was about half empty) once in the last 6-8 years. I use mine until the PH goes out of range or gets crud in it (too many crickets for instance...before we got cats that is :D) then pitch it and make a fresh batch...always have 5 gallons and a spray bottle on hand. Great product, packaging not so much.
 
The star san caps are those child proof ones. You're only supposed to tighten them until they click then you turn back the other way and make sure they're spinning freely and not loosening and that's that.
 
Oh they break alright, and I don't torque them down to tight either. I also store every new container in a zip lock bag just in case the new caps break. One time the container itself cracked and I poured the contents into a left over plastic Chinese take out soup container. I put that into a zip lock bag as well, just in case! :D
 
This has happened to every bottle of star san i've ever bought too. I don't do anything more than tighten to snug. I just figured the acid was corroding the plastic. I started to store the star san in a bag inside of a bin because it leaked and has ruined so many things in my houses.
 
Thorsbrew said:
The star san caps are those child proof ones. You're only supposed to tighten them until they click then you turn back the other way and make sure they're spinning freely and not loosening and that's that.
Click to expand...
As someone said earlier, the child-proof caps must be a relatively new introduction. I have had a 32oz bottle for a few years, and both caps have been broken for quite a while. I also have an 8 oz bottle I got in Feb this year that Starsan donated as prizes for our club's competition, and it does have the child-proof caps. Sounds like 5 Star has addressed the problem, but the old caps DO suck.
 
Yeah, I broke mine too. I am, however, incredibly strong. :)

Here's my interesting side note. The caps from those old White Labs vials and the caps from 2 liter soda bottles both work the same, because those vials are actually preforms for the soda bottles. First they injection mold the preforms, then they blow mold the preforms to make soda bottles. White labs wisely latched onto those premade vials to store their yeast. Then, recently, they un-wisened with their new packaging.

Now that reminds me. I took a course in college that had one of those guys who thought the class was just a 2-way conversation between him and the prof. He was always asking stupid questions (yes, there actually ARE stupid question) and interrupting with worthless tidbits. Anyhow, one day, this guy interrupts the prof by saying, "Here's an interesting side note...," and the prof says, "I doubt it." I about choked.

...Hmmm. Not sure what reminded me of that.
 
My caps crack on every bottle before it's gone. Maybe cause I keep it in the garage where it gets in the 100s during summer.
 
Now I too thought I was the only one... :drunk:

I've long replaced the 2 caps from my 32oz dispenser bottle with better ones.

BTW, I measure the amount much more precisely than with the dispenser, using with a small graduate. Or with my newest discovery, an old clear (Fuji) film canister. Exactly 1 oz up to the "snap" line, very close to the top.
 

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