Starsan question

[nasmeyer]

I listened to a Basic Brewing podcast where James interviewed the owner of 5 Star who makes Starsan. The owner said Starsan can be kept until it turns cloudy, and then needs to be dumped. He also suggests using distilled water which will keep the solution clear and usable much longer. I noticed that when I mix it with my tap water it turns cloudy right away (after the bubbles subside) and was wondering since it turns cloudy right away if my water may be making a solution that might not be adequate, and leave me open to bacteria? I will use distilled water in the future, but need to know if this may explain some of my questionable previous brewing results. Anyone else noticed a problem with this?

 

[earwig]

Check this out: http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=85561

Good luck.

 

[Trokair]

Huh, mine does the same thing. Anyone know if charcoal filtering or boiling the water will fix this?

 

[earwig]

Huh, mine does the same thing. Anyone know if charcoal filtering or boiling the water will fix this?

The email from the company suggests it's related to hard water. Does your beer taste good? Any off flavors from what you can tell?

 

[paulster2626]

Sometimes when I make some, it goes cloudy right away. Other times, it stays clear for a while. Usually insta-cloudy though. I use mine cloudy for weeks. No problems. The secret to StarSan is in the PH. I bought some PH strips to test it with because like you, I was unsure. All good though - stuff lasts as long as I can use it.

I could never be bothered with buying water or doing anything other than run my tap for sanitizing solution. 20+ batches with "lazy" star-san approach and no infections so far for me...

 

[Trokair]

The email from the company suggests it's related to hard water. Does your beer taste good? Any off flavors from what you can tell?

Not sure. My first batch hit the primary on the 11th. Everything looks good so far. No sign of an infection even though it would be way early for that. I just figured if I can add the extra time to filter or boil the water to make sure the Starsan is as usefull as possible then I should. I am hopefully going to brew a lager this weekend and I'm trying to pick up as much knowledge along the way to make each beer better than the last.

I'll be making a fresh batch of Starsan each time. Guess I will have to break out my fish tank water tester and check the PH next time.

 

[Brewnoob1]

Mine also goes cloudy right away. I usually use it for a month and then dump. I don't have pH test strips and probably should get some at some point. However, I've done numerous batches this way and never had a sanitation problem.

 

[BradleyBrew]

Sometimes when I make some, it goes cloudy right away. Other times, it stays clear for a while. Usually insta-cloudy though. I use mine cloudy for weeks. No problems. The secret to StarSan is in the PH. I bought some PH strips to test it with because like you, I was unsure. All good though - stuff lasts as long as I can use it.

I could never be bothered with buying water or doing anything other than run my tap for sanitizing solution. 20+ batches with "lazy" star-san approach and no infections so far for me...

+1

I bought 160 Ph test strips on ebay for 4 bucks. I just dip one into the solution and check the ph. Never had an issue with cloudy starsan and I usually try to keep it around a ph level of 2.

 

[Hugh_Jass]

The microbes do not care whether they're killed by cloudy or clear starsan. It's a acid contact sanitizer. So long as the pH is below 3 it is effective.

FWIW, when I make a batch of starsan, it clouds quickly but the pH is well into the sanitizing range.

Have a look at an experiment another member performed.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/star-san-cloudiness-lab-report-103337/

 

[cincybrewer]

I've never let the cloudy bother me. I just check the ph and if its low enough I use it.

 

[paulster2626]

I'm going to take this a step further and commit to ONLY using cloudy star san!

 

[ncbrewer]

I called StarSan and asked about re-use. I was told that if it turns cloudy when you mix it, it is still ok. For re-use later, first see if it’s clear or cloudy. Clear means ok. If cloudy, check the pH. If it’s 3.5 or less, it’s ok. If you can’t check the pH, then you shouldn’t re-use it if it’s cloudy.

 

[nasmeyer]

Check this out: http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showtopic=85561

Good luck.

Thanks for posting this link earwig, sounds like the explanation to the problem I have been chasing. As important as this concern might be for someone with hard or high ph water, I'm surprised I haven't come across this topic before.