StarSan solution okay to leave in plastic brew bucket for a while?

[otherchuck]

Greetings,

I am kind of new to using StarSan solution (and for the record, I brew mead more than beer but that is not important to this question). I am in a position where I want to fill one of my plastic primary buckets halfway up with StarSan solution today to do some equipment cleaning to rack some mead from a primary bucket into a secondary carboy. But then I will be bottling another batch, and maybe brewing another batch, maybe three or four days from now. If I leave that StarSan solution in that food-grade primary primary fermentation bucket for...lets say...a week, does anything nasty seep into the plastic? Can I still use that bucket for brewing beer in the near future, or has it now become merely a cleaning bucket?

Thanks!

Otherchuck

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, many of us keep 5 gallons or a bit more of Star San mix around for purging kegs, and in my case at least that bucket may sit filled for months at a time before I mix a fresh batch (I always use distilled or at least my RO system water).

That said, there is no doubt some plastics are susceptible to degradation from Star San - Delrin for one (from the epoxy mixing sticks used for flow moderation when dispensing from corny kegs with too short beer lines), and the inside surface of my Star San bucket does not feel the same as the outside after many years in that role...

Cheers

 

[pvpeacock]

I use food grade 5 gallon buckets from Smart and Final to store StarSan for months at a time and have never noticed any change in the buckets. They also have lids. In addition, I keep a spray bottle full of StarSan around at all times. Never had any degradation or problems doing so. I'm still using the same spray bottle I bought years ago.

 

[SFC Rudy]

Do not leave your tubing in Star San, it gets a tad gummy!

 

[day_trippr]

Right, it makes a mess of many types of tubing if left in contact for long.

Also, the shank threads of the particular type of bucket spigot I favor slowly dissolve, while the plastic retaining nut is completely unchanged. I'm on my third spigot in 10 years, but the same nut.

So, it's an undeniable fact that some plastics get changed by prolonged contact with the standard Star San mix...

Cheers!

 

[pvpeacock]

I don't store anything in the StarSan. I once left a piece of non-stainless steel in the bucket and it started corroding. Never again.

 

[Robert65]

One obvious thing to note is that full strength Star San concentrate comes packaged in HDPE bottles, intended to sit there indefinitely. So no worries with anything made of that.

 

[day_trippr]

Otoh, the caps have a known problem

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

Otoh, the caps have a known problem

Cheers!

The only problem I've had with the caps is there's no stop, so you can keep threading them down until the bottle neck punches the top out, so they don't last long enough for chemical decomposition to come into play! (Tip, this is another great application for duck tape.)

 

[specialkayme]

In addition, I keep a spray bottle full of StarSan around at all times. Never had any degradation or problems doing so. I'm still using the same spray bottle I bought years ago. View attachment 676109

It depends on the water you use. I have tap water with ~150 ppm of tds. I went through about a half a dozen spray bottles filled with star san. Each would last a month to three months before the spray part wouldn't work anymore. I even ordered industrial grade, chemical resistant spray bottles. Didn't matter. About a year or so ago I started only mixing distilled water in my star san spray bottles. Haven't had one break since then.

That being said I have an old brew bucket I keep star san mixed in. I don't use distilled water in there. I've had that bucket filled for about 3 years now, and never had a problem (changing it out every 3-6 months). The tap water makes the mixture cloudy, and the inside of the bucket is slick, but no apparent issues with the bucket itself. I even brewed in it a year ago (I ran out of fermenters and scavenged what I could), and didn't notice any off flavors.

 

[day_trippr]

Yeah, after two of the small 8oz bottle caps failed before they were empty I finally learned not to tighten them more than just enough to prevent a leak. That said, they were fine/strong when new, so I'm betting there is a process going on the inside that weakens them over time. I've been extra careful with the 32 ounce bottle I bought a couple of years ago...

Cheers!

 

[Robert65]

The cloudiness when you mix Star San in mineralized water is caused by the phosphoric acid reacting with minerals and precipitating phosphate salts. I suspect that the slickness in an HDPE bucket may be the result of this precipitate adhering to the surfaces. I wonder if this also contributes to jamming up spray bottle pumps, but that's mere speculation. There is certainly some degradation of some plastics, especially vinyl. I've had a regular spray bottle from Home Depot last for so many years with Star San before failing, I can't justify the extra $3 or so for the supposedly chemically resistant spray bottle. (BTW a bleach solution will kill the same spray bottle overnight, don't do that.)