Storing sanitizer?

[sefrayser]

I use Lo Star for my sanitizer right now. How long can I keep it stored? I have it in my what would be bottling bucket. Should I dump it or is it ok? Also does temp affect the sanitizer?

 

[unionrdr]

Do you mean IO Star? http://www.midwestsupplies.com/io-star.html It says to use it fresh & let it dry before using whatever you sanitized with it. You might be able to store it,but it does stain after a time. I prefer Starsan from the same company. Wet sanitizer that doesn't stain & is used wet rather than allowing to dry.

 

[sefrayser]

Got ya, I will dump it. I will get Star San next time I get supplies. Hope I didn't screwup the batches I made. I didn't let dry completely before adding the wort to fermenter or secondary

 

[cluckk]

I use Star San and store it. It is fine in plastic. I use two of the large cube water jugs picked up with water from Walmart. I fill them with 5 gallons of dilute Star San and use them as needed. When I brew I pour the Star San into a bucket and use for dipping or pouring into fermenters, etc. I then pour it back into the cube, cap and store. One 5 gallon cube can last me the whole brewing year if handled properly.

 

[unionrdr]

I do about the same thing with 1 gallon SunnyD jugs. It'll last a couple months before I need to make more.

 

[runkelia]

Mr. Clukk

that is a great idea thanks for sharing.
Question: Do you use tap water or the water that came in the jug or distilled water?
Question: how do you know its time to dump and make a new batch?

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Mr. Clukk

that is a great idea thanks for sharing.
Question: Do you use tap water or the water that came in the jug or distilled water?
Question: how do you know its time to dump and make a new batch?

StarSan is pH dependent, so if you plan on keeping it around awhile it is good to know your tap water composition or use distilled. It gets cloudy when it is no good. Some people can't use their tap water at all and some can have it last a year with no problems.

 

[kako187]

StarSan is pH dependent, so if you plan on keeping it around awhile it is good to know your tap water composition or use distilled. It gets cloudy when it is no good. Some people can't use their tap water at all and some can have it last a year with no problems.

I thought the "Cloudy San" was a myth that was been debunked on here...

 

[unionrdr]

Cloudy doesn't matter much. craigtube did a video test on a clear batch & a cloudy one. No difference in PH. It needs to be PH 3.5 or lower to be effective.

 

[sefrayser]

I didn't let the io star completely dry before I put the wort in primary or secondary. Did I screw up?

 

[Clonefan94]

I thought the "Cloudy San" was a myth that was been debunked on here...

Yes, I even heard the creator of StarSan on a podcast say it's effectiveness is based on ph, not the cloudiness of the solution. Now, being cloudy could mean that it's attacking the minerals in the water and could be changing it's ph because of this, so you should check the ph. Below 3.5 is what he said was effective.

I just buy a 5 gallon jug of distilled water and mix my solution up in that and store it there. I swap it out every couple of months, when I notice particles floating in it or if I just end up wasting some of it and it gets down around 3 gallons left. Even so, I still keep the old star san as long as it's clean and use it to fill my sprayer and to put in a bowl to sanitize smaller items of my kegs. I have one I've had for about 6 months that I just dumped. Checked the ph on it and it was still at 3. So it can be stored for a while. The key is to make sure and keep it clean. You don't want any organic floaties in it.

 

[sumbrewindude]

I didn't let the io star completely dry before I put the wort in primary or secondary. Did I screw up?

Nah, you'll be fine.

If mixed to the correct ratio iodine will have no effect on your product. I use it wet all the time and never have an issue. The Dairy industry and countless others do as well.

The thing with iodine is that you can't store it - so it doesn't matter if it's IO-Star or any other iodine based sanitizer, in order for the product to be effective it must be "tinted". If the solution is not "tinted", it's not effective and should be tossed/remade.

I know a lot of folks save StarSan on here, and for the cost I can definitely understand why. I'm not a huge fan of saving sanitizing solution long term, and would just as soon make a new batch for when I need it.

I found I can by a gallon of iodine based sanitizer mix for around 15.00 or so, so I'm not shy at all about tossing and remaking sanitizer. It's just not worth it to me considering the work involved to create the product (beer) vs the 10 seconds to make a new batch of sanitizer.

YMMV.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,that's the thing. Starsan by nature lasts a lot longer than iodine-based ones do. I even use a radiator funnel with a wider mouth & coffee filters to filter my solutions once in a while.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I thought the "Cloudy San" was a myth that was been debunked on here...

Cloudy doesn't matter much. craigtube did a video test on a clear batch & a cloudy one. No difference in PH. It needs to be PH 3.5 or lower to be effective.

Good to know. Except w/o a pH meter that was how I was judging the effectiveness of my StarSan... Guess I HAVE to buy a pH meter now!

Sent from my Xoom using Home Brew mobile app

 

[unionrdr]

Or some PH test strips...

 

[seph]

Or some PH test strips...

+1

I have a whole tube of test strips that I use on and around brew day to check the PH of my Star-San.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Y'all are taking my irrational justifications for spending an excessive amount of money to buy gadgets I don't need to engage in a hobby that can be done "with buckets, coolers, and toilet parts" and throwin em right out the window! SWMBO doesn't know about F'n pH strips!

BTW, good morning!

Sent from my Xoom using Home Brew mobile app

 

[seph]

Y'all are taking my irrational justifications for spending an excessive amount of money to buy gadgets I don't need to engage in a hobby that can be done "with buckets, coolers, and toilet parts" and throwin em right out the window! SWMBO doesn't know about F'n pH strips!

BTW, good morning!

Sent from my Xoom using Home Brew mobile app

Ha....ok...I get it. I'll shut up now.

 

[seph]

Y'all are taking my irrational justifications for spending an excessive amount of money to buy gadgets I don't need to engage in a hobby that can be done "with buckets, coolers, and toilet parts" and throwin em right out the window! SWMBO doesn't know about F'n pH strips!

BTW, good morning!

Sent from my Xoom using Home Brew mobile app

I'll just leave this here...

http://www.homebrewfinds.com/2014/01/reader-tip-more-beer-milwaukee-ph-meter.html

 

[unionrdr]

Y'all are taking my irrational justifications for spending an excessive amount of money to buy gadgets I don't need to engage in a hobby that can be done "with buckets, coolers, and toilet parts" and throwin em right out the window! SWMBO doesn't know about F'n pH strips!

BTW, good morning!

Sent from my Xoom using Home Brew mobile app

Wasn't trying to foil your scheme,just cheaper with the test strips for some of us.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I had actually forgotten about test strips! I've been kicking around a pH meter for dialing in my mash and checking sanitizer is just another use for it. Probably have to wait a while as Santa unexpectedly brought me a new rear end for my truck instead of brewing toys this year...bastard!