What to do with starsan after keg purge

[Crafty_Brewer]

Hi everyone, I just performed my first closed transfer from my fermonster to a co2 purged keg, lots of good info here on getting setup to do this. It went super smooth (probably because I was able to take advantage of everyone else’s process knowledge).

What do you like to do with your starsan after pushing it out of the keg?

I ended up using some to sanitize my keezer beer line, dipped all the equipment used in it that was going to touch beer today, refilled my spray bottle, but ended up dumping the rest. I feel wasteful, but maybe I’m just cheap.

Do you store the rest for later, and in what? How long do you keep it, and/or for how many batches/brewing processes?

I’m used to only mixing up a 32 oz spray bottle for brew day, and maybe a gallon or 2 for bottling/kegging, so no big deal to dump the rest.

I also had thought that even if I had wanted to use it for another keg purge, it’s going to be less than “filled up to the brim” on the next keg, so less than ideal for purging the O2.

Any process tips on this?
Thanks!

 

[MaxStout]

Don't waste it--it's still good! Store it in a bucket with lid and save for the next closed transfer. If there's not enough to fill the keg to the brim next time, just make up enough to top it off.

It will last a long time. As long as it doesn't turn cloudy, it's still effective.

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

Don't waste it--it's still good! Store it in a bucket with lid and save for the next closed transfer. If there's not enough to fill the keg to the brim next time, just make up enough to top it off.

It will last a long time. As long as it doesn't turn cloudy, it's still effective.

Awesome! I’ve got an extra homer bucket and lid, and the part about making up enough to top off the keg is gold - I hadn’t considered that.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, I also maintain a ~5.5 gallon Star San reservoir to enable keg purges, and I also reuse it, unless it's about time to mix up a fresh batch...

Cheers!

 

[Spartan1979]

I just transfer it to another keg.

 

[sibelman]

As long as it doesn't turn cloudy, it's still effective.

Re-usability was my original motivation to switch to StarSan from Iodophor, years ago.

Do others experience that it turns cloudy faster in summertime, and/or with air (oxygen) exposure? That seems to be my experience.

 

[norrismj]

I find that if I use tap water with high mineral content and chlorine levels it turns cloudy in a short time. When I use RO water it last for as long as I keep it covered in a bucket.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Do others experience that it turns cloudy faster in summertime, and/or with air (oxygen) exposure? That seems to be my experience.

I use RO water for my Star San solution and it never turns cloudy. I've had batches go 6 months and they're always still bright, and the pH is still well below 3.

Cheers!

 

[jschein]

I find that if I use tap water with high mineral content and chlorine levels it turns cloudy in a short time. When I use RO water it last for as long as I keep it covered in a bucket.

I use a campden tablet for starsan with tap water. Before I added campden years ago it would get cloudy faster

 

[Broken Crow]

I use a campden tablet for starsan with tap water. Before I added campden years ago it would get cloudy faster

Thanks! Mine gets cloudy, I'll try that.
I usually do my kegs 3-6 at a time and I leave Star San flowing into them through the liquid post with a bare gas disconnect on and let it run out over the top while I pull the lid up, then pop the gas disconnect once the Star San is squirting out..I like it to be completely full so it takes more than 5 gallons. I mix up a fresh 5G in the first keg and top up with Star San left over from last time and kept in a 5G HDPE bucket. With losses to my overruns, I keep topping up from the old batch and then dump the remainder when the last keg is full....some of it goes to my spray bottles but for most of it I usually get my GF to carry it upstairs and dump it down the various drains as they have a kinda long run and occasionally smell...for whatever reason, the Star San eliminates whatever built up and smelled in there. Once the bucket is rinsed I refill it with the fresh batch when I purge the last keg and save it for next time. Prior to using a racking pump to drain the bucket, I kept my used Star San in a Fermonster with a solid lid (cause you can't leave silicone in it a long time), usually filled to its full 7G limit, and I'd reuse the entire batch by replacing the lid with a modded bulkhead/floating diptube lid and use CO2 and/or gravity to fill my kegs.

 

[BrewZer]

I use a campden tablet for starsan with tap water. Before I added campden years ago it would get cloudy faster

I mix mine up with a jug of distilled water from the store. I'm going on a 3-year-old batch in a sealed glass jug.

 

[sibelman]

Sounds like dechlorinating (campden or K-meta) and storing in glass or stainless would improve longevity for me - thanks, folks!

 

[Snuffy]

It works well to keep sewer flies out of your p-traps. I bet it would also make a great foot-soak for treating nail fungus.

Oh, and I use it sometimes to soak my cpap hoses.

 

[redrocker652002]

This is good info. I have some starsan in a glass carboy that has been in there for a couple of years and it is still clear. With that said, I would not use it, but good to know I can store it for a few months and it is probably going to still be good.

 

[beren]

I use tapwater to fill my keg, co2 purge, and then basically use a hop bong to put a quart of star sign in while letting a little co2 vent. Then purge that with co2. I normally only make a half gallon of star san at a time now and use distilled water

 

[BasementArtie]

I've always reluctantly used it after but with hoppy beers is almost smells like hop water. I've always felt uncomfortable cleaning with it with the aroma of other beers / hops / sulphur (in lager batches). Although I do use it and measure the pH below 3, I'm always worried the aroma compounds may actually pass on infections, off flavours etc.

Can someone else put my mind at ease. No matter the aroma that it's good?

 

[sibelman]

I bet it would also make a great foot-soak for treating nail fungus.

I'm often up to my wrists (briefly) in StarSan, and some gets in my mouth (briefly) at certain moments. I spit and rinse when that happens.

Fighting nail fungus can be really difficult - fungi can be amazingly durable little buggers.

But I'd be cautious about prolonged StarSan exposure. I know the MSDS is about the concentrated form, but even so...

 

[Broken Crow]

I've always reluctantly used it after but with hoppy beers is almost smells like hop water. I've always felt uncomfortable cleaning with it with the aroma of other beers / hops / sulphur (in lager batches). Although I do use it and measure the pH below 3, I'm always worried the aroma compounds may actually pass on infections, off flavours etc.

Can someone else put my mind at ease. No matter the aroma that it's good?

I hate to be That Guy but: Star San is a Sanitizer NOT a cleaner! If your keg still smells like hops; It isn't clean!
Hop aroma in Star San is Bad.

 

[BasementArtie]

How about solidum benzoate or potassium Sorbate they're good at stopping fungi aren't they?
Ho

I'm often up to my wrists (briefly) in StarSan, and some gets in my mouth (briefly) at certain moments. I spit and rinse when that happens.

Fighting nail fungus can be really difficult - fungi can be amazingly durable little buggers.

But I'd be cautious about prolonged StarSan exposure. I know the MSDS is about the concentrated form, but even so

 

[Broken Crow]

I'm often up to my wrists (briefly) in StarSan, and some gets in my mouth (briefly) at certain moments. I spit and rinse when that happens.

Fighting nail fungus can be really difficult - fungi can be amazingly durable little buggers.

But I'd be cautious about prolonged StarSan exposure. I know the MSDS is about the concentrated form, but even so...

I agree....and I told my GF it was not the best idea, but she swore it helped but didn't ultimately get rid of the fungus, so she switched out to tea-tree oil and that killed it dead after a few applications.

 

[BasementArtie]

I hate to be That Guy but: Star San is a Sanitizer NOT a cleaner! If your keg still smells like hops; It isn't clean!
Hop aroma in Star San is Bad.

I mean after purging the clean keg (smells of nothing) with sanitiser (starsan) with the CO2 from fermentation the water that's evacuated smells like hops/grain/Sulphur depending on the beer being brewed.

Despite measuring the pH below 3 is this sanitiser still okay to use?

 

[mac_1103]

Despite measuring the pH below 3 is this sanitiser still okay to use?

I purge empty sanitized kegs with fermentation gas, so I have no experience with the phenomenon you describe, but if your used starsan is also clear and foams prodigiously when you shake it up then ISTM that it should still be doing its job.

 

[Broken Crow]

I mean after purging the clean keg (smells of nothing) with sanitiser (starsan) with the CO2 from fermentation the water that's evacuated smells like hops/grain/Sulphur depending on the beer being brewed.

Despite measuring the pH below 3 is this sanitiser still okay to use?

Sorry about that, I completely forgot about fermentation purging....I tried out purging with fermentation gas but I didn't like residue it left on the inside of the keg or the waste of Star San which I wouldn't reuse loaded down with VOCs...mind you; if I were doing a hoppy IPA, I'd definitely use the fermentation purging method to retain the hop aroma, but I'd make peace with myself tossing the purged smelly Star San. I suppose this thread could use distinguishing between tank-purged and fermentation-purged....Thanks for bringing it up!

 

[sibelman]

I recently pushed starsan out of a keg with fermentation gas. (usually i just purge a sanitized keg with fermentation gas). I'm gonna have to give the starsan a sniff and see what I smell. It won't include much of the aroma from the dry hops added when fermentation had slowed.

If it's smelly, I'll dump it. And clean the keg.

 

[BasementArtie]

Sorry about that, I completely forgot about fermentation purging....I tried out purging with fermentation gas but I didn't like residue it left on the inside of the keg or the waste of Star San which I wouldn't reuse loaded down with VOCs...mind you; if I were doing a hoppy IPA, I'd definitely use the fermentation purging method to retain the hop aroma, but I'd make peace with myself tossing the purged smelly Star San. I suppose this thread could use distinguishing between tank-purged and fermentation-purged....Thanks for bringing it up!

Thanks,
Still interested if this starsan is completely unusable or if the VOCs and other airborne (CO2/ sulphurborne) compounds don't impact the ability to sanitise. Does the CO2 and original pH of the sanitiser clean the VOC? This is completely above me.

The last brew I made was a 8.5% Hazy DIPA and the keg purged Starsan smell very hoppy.

 

[sibelman]

Still interested if this starsan is completely unusable or if the VOCs and other airborne (CO2/ sulphurborne) compounds don't impact the ability to sanitise.

Even if the StarSan can still sanitize, the other stuff in solution could be deposited on items you're sanitizing. They may be free of bacteria, and may be chemically altered by the StarSan, but you probably don't want them in your next batch, even if it's another NEIPA.

That said, I speculate that this StarSan-plus you've made might be just fine. The question is: lacking a definitive answer, is it worth the risk, just to save a few pence worth of StarSan and water?

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

Even if the StarSan can still sanitize, the other stuff in solution could be deposited on items you're sanitizing. They may be free of bacteria, and may be chemically altered by the StarSan, but you probably don't want them in your next batch, even if it's another NEIPA.

That said, I speculate that this StarSan-plus you've made might be just fine. The question is: lacking a definitive answer, is it worth the risk, just to save a few pence worth of StarSan and water?

I wonder if single use starsan & fermentation purge or reusing starsan and pushing out with co2 is cheaper?

Last time I checked it was $23 to swap my 20# tank, and it looks like 32 oz of Starsan is going for $30.

The starsan would be $0.94/5 gallons, and the co2 would be maybe $0.60 to push 5 gallons if you believe chatGPT estimating being able to push about 40 kegs not including carbonation.

It might be cheaper to push the starsan with Co2 instead of using fermentation gas if it means the fermentation gas spoils the re-use of starsan due to picking up flavors.

 

[mac_1103]

It might be cheaper to push the starsan with Co2 instead of using fermentation gas if it means the fermentation gas spoils the re-use of starsan due to picking up flavors.

Well since you're the OP, how did you push it anyway?

If it's just about saving money, then sanitize the keg with a quart of starsan, pour that out to another container for re-use, and purge the empty keg with fermentation gas.

 

[mashdar]

I'm so confused. How are people getting hops in the star san? Are they not starting with a clean keg?

edit: Wait, are people displacing star san with ferm gas? I thought of a fairly crude comparison to contraception, but I'll keep that to myself.

 

[day_trippr]

I believe those are folks using fermentation gases to purge their kegs (something I do) which apparently were dry hopped and are wondering if the hop aroma that hangs out in the purged kegs is indicative of sanitation issue.

I do not think it is...

Cheers!