White Vinegar sanitation

[flyboy]

I was listening to NPR on the way to work and heard an article about using 1 cup of white vinegar to a gallon of water to sanitize raw fruits and vegtables instead of bleach water. They were saying it was 95 percent effective. I was wondering if the same would apply to sanitizing brew equipment. I currently use one-step.

 

[malkore]

never heard of vinegar for sanitizing equipment. my guess is, its not good enough. 95% effective is 5% less effective than what you need.

 

[the_bird]

Certainly wouldn't be no-rinse, either...

 

[Fish]

Certainly wouldn't be no-rinse, either...

Yeah a little vinegar flavor could ruin any beer.

 

[the_bird]

Star-san and Iodophor are so cheap when used in the right concentration, I don't get why people want to screw around on this issue.

 

[Beerthoven]

Star-san and Iodophor are so cheap when used in the right concentration, I don't get why people want to screw around on this issue.

I agree completely.

But I think some like the convenience of a sanitzer you can pick up cheap at the grocery store and probably buy regularly anyway.

Still, nothing is more convenient than a 5-gallon bucket of Star-san.

 

[the_bird]

I agree completely.

But I think some like the convenience of a sanitzer you can pick up cheap at the grocery store and probably buy regularly anyway.

Still, nothing is more convenient than a 5-gallon bucket of Star-san.

I think I'm swapping to Star-san, I love the idea of being able to keep a bucket of it around instead of having to make a small amount of Iodophor up every time I need sanitizer.

 

[Beerthoven]

I think I'm swapping to Star-san, I love the idea of being able to keep a bucket of it around instead of having to make a small amount of Iodophor up every time I need sanitizer.

That mix in that picture is 3 months old and still effective, just used it yesterday in fact. It will take me a long time to go through my 32 ounce bottle of Star-san.

 

[the_bird]

What do you do, just check the PH every once in a while?

 

[Beerthoven]

Yes, should be at 3 or less.

You can tell by looking too, if it gets cloudy its no good.

 

[malkore]

although hard, alkaline water will produce a cloudy star-san solution from the instant you mix it, but it stays effective.

the other nice thing is that when it does lose its ability to sanitize, you can add some straight star-san back to it until you hit the correct pH range...basically re-charging it with less star-san than a brand new bucket of solution.


I think the star-san nay-sayers have never actually used it. they don't see that for $9 (thats my LHBS price for the small 9oz bottle) you get so much freakin sanitizer its insane.

for the hassle of having to rinse 'cheap' bleach sanitizer with pre-boiled water...its worth it to stick with star-san.

 

[Llarian]

Hmmm. I usually destroy my Star-San when I use the bucket to put blowoff tubes into. That seems to neutralize it right quick.

I wonder if there's something cheaper I could put in the blowoff bucket that'd still prevent infection.

-D

 

[Beerthoven]

Hmmm. I usually destroy my Star-San when I use the bucket to put blowoff tubes into. That seems to neutralize it right quick.

I wonder if there's something cheaper I could put in the blowoff bucket that'd still prevent infection.

-D

I just use water. If the ferment is so vigorous that you need a blow off tube, there is no chance of suck back.

 

[Funkenjaeger]

I just use water. If the ferment is so vigorous that you need a blow off tube, there is no chance of suck back.

Yep, and since all the yeast and crap blowing out of there is going to ruin your sanitizer solution quite quickly anyway, it'd probably be about as unsanitary as using water in the first place if it ever managed to suck back.

 

[b767fo]

What do you use to check the PH of the solution? (and where would I get some?)