Star san

beachfrontmeadman · Jun 6, 2008

i know i'm not much of a newbee any more but i think this is a good place for this question
i know star san works,
but for how long
i've got a 6.5 brew bucket full of a star san solution and i am wondering how long i can keep it before having to make a new batch
will it eat a whole in my bucket?

thanks
-bfmm

holycontagion · Jun 6, 2008

I've read in places that one can keep a starsan mixture in a sealed container and have it remain active for 2-4 weeks, or even longer as long as the pH is below 3. I've also read stories of people keeping starsan solutions in primary buckets for months without any detriment to the plastic. So long story short just monitor the pH and keep the container sealed and you should be fine in theory. If you're that worried about it you could just dump the batch as sanitizers really aren't that expensive, but waste not want not!

jt852 · Jun 6, 2008

A while ago, the Brewing Network had an interview with Charlie Talley, one of the founders of 5 Star Chemical, the maker of StarSan. They talk about star san and some of the other products they make. It was the 3/19/06 episode and the interview starts about 55 minutes into the show.

But from what I remember, once mixed, star san can maintain its effectiveness practically forever. I'd have to listen to the interview again, but IIRC, he basically said as long as the solution is stored in a closed container, hasn't been contaminated with excessive organic matter and has a ph of 3.5 or less it will be effective.

akueck · Jun 6, 2008

I recall that to make the solution stay good for long periods, you should mix it with distilled water, not tap. The minerals & such in tap water will render the solution useless after a few days, and I think it gets cloudy at that point too.

If you have a pH meter, all you need to do is check that it's below 3.5 and it's good to go. :icon_thumright:

beachfrontmeadman · Jun 6, 2008

thanks guys,m thats very helpful,
how sealed is sealed,
would sealed be a brew bucket with a lid on it?
or stored in a keg and sealed air tight

holycontagion · Jun 6, 2008

If you want a whole bunch a primary using a lid with no whole would probably work. Once my starsan gets here I'm going to keep a solution in a spray bottle and some sort of large mouthed bottle to disinfect my wine thief easily. Just remember this stuff isn't expensive to the point of insanity, the most expensive price I've seen for a 32oz bottle is around $30 and that's on the extreme side so it's not a huge deal to have a degree of waste. Good luck to you sir =)

wayneb · Jun 6, 2008

For general sanitization purposes around the meadroom, used for everything from filling airlocks to sanitizing tools (thief, hydrometer, lees stirrer, pH meter, etc.) and wiping down hard surfaces, you can't beat a 2x normal strength of Star San. I also have a bucket of 1x strength to use as a secondary rinse. I keep a bucket of each in the mead room, covered only loosely with a top that has no holes in it, and I change them both out with fresh solutions weekly.

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