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How long do you use your Starsan?


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#1 HVB

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 08:28 AM

I have always been under the impression if Starsan was clear and under a pH of 3 ( going by memory) it was fine.  I read yesterday from a person that contacted 5 Star that SS is a one and done use and should be used immediately after mixing.  I am going to e-mail 5 Star and see what they say.  This seems to be different than what they were touting before.

 

 



#2 positiveContact

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 08:31 AM

I use it until the bugs find thier way in or I accidentally spill wort in it. This usually happens before it's been very long.

#3 HVB

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 08:33 AM

I use it until the bugs find thier way in or I accidentally spill wort in it. This usually happens before it's been very long.

I have had some in spray bottles for half a year or more.



#4 Big Nake

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 08:37 AM

Lately I have been in the habit of keeping a bucket of Starsan from a brewday which may stick around for 2 weeks.  When I save one, I dump the previous one.  I might fill spray bottles with it, etc.  FTR, my Starsan is never clear... it's always sort of 'lemonade-like' which could be the high bicarb in my water or something.  That said, it always works for me.  Not sure the last time I checked the pH of my Starsan.  

 

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Just went and checked the pH on a bucket of Starsan that I mixed up on Saturday for my brewday... 2.62.  :o



#5 Bklmt2000

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 09:21 AM

I talked to a lead chemist at 5-Star a year or 2 back, and she let me in on a few things.

 

One was, if you mix up StarSan in a spray bottle, and you use distilled water (vs. tap or RO water), the resulting solution is good (will stay under a pH of 3) almost indefinitely.



#6 djinkc

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 09:22 AM

Maybe a week



#7 Poptop

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 09:29 AM

I use and keep StarSan based on batches.  I typically whip up a Homey Bucket and use it for a couple batches regardless of time between the two.  That said, I must now leave this conversation so as to not jinx my 101-0 sanitation practices ;)



#8 Merlinwerks

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 09:53 AM

I mix up a fresh 5 gal batch with distilled water every 3 months or so.



#9 Big Nake

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 10:09 AM

I should also mention that I do make a fresh batch of Starsan solution for every single batch.  I do not use "old" Starsan to clean primaries, kegs, etc... always fresh.  But I will keep that bucket of Starsan around for other things like sanitizing a flask and funnel on-the-fly, filling a spray bottle, etc.



#10 Dave McG

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 11:19 AM

... FTR, my Starsan is never clear... it's always sort of 'lemonade-like' which could be the high bicarb in my water or something. That said, it always works for me. Not sure the last time I checked the pH of my Starsan.

Just went and checked the pH on a bucket of Starsan that I mixed up on Saturday for my brewday... 2.62. :o

Mine also looks cloudy right away, which is not surprising given that we are both on Lake Michigan water.

#11 HVB

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 11:38 AM

Mine also looks cloudy right away, which is not surprising given that we are both on Lake Michigan water.

I think "hard" water makes it cloudy but I may be wrong.



#12 Bklmt2000

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 12:06 PM

I think "hard" water makes it cloudy but I may be wrong.

 

It does; you're seeing the effect of carbonate reacting with the phosphoric acid in StarSan.  Soft, better yet, distilled will keep the StarSan solution clear.



#13 Big Nake

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 12:26 PM

I guess I'm always looking for the definition of "hard" water.  If my water is: Ca 34, Mg 12, Na 13, Cl 21, SO4 27 and Bicarb 138... is that hard?  The only whacked-out number is bicarb but the others are pretty modest, no?



#14 neddles

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 12:26 PM

I mix up a gallon at a time with RO water. Use it indefinitely.



#15 denny

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 12:53 PM

In a spray bottle with distilled water, forever...nearly.  In a bucket with tap water, one and done. 



#16 TAPPER

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Posted 14 September 2018 - 09:44 AM

I use softened water.  My star-san stays clear.  I just check pH every time I use it and if under 3 I keep using it.



#17 gnef

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Posted 17 September 2018 - 05:13 PM

I mix mine 5 gallons at a time with RO water - we have a household RO system with an extra 11 gallon tank that I bought for it, which makes getting 5 gallons of RO water simple, and it stays clear until I add stuff to it.

 

My solution stays clear, but discolors brownish in most cases due to beer and yeast cleaned off of tubing and the like. When it discolors like this, I use it to rinse off beer from growlers and the like while I keep a separate 'clean' bucket of starsan.

 

I also keep pH strips to double check that it is still in good condition too.

 

I top off my spray bottles every now and then, but some have had the same solution for probably close to a year.




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