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Re-Using Star San


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#1 Dave in Indiana

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 03:37 AM

After cleaning a carboy, I'll fill it with a Star San solution. Then I may transfer the solution to a clean bottling bucket and then back to another clean carboy. In between I might soak a few pieces of clean equipment and then possibly transfer it a week or so later to another clean carboy, etc. Anyone else do this? Any way to tell when my solution has lost it's strength?

#2 ThroatwobblerMangrove

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 03:43 AM

After cleaning a carboy, I'll fill it with a Star San solution. Then I may transfer the solution to a clean bottling bucket and then back to another clean carboy. In between I might soak a few pieces of clean equipment and then possibly transfer it a week or so later to another clean carboy, etc. Anyone else do this? Any way to tell when my solution has lost it's strength?

I do it. You are supposed to be able to tell by checking the pH.

#3 Dave in Indiana

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 03:46 AM

What pH would be good, or what pH would be a solution losing it's strength?

#4 notwoohoo

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 03:59 AM

What pH would be good, or what pH would be a solution losing it's strength?

The pH must be below 3.0. I generally will save for a few weeks or a month, discarding when it appears cloudy or dirty.Edit: I have soft water.

#5 DR0NE

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 04:04 AM

What pH would be good, or what pH would be a solution losing it's strength?

It's still good when the pH is below 3. I keep some in spray bottles and an old 2.5 gallon water jug and it seems to keep for a couple of weeks. Longer than that and I usually just mix up a new batch.

#6 Dean Palmer

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 04:29 AM

I use it until the PH gets to 3, or when it is just visibly getting dirty from all the uses. At 50 cents an ounce, and that ounce making 5 gallons, it lasts a long time and is reasonably cheap to throw away each time if you make only what is really required. I usually make up 2.5 gallons anyway, so tossing 25 cents per brew day isn't critical, and every use I get after that is a bonus :rolf: Tossing it after the day is done might actually be smarter and cheaper than buying PH test strips too.

#7 BrewerGeorge

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 06:20 AM

After cleaning a carboy, I'll fill it with a Star San solution. Then I may transfer the solution to a clean bottling bucket and then back to another clean carboy. In between I might soak a few pieces of clean equipment and then possibly transfer it a week or so later to another clean carboy, etc. Anyone else do this? Any way to tell when my solution has lost it's strength?

If you're making it with tap water that's as hard as mine, it may be above 3 pH as soon as you make it. :rolf: If it's cloudy instantly, don't save it. (I'd personally consider not using it at all in that case, but 5 Star is on the record saying it still sanitizes. I just don't understand how...if it's above 3.) However, if you make it with RO or other soft water, it will stay good indefinitely.

#8 HVB

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 07:44 AM

If you're making it with tap water that's as hard as mine, it may be above 3 pH as soon as you make it. :rolf: If it's cloudy instantly, don't save it. (I'd personally consider not using it at all in that case, but 5 Star is on the record saying it still sanitizes. I just don't understand how...if it's above 3.) However, if you make it with RO or other soft water, it will stay good indefinitely.

This is good to know,mine gets cloudy when I mix it. Time to check the PH of it. I have only ever used Star-San. Is there a better option for hard water?Mike

#9 rockon

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 07:46 AM

I'll keep a spray bottle around for a couple weeks, but I get nervous about it after that. I should start checking the pH, but I never have , yet.

#10 dagomike

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 08:06 AM

I always save mine in a bucket, but make up fresh whenever moving beer. I mostly use the extra for rinsing after cleaning or spraying down a corny post. No big deal if it's not still a mass murderer anymore.

#11 japh

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 10:44 AM

I have a bucket that's probably a year old. Not cloudy at all, but I have no pH test strips laying around. We have very soft water here, so I wonder if I should make up a new batch....

#12 Dave in Indiana

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 11:15 AM

How does Star San treat your bucket? Do they get all slimy like the plastic tubing?

#13 BrewerGeorge

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 12:07 PM

How does Star San treat your bucket? Do they get all slimy like the plastic tubing?

The sliminess is caused by the hard water, too. Make starsan with RO or distilled water and it feels "squeaky" like vinegar.

#14 cracklefish

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 09:05 PM

I make 5 gallons at a time with distilled water. I then put it back in the gallon jugs and use it slowly over the next few months. So far no cloudiness or high ph. I have had the bigger bottle of starsan now for like, maybe 3 years! works like a charm

#15 orudis

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 09:29 PM

I always save mine in a bucket, but make up fresh whenever moving beer. I mostly use the extra for rinsing after cleaning or spraying down a corny post. No big deal if it's not still a mass murderer anymore.

This is exactly what I do. I always use RO water- otherwise it is cloudy instantly, we have very hard water in SA. I usually make a gallon at a time.

#16 japh

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Posted 30 March 2009 - 10:05 PM

I have a bucket that's probably a year old. Not cloudy at all, but I have no pH test strips laying around. We have very soft water here, so I wonder if I should make up a new batch....

Oh, and we have ridiculously soft water here, so that may be part of why mine seems to last so long.

#17 stangbat

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Posted 31 March 2009 - 08:30 AM

I make 2.5 gallons on brew day. After using it to sanitize everything and at the end of the day, I put it in a couple of gallon jugs and a spray bottle. I then use it the rest of the way through the batch to sanitize kegs for secondary and serving kegs as well as anything else that needs it. On the next brew day, I make another 2.5 gallons. If I brewed more frequently, I'd probably keep using what I had already mixed up. But I don't brew that often any more since a 10g brew day lasts me a while.

#18 Brownbeard

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Posted 01 April 2009 - 08:00 AM

After cleaning a carboy, I'll fill it with a Star San solution. Then I may transfer the solution to a clean bottling bucket and then back to another clean carboy. In between I might soak a few pieces of clean equipment and then possibly transfer it a week or so later to another clean carboy, etc. Anyone else do this? Any way to tell when my solution has lost it's strength?

I mix a 2.5 gal mixture of star san solution. I pour a gallon or so in a garden sprayer, and spray everything. I also keep a spray bottle (think windex) full of solution for small items. I am still using the same 16oz bottle of star san I bought 4 years ago.

#19 tjthresh

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Posted 01 April 2009 - 08:04 AM

I mix a 2.5 gal mixture of star san solution. I pour a gallon or so in a garden sprayer, and spray everything. I also keep a spray bottle (think windex) full of solution for small items. I am still using the same 16oz bottle of star san I bought 4 years ago.

Garden sprayer. I love that. *adding to list*

#20 NWPines

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Posted 01 April 2009 - 11:35 AM

I make 2.5 gallons on brew day. After using it to sanitize everything and at the end of the day, I put it in a couple of gallon jugs and a spray bottle.

This is pretty much what I do. My water is super soft, and StarSan stays effective longer than I keep it around. I've kept it in a gallon jug for over 4 months and it was fine.And a tip, you only need surface contact, not full immersion. In other words, you don't need to fill a carboy full of StarSan to sanitize it, just spray enough in there and swirl it around to get all the surfaces thoroughly wet.


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