Star san - effective use of this sanitizer

[harryclelland]

I have recently done some testing of this product with the help of our chemistry department at school and I thought the following information might be helpful to those of you in hard water areas (most of us?!) who are using the product or thinking of trying it - it is fantastic! The instructions tell you to mix at the rate of 1 oz per US gallon, I mix a 1/4 oz in 4.8 litres cold water. To sanitize effectively it should have a ph of below 3.0 and the liquid should be clear. I was, therefore, a bit taken aback when I mixed it first time around and discovered that the mix was already a light milky colour. I used it anyway. I then had our chemist check the ph and it was just under 4.0 well above the recommended threshold. Our water is hard, about 300 ppm total alkalinity with about 100ppm as calcium and it is this that is the buffering the effect of the acid. If you think about it we are adding a tiny amount of acid to a huge amount of alkaline water, hence it is overwhelmed. I then did the same mix with distilled water from the chemistry department and hey presto perfect. Clear as a bell. Also today I found a 5 litre jug of water at Tesco which is very soft, ph 6.5 with 10ppm calcium and 13 ppm bicarbonates so I tried this too and again perfect result. I use small amounts 2-3 litres in my corny kegs and 50 litre stainless steel fermenter and just gently rotate the vessels so that surface is completely coated - contact time is only about a minute. Do not shake vigorously or you will have foam everywhere. But fear not, there will be some foam that clings to the sides, that is fine and normal. I hope this info might be of help.

[maxashton]

According to star san's inventor, you're best to use deionized water. This way you can mix up a batch and store it diluted. It's still good as long as the pH is right.

Also, the foam is harmless to your wort and won't hurt the yeast or the flavour.

Apparently.

[steve_flack]

The instructions tell you to mix at the rate of 1 oz per US gallon, I mix a 1/4 oz in 4.8 litres cold water.

Are you sure. I could swear it's 1 oz in FIVE US gallons.

[harryclelland]

Yes, of course, 1 oz per 19 litres approx. Thank you.

[Garth]

I'm using this for the first time today, I've had it in the cupboard a few months now so I thought it was about time.

To be honest, I'm a bit scared as it's a no rinse jobbie even though that's why I bought it, I'm just about to rack the beer from the boiler/chiller into a fermenter sanitised with it.

I made it up to the correct dilution, made sure all the inside and the lid got wet, and left it for a few minutes, then I drained the fv and it's now dried naturally in the air, is this now ready for use?

Garth - Bricking it in Durham

[ColinKeb]

i really thought about buying some of this yesterday but was going to see if anyone had used it first . looks like good stuff

[Garth]

well, I'v just filled the fv from the chiller so if I'm dead in six weeks I know I did it wrong.....

it makes sterilising very easy mind you and uses less water, this is main goal as I'm moving soon and the new house has a water meter

give it a go col

[ColinKeb]

i think i will Garth , if you survive that is

[Garth]

hey, in the name of easy hassle free brewing I will gladly be the guinea pig,

[ColinKeb]

thats the spirit! being a complete coward myself I wil wait and see if youre still posting in a week or two

[Ross]

i use it all the time - fantastic stuff

Cheers Ross

[ColinKeb]

ive just checked the price as well, thats not too bad although im not sure how much you get in a bottle. I 'll definintly try it next time i do an order.

[harryclelland]

Since my first post on Starsan and the problem of using it in hard water areas I have been using the SAME batch made up with 4.5 litres distilled water, I also keep a spray mist bottle which is really handy eg quick spray on foil before I cover a mason jar containing yeast sample. This original batch has sanitised equipment for 4 X 38 litres brews and the kegs as well and there is still 3.5 litres left in the jug. I store it cool in the garage. The liquid is clear (important) and I regularly check the ph, currently 2.8 well under the 3.0 threshold. Also of interest to those who do not have easy access to distilled water, I have experimented with SOFT bottled water. I made up a 5 litre plastic jug of Tesco's Ashbeck Mountain Spring (only 10ppm calcium and very low bicarbonate, now that is soft!) with 1/4 oz Starsan. This was 4 weeks ago - the ph was and still is 2.6. I am really pleased with this stuff. The no rinse factor is fantastic and I can assure any doubters the foam is not to be feared! I just give fermenters, cornies etc a quick shake which still leaves some areas of foam on the surfaces. Absolutely fine. Harry Clelland

[harryclelland]

Absolutely. I understand from the people who make the stuff that the key is to have minimal mineral content because minerals can adversely affect one of the components, a type of 'soap' that clings to the bacteria allowing the phosphoric acid to penetrate and destroy the baceria cells - chemical warfare by the sounds of things! Hence distilled or de-ionised water is best. I could not say how high the calcium content could go before affecting the ph effectivenss. That would need to be trial and error - best to use distilled water to be sure. Harry Clelland

[Scooby]

I've been using this for months now with no problems at all. I mix 2l up as directed, It's cloudy from the start and use it for one brew, simply spray misting or dipping and minimal drain then dump.

No idea where all this mineral content of water and technicalities come from just mix with tap water and use, It's great.