Starsan. Foaming?

[dadgel]

First time using Starsan last night.

Mixed 3.2mls with 2 litres of water from the tap. Foamed a bit in the bottle, but when I spray it there's not really much foam.

From the instructions and the posts I've read on here I expected it to be like a club night in Ibiza.

Already a bit freaked out by the ease and simplicity compared to using VWP or similar. So I'm worried I've made a mess of it. Have I got the mix wrong? Is the stuff working? Should I be concerned about the brew that's in the fermenter...?

Cheers,
D

[GrowlingDogBeer]

I don't find it foam much when you spray it. When I get lots of foam is after shaking it around in a keg.

[testtube]

Ditto..

[Befuddler]

Yea the spray doesn't foam much. Check the pH if you're worried about its effectiveness.

[EliteEvil]

Foams loads when using the bottle washer but again not a lot when spraying.

[hotmog]

First time using Starsan last night.

Mixed 3.2mls with 2 litres of water from the tap. Foamed a bit in the bottle, but when I spray it there's not really much foam.

From the instructions and the posts I've read on here I expected it to be like a club night in Ibiza.

Already a bit freaked out by the ease and simplicity compared to using VWP or similar. So I'm worried I've made a mess of it. Have I got the mix wrong? Is the stuff working? Should I be concerned about the brew that's in the fermenter...?

Cheers,
D

You have the mix ratio spot on. I make up a 500ml solution using 0.8ml Startsan in a spray bottle.

[Kev888]

Also, make sure that your mixed solution is clear before you use it; some tap water works but not all is suitable for it and if you get cloudiness this would suggest it isn't. Starsan is an acid sanitiser and the PH of the water can defeat this; I end up using distilled (or DI or RO) water with mine for that reason. I don't think that will affect foaming (for which I agree with the above posts) just thought I'd mention it as I see you're using the tap.

It is wierdly easy to use at first though, isn't it? IIRC it seems wrong not having to plan ahead and wait for ages whilst soaking! I'm a great fan of it. Keep in mind its a sanitiser though, rather than a cleaner, so its good to make sure equipment is already clean, especially if you're using short contact times.

Cheers
Kev

[dadgel]

Thanks for all the replies.

The brew is in keg and had a first test this PM - all seems good so I'm guessing the starsan worked fine. Wasn't aware of pH issues, so will read up on that and test the water and the diluted starsan to calm my nerves further.

I'm quite chuffed with it really. The thing I hated most about getting a brew on was moving about litres of sterilizing fluid and getting half of it on the kitchen floor.

Thanks again.

[phatboytall]

Good reading above.

I've also just used star san for the first time, got loads of foam (so much that i found myself rinsing it off the fermenter with tap water! ) and the water turned quite cloudly almost like milk once the foam had gone.

Will it still have worked?

Do i need to move using cheap smart price to bottled water?

[Kev888]

I can't quite tell if you mean it went cloudy after you added rinse water or before; so just to clarify, the solution you have mixed and are just about to use should be clear. If its cloudy/milky then this 'usually' means your starsan solution is not a suitable PH and may not be effective. This can be either because the water you mixed it with wasn't suitable or just because its getting exhausted.

Its advised to drip/drain vessels after using starsan on them, so most people just dump out the majority of the foam and ignore the rest; its safe as a no-rinse solution and helps preserve the sanitation longer for the things it contacts - I tend to fill my cornies with a bubbly blanket of foam still in there over the beer as it rises.

Heh heh, yes, rinsing out with water slightly defeats the no-rinse though It means its not leaving the vessel in an acid condition, and whilst tap water isn't dirty its also not as good as the starsan was. Thats probably less important to kit brewers using tap water in the brew anyway, but for brewers who have boiled all the wort and want it to last as long as possible in bottles or a stainless keg, every little helps.

Cheers
Kev

[OvenHiker]

I use StartSan as a no rinse sanitiser spray at the about the same ratio as Kev888 and had no problems. As Kev888 points out, the effectiveness of StarSan is reduced as the pH increases. The pH should be below 3.5 to remain effective [JBK newsletter, 2007], and helpfully most water will turn milky above this value, so it's a good indicator.

With the help of the forum, I've found the cheapest water to use to get the right pH is Tesco's Ashbeck Mountain Still Spring Water. I even verified it with low range pH paper. 5 litre bottle costs pennies, and I simply make up a 500ml spray that I renew every few months or if it goes cloudy. Occasionally I make a shallow bath of the stuff to sanitise tubing etc. but mostly I just use the spray. As long as the object being sanitised is clean of dirt and grease, wetting the surfaces for a few seconds is all that's needed. Soaking is just a waste.

Yep, there's "no need to fear the foam" ["How to Brew", Palmer]. At the acidity of beer the StarSan becomes food for the yeast [JBK newsletter, 2007].

There's a sticky thread somewhere on no-rinse sanitisers.

[phatboytall]

Awesome advice, thanks Ovenhiker!

Will get some Ashbeck at the weekend.

Still struggling to get my head round the idea I can clean my fermentor with some oxy clean and water then sanatise it with a few sprays of starsan.....then its good to go!

Or am i missing something!?!

[OvenHiker]

Still struggling to get my head round the idea I can clean my fermentor with some oxy clean and water then sanatise it with a few sprays of starsan.....then its good to go!

Or am i missing something!?!

Yeah, it's pretty neat! Remember that all we are doing is first mechanically reducing the amount of bad organisms and places where they can hide, by scrubbing away dirt and grease using our oxy clean and lots of "elbow grease". Then we are chemically inactivating enough of the remaining organisms still lurking on the surfaces. StarSan is great as it works quickly and doesn't need to be rinsed (at these concentrations) as a chlorine sanitizer would need to be rinsed. It is an acid, so just beware of the contact time if you are using on metal. I suggest Iodaphor for cornies, for example; again this can be made into a no-rinse spray.

[GARYSMIFF]

Don't fear the foam, it has taken me a long long time to trust it but no bad brews and I do knock them out.

[Andy]

As above, get Tescos Ashbeck water and that works fine with Starsan as-is. And yes, don't fight the foam! I've had no problems using it on stainless also with short contact times.