STAR SAN!

[Crusty]

I mix 20l at a time and take it out as I need it.. Melbourne water is perfect for it, never gone cloudy on me yet.

I have a 20lt cube of it made up. It gets used over & over again.
I check the PH & make sure it's under 3.5 & if it gets over that, it's lost it's sanitising ability. Going cloudy is another sign to ditch it & make up a fresh solution.
I also keep a 500ml spray bottle of the made up solution for all those quick little hits of sanitiser.

 

[Yob]

Ive got one of those 2L pressure pump spray bottles :beerbang:

I spray like a cat :lol:

 

[manticle]

I have a 20lt cube of it made up. It gets used over & over again.
I check the PH & make sure it's under 3.5 & if it gets over that, it's lost it's sanitising ability. Going cloudy is another sign to ditch it & make up a fresh solution.

pH is all that matters.

 

[carniebrew]

Interesting to hear some guys not re-using it, I thought that was the whole point. Mind you it's such good bang for buck I can see why they wouldn't bother.

I use an old 3l juice bottle, with 4.5ml of starsan. Then I pour some of that into a 300ml spray bottle. The rest of the 3l bottle gets poured into (cleaned) fermenters, shaken, let sit for a couple of minutes then poured back. The (massive) foam gets poured out onto my concrete brewcave floor....well the foam that'll come out...the bit that won't I just leave in. Don't fear the foam!

I am deliberately careless with pouring it back once used, which means I probably go through those 3 litres in a couple of months through natural attrition. If I ever see it going cloudy (rare), I'll piff it and start again.

I've been using the same few fermenters and bottles for well over a year now, and no infections to date. I use commercial sodium perc for cleaning everything, so the starsan is doing nothing but sanitising, I'm sure that would contribute to the long life of my starsan solution.

 

[fletcher]

yeah star san is good shit, just don't accidentally spill it, then leave it on your quartzstone kitchen benchtop. the stuff EATS through stone like you would not believe. don't ask me how i know this.

 

[cereal_killer]

Where did you find it online, if you dont mind sharing. Im currently getting my gear together, and would really appreciate a point in the right direction. Cheers

 

[manticle]

Grain and grape and craftbrewer both sell it.

 

[jkhlt1210]

Hey cereal killer I got it off eBay. A seller in melbourne just search star San on eBay it will come uo

 

[Camo6]

yeah star san is good shit, just don't accidentally spill it, then leave it on your quartzstone kitchen benchtop. the stuff EATS through stone like you would not believe. don't ask me how i know this.

And if you keep it in the door of the fridge don't stack your glasses upside down on the same shelf. Unless you're the kind of person that likes licking 9v batteries.

 

[manticle]

Actually I do like licking 9V. Something soothing about it.

 

[Mr. No-Tip]

pH is all that matters.

I should hope so. I see it go cloudy during a brew session.

 

[stakka82]

yeah star san is good shit, just don't accidentally spill it, then leave it on your quartzstone kitchen benchtop. the stuff EATS through stone like you would not believe. don't ask me how i know this.

Yeah tell; me about it, my old lady hit the roof when I brewed at their place the other day and starsan ate through the granite floor.

 

[Camo6]

Actually I do like licking 9V. Something soothing about it.

And let me guess. Rusty spoons? [sicko ;-) ]

 

[Edak]

And if you keep it in the door of the fridge don't stack your glasses upside down on the same shelf. Unless you're the kind of person that likes licking 9v batteries.

I don't get it???

Isn't it sealed?

 

[Camo6]

I don't get it???

Isn't it sealed?

That's alright, there wasn't a punchline.

I keep a 3ml syringe with my bottle on one door shelf and there's inevitable residue. Rearranged my door shelves the other day and inadvertantly put my glasses where the starsan was. Wondered what I'd done to my beer when my lips and tongue went sour and started to tingle.

 

[hellbent]

I'm a Iodophor man and have been for a few years and have had not one bit of trouble with it. I read a good article on Iodophor v Star San on another forum elsewhere ( google Iodophor v Star San) and it was quite an extensive argument but there was not enough evidence to convince me to switch to Star San... to each his own I guess but iodophor for me.

Edited for corrections

 

[manticle]

And let me guess. Rusty spoons? [sicko ;-) ]

I'll leave the iron oxide fetish to my trusty green fingered friend.

 

[Beerisyummy]

yeah star san is good shit, just don't accidentally spill it, then leave it on your quartzstone kitchen benchtop. the stuff EATS through stone like you would not believe. don't ask me how i know this.

Also, Don't open the leaking (bagged) bottle you got from Craftbrewer with your bare hands. At least not if you have several cuts on them like I did at the time.

I've been done using hydrochloric plenty of times, but the concentrated Star san doesn't wash off very easily which makes it an equally painful experience. Something like lemon juice and paper cuts that takes a few minutes under a running tap to resolve.
There was no real damage though.

I'm not sure if my methods are very scientific, but I make up 15l at a time with RODI water and store it in a 20l food grade bucket. I dunk bottles in this (If bottling) and fill my spray bottle for general wetting of all equipment and work surfaces on brew days. If the mix is getting low or dirty, I just use it to clean the concrete floor in the garage.
I also wash my hands in the bucket when I'm dealing with anything important. It stings a little on any nicks which is my PH indicator.

PS. There goes my career as a hand model. Doh!

 

[woodwormm]

I do the 20L cube mix and spray bottle...

I reuse within one session, ie brew day, cleaning several kegs at same time, and turf it at end of day, my 20L cube of it is most likely mis-treated in my shed with stupid high temps but all seems fine, i'd maintain a 10 second contact when swishing around and no infecitons in 4+ years.

Concentrate Starsan also eats MDF, (high temp shed, dodgy lid on bottle and it leaks everywhere - bottle now lives in an ice-cream container to contain spillage).

For any non-parents out there... syringes are the best method to measure small amounts of stuff, but if not rinsed syringe rubber only lasts a couple measures, if rinsed lasts ages.

 

[Camo6]

For any non-parents out there... syringes are the best method to measure small amounts of stuff, but if not rinsed syringe rubber only lasts a couple measures, if rinsed lasts ages.

I've got a heap of syringes from when the old chook worked at a hospital pharmacy - we'd use them on the farm for medicating cattle. I didn't think the rubbers would last long with Starsan, so I grabbed a heap, but I'm still on my original one. I bet if I pulled the plunger out I'd never get it back in though.