I am a novice brewer (2 batches thus far). I was wondering if anyone out there had an idea how long a sanitizer (Star San) is effective when diluted in 5 gallons of water. As I have rinsed then sanitized my thermometer three times while checking wort cool down temps before transfer to primary fermentor. Thanks. Cheers.
Not only is it definitely good for the course of your brew session, but many people (myself included) save it and reuse for multiple batches as well. Don’t sweat it. The only way to know for sure is to check the pH (needs to be below 3), and how long it lasts depends on how soft your water is (softer = better). But its for sure fine for one day. BTW, in the future you don’t need to make 5 gallons, when sanitizing a fermenter you just need enough to swish around and coat the surface. And don’t fear the foam!
It’s good for a good while. Get yourself a bucket with a lid and just keep it around. Some people say it’s bad when it gets cloudy but I think that has more to do with water than the effectiveness. There is a pH test you can do but then you need a reliable pH tester to make sure of it.
So what do I do? I mix 2.5 gallons at a time and use it for a couple of batches including brewing, kegging, bottling, checking hydrometer readings, the whole nine yards. I usually dump it after a handful of batches just to make sure but haven’t had an infection problem yet.
If you mix your Star-San solution using distilled watter cloudiness is no longer an issue.Mixed this way,if it,s clear, it,s good. If it does start to cloud later, thats an indication of to high a ph. I,ve had good Star-San in a sealed bucket for nearly a year, no problem…Tank :cheers:
Thanks everyone. Great to know there’s such an honest camaraderie out there amongst homebrewers and those of us looking to get in the game. Much appreciated and may all your batches be delicious and bring you much cheer.
