If I plan on storing a batch of Star San in a bucket does said buckit have to be food grade or will any ol’ buckit from home depot be fine? Sounds like a silly question to me but better safe than sorry.
Any bucket would be fine, as long as it is clean
I don’t understand why anyone would do this. I use it 1/2 oz at a time in 2.5 gallons. A 32oz bottle lasts me close to a year and I brew almost every weekend! Saving such a meager amount of money is not worth any resemblance of a risk. What’s cheaper? A bit of starsan each time you brew or having to dump an infected batch?
I use 1/2oz every time I brew, and 1/2oz every time I rack to a keg. I do try to rack as many batches on the same day as is reasonable.
[quote=“alanzo”]I don’t understand why anyone would do this. I use it 1/2 oz at a time in 2.5 gallons. A 32oz bottle lasts me close to a year and I brew almost every weekend! Saving such a meager amount of money is not worth any resemblance of a risk. What’s cheaper? A bit of starsan each time you brew or having to dump an infected batch?
I use 1/2oz every time I brew, and 1/2oz every time I rack to a keg. I do try to rack as many batches on the same day as is reasonable.[/quote]
Why is there a risk of an infected batch by saving Star San?
One reason not to store it is that it could lose it’s effectiveness. The acidity of Star San should remain below or at 2.5-3 pH units.
I will speak from experience about storing Star San. I stored some left over sanitizer in a cleaned out plastic milk jug. Trust me when I say that didn’t last much more than a month. The jug developed a hole and Star San leaked all over the place. I assume the acid ate right through the thin plastic. It got all over some cardboard boxes and a wooden wine rack and must have been soaking there for quite some time. What happened? Mold all over the place!
You’d be fine to store it in a thicker plastic bucket but it should be covered tightly and you should probably use either RO or distilled water. I’m sure exposure to air or using tap water does not help its “long-term” effectiveness and that’s wherein lies the risk. Don’t want to risk an infected batch over something you’re not 100% sure is going to do the job it’s intended for.
You could buy the cheap ph strips that go down to that 2.5, I’ve got some I’ve had around for three months now. Test it with the strips to make sure and if not add 1/2 ounce or 1/4 ounce until your back below 3ph.
I live in a place where Star San isn’t sold, so I hoard my supply as I never know when I’ll be able to get more. A 2.5 gallon batch will get used for 6-10 batches of beer and may last me months. I store in a 10 liter PET water jug. So far, I’ve never had a batch rise above a pH of 3.0. They just start to look dirty or I’ll loose too much to spills over time, and then I’ll mix up a new one.
I keep mine in a glass carboy and I test the ph to make sure it’s still good. $8 for an 8oz bottle plus shipping or a 45 minute drive to NB makes saving it worth my while.
I like to save mine as well for reasons already mentioned. I store mine in a sealed Lowe’s bucket. Use tap water and it will turn white-ish after a week or so. Use distilled water and it’ll last much longer remaining clear throughout.
I store mine in my bottling bucket which I rarely use any more. The last batch was made with RO water and has not turned cloudy at all and I still get lots of foam so I have not tested it, but I have had it for about a month.
[quote=“alanzo”]I don’t understand why anyone would do this. I use it 1/2 oz at a time in 2.5 gallons. A 32oz bottle lasts me close to a year and I brew almost every weekend! Saving such a meager amount of money is not worth any resemblance of a risk. What’s cheaper? A bit of starsan each time you brew or having to dump an infected batch?
I use 1/2oz every time I brew, and 1/2oz every time I rack to a keg. I do try to rack as many batches on the same day as is reasonable.[/quote]
tons of reasons. And why would saving star san result in an infected batch?
Thanks guys. :cheers:
[quote=“Porterman”]
Why is there a risk of an infected batch by saving Star San?[/quote]
The pH and the effectiveness of the surfactant reduce with time. Especially if the starsan solution was mixed with non-RO water and is left un covered.
If you want to mix 5 gallons of starsan with RO water and keep it clean/covered between brews, more power to ya. Not worth the trouble to save .25 /batch, IMO. If the solution is cloudy, the surfactant has become unstable and is no longer effective.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SurfactantHow can you possibly live in a place where Star San isn’t sold? You can buy almost anything on the internet and get it shipped almost anywhere on the planet…
Similar on the usage but, I started using a spray bottle and use very little compared to making 5 gallons at a time.
How can you possibly live in a place where Star San isn’t sold? You can buy almost anything on the internet and get it shipped almost anywhere on the planet…
Similar on the usage but, I started using a spray bottle and use very little compared to making 5 gallons at a time.[/quote]
Check where he lives. It is listed below his name. 
Shipping an acid can be an issue, especially overseas.
I also mix 1g at a time. I have a couple of glass apple juice jars. Large wine bottle would work also. Use a spray bottle to coat thing or place it in a bucket and splash it around pieces and parts.
How can you possibly live in a place where Star San isn’t sold? You can buy almost anything on the internet and get it shipped almost anywhere on the planet…
Similar on the usage but, I started using a spray bottle and use very little compared to making 5 gallons at a time.[/quote]
Check where he lives. It is listed below his name.
Shipping an acid can be an issue, especially overseas.
I also mix 1g at a time. I have a couple of glass apple juice jars. Large wine bottle would work also. Use a spray bottle to coat thing or place it in a bucket and splash it around pieces and parts.[/quote]
Shipping an acid overseas is an absolute no-no. In fact, it can be very difficult to get anything shipped from the US. In the last 10 years the restrictions on shipments have gotten very onerous and a lot of companies just don’t want to deal with the hassel now.
My star san turns cloudy almost immediately when mixed. does that mean it is ineffective? I supposedly have some of the best fresh water in the country from lake michigan in milwaukee.
[quote=“alanzo”][quote=“Porterman”]
Why is there a risk of an infected batch by saving Star San?[/quote]
The pH and the effectiveness of the surfactant reduce with time. Especially if the starsan solution was mixed with non-RO water and is left un covered.
If you want to mix 5 gallons of starsan with RO water and keep it clean/covered between brews, more power to ya. Not worth the trouble to save .25 /batch, IMO. If the solution is cloudy, the surfactant has become unstable and is no longer effective.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant[/quote]not everyone is only using .25 worth of star san per batch
How can you possibly live in a place where Star San isn’t sold? You can buy almost anything on the internet and get it shipped almost anywhere on the planet…
Similar on the usage but, I started using a spray bottle and use very little compared to making 5 gallons at a time.[/quote]
not living around a homebrew shop and then having to pay ridiculous shipping to get a bottle
go buy distilled water and mix with it. A lot of tap water sucks with star san, I have to use about almost triple the amount with my tap water for it to be effective
