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Barrel Char Wood Products
R

rdb8879

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Aug 21, 2016
14
0
0
Georgia
Folks,
What is the recommended "clean" technique for using daily equipment such as hydrometer, whisk, lees stirrer, spoon, etc. Does everyone keep a bucket of One Step or comparable product solution on hand and just make a new solution every few days?
 
After use, I wash everything with soap and water. Just before the next usage I treat the equipment with Star San, which I make up a gallon at a time and, for most uses, dispense using a spray bottle.
 
I keep a large sealed bucket of water with StarSan. After I used the daily equipment, I clean it with water and store it in the StarSan bucket till next time I need to use it.
 
I make buckets of StarSan and will use them for a month or two. As long as the pH is less then 2.50 it's still good. If you make it with distilled water it lasts for a really long time.
 
zpeckler said:
I make buckets of StarSan and will use them for a month or two. As long as the pH is less then 2.50 it's still good. If you make it with distilled water it lasts for a really long time.
Click to expand...

Hi Zack

Please can you tell us why the distilled water last longer than tap? I thought our sulpher just escaped as a gass off the top. WHat is it about the pure distilled water that does different?
 
I suspect because star san is an acid based sterilizer, using distilled water has no minerals in for the acid to react with and neutralise itself

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk
 
Squatchy said:
Hi Zack

Please can you tell us why the distilled water last longer than tap? I thought our sulpher just escaped as a gass off the top. WHat is it about the pure distilled water that does different?
Click to expand...
I think it's something with the lack of minerals in distilled water not buffering the pH, but I'll be honest that I'm not 100% sure. My understanding is that often times tap water is too hard, which can cause the StarSan to degrade or something over time and cause the pH to rise above levels where the solution can adequately sanitize. Distilled water works better because it doesn't have the minerals that makes water hard (calcium and carbonates), so the StarSan's pH and active ingredients stay effective.

That's my understanding, anyway. It's been born out in my experience. When I lived in Pittsburgh the city tap water was really hard. I'd use it to mix up a batch of StarSan, but in a few days it would be really cloudy and the pH would have risen. Over a year or so ago I saw someone in a post here on the forums say that their StarSan lasted months when they made it with distilled water. In my experience this is true. I mix up a 5gallon bucket only about once every 4 months, and only stop using it when it either runs out or the pH starts creeping up.

Using my "old" StarSan hasn't lead me to cross-contamination yet, and I'm even using it on Brett and wild yeast batches with equipment that I share with my Saccharomyces-only batches. ;)
 
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