Campden or K meta

[JohnnyB78]

I know they both are pretty much the same but doe any one have any opinions on which one is better to use? If you like one more than the other please explain. I am just curiuos what everyone else thinks.

 

[Rocky]

Johnny, I prefer the powder because I suspect that the tablets have some type of filler or binder in them. I like to minimize the extraneous material in my wine. I usually buy a 1 lb bag and use it for sanitizing solution (3 T per gallon of water) or stabilizing wine (1/4 t per 5 gallons of wine).

 

[olusteebus]

Hope I am not hijacking the thread but I have a question to Rocky. How long does a mixture of kmeta last as a sanitizer. I assume it makes a no rinse sanitizer. How does it compare to starsan as a sanitizer?

 

[Rocky]

Hope I am not hijacking the thread but I have a question to Rocky. How long does a mixture of kmeta last as a sanitizer. I assume it makes a no rinse sanitizer. How does it compare to starsan as a sanitizer?

I can't compare because I have no experience with StarSan, but my gallon of sanitizer lasts at least a month when kept tightly capped. I rinse it on some occasions and not on others depending what I am doing with it. For example if I am sanitizing a fermenter, I let the solution sit in the bottom of the fermenter, covered, for about 2 hours and then I rinse the fermenter before starting a batch of wine. If I am sanitizing bottles prior to filling, I hit them with sanitizer on my Vinator, invert them to drain and dry then fill them without rinsing. I keep some of it in a spray bottle and will spray my hydrometer or thermometer and rinse it before testing wine. I just depends on whether I think there is a down side to getting k-meta into whatever I am treating.

 

[TonyP]

Star San and K-meta are both excellent sanitizers, but they do their jobs in different ways and have other differences, as well.

Contact: Star San sanitizes by contact with microbes, while K-meta sanitizes by releasing vapors. Not requiring direct contact makes it superior when it comes to reaching hard to access areas like tubes and hoses.

Timing: Star San kills microbes quickly, generally well under one minute. K-meta requires about 6 minutes to do its job.

Shelf Life: A Star San mixture lasts a very long time (years) and can withstand temperature changes and air without loosing effectiveness. K-meta is very sensitive to climate and will begin loosing effectiveness almost immediately. A K-meta mixture should be kept in closed glass container with a plastic cap in a cool location or it will be come ineffective in about 6 months.

Cost: Even putting aside shelf life, K-meta is many times more costly per use - something like 6-10 times the cost of Star San.

Rinsing: Neither K-meta nor Star San require rinsing. However, some care should be taken with K-meta because it does increase SO2 levels.

I use both products, sometimes even doubling up when I sanitize. I like K-meta for tubes, corks, and few other things. Sometimes I'll spray it in the carboy and just leave it for an hour. For both products I use sprayers.

Tony P.

 

[mmadmikes1]

I keep K Meta mixed up and all my carboys and fermenters always have it in them when empty. as long as it is sealed it will last a long time

 

[jswordy]

K meta powder is cheaper, easy to use, and has no binders. Campden tablets are easy for beginners.

K meta in solution is good as long as it stinks. When it stops stinking, it is no good anymore. That simple. Do NOT sniff heavily of it; that stuff is nasty!

 

[TonyP]

In my last batch, I sanitized my bottles in K-meta and kept them upright. Then I turned them over while I organized everything - right next to the bottles. The SO2 seeped out of 30 bottles all at once. By the time I realized what was happening it was too late. I had a headache for two days. From now on I'm doing my bottling in a ventilated area and leaving when I turn the bottles over.

Tony P.

 

[BeerAlchemist]

I know they both are pretty much the same but doe any one have any opinions on which one is better to use? If you like one more than the other please explain. I am just curiuos what everyone else thinks.

My understanding is that K-meta is potassium metabisulfate while a campden tablet can be either potassium or sodium metabisulfate. Seems like most people favor the potassium meta.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Powder is easier to dissolve and measuring.

The campden tables i used when i first started were sodium based not potassium - I would recommend not using sodium.

Sodium Metabisulphite can be used as a good cleaner - but not to make additions to your wine..

You can buy the k-meta powder in bulk pretty cheap....

 

[Rodnboro]

I like powder best but I still use campden tablets for 1 gallon batches because it's easier to measure. I like to test different wines in 1 gallon batches.

 

[winemaker_3352]

For about a buck - there is a 1/16 measuring tool that is comparable to 1 tablet.

 

[mustangzrule]

Sodium tends to pull water from the air, especially when humid and the addition of water "activates" it. My sodium meta turned into a brick in the container because I did not close it tightly last season. Pretty much ruined it. Campden is sodium meta, and sodium meta also comes in powder. Opt for potassium when you can as it also is a little more reactive (effective) than sodium.