Equipment list help.

[Intheswamp]

I used distilled water to make a gallon mixture of Star San....poured some of the water out of the jug, added the Star San, shook it up good, then added back in the water I had removed to begin with. Check the pH all along and be sure it's 3.0 or less and you're good to go.

 

[Scooter68]

Well it started. I went out and bought some equipment today. I got everything but StarSan, thermometer and a wine kit. Is it ok to mix a five gallon bucket each of the K-meta and StarSan and keep lids on them or just mix a little every time I need it.

I'd go with making up 1 gallon batches of each. They are easy to mix. Just find your self a couple of 1 gallon glass jugs. Don't use plastic for the K-Meta and Starsan solutions. When you mix Starsan with some local tap water you may get a cloudy mix. That doesn't mean it isn't good. Just make the future batches with distilled water if that happens. With OLD Starsan solutions cloudiness is a sign that it may no longer be effective.

Don't worry about the thermometer for now. Unless you are in a very hot climate/workspace or very cold climate/workspace there is very little problem with normal variations in must temps. As long as the room temp/must temp is in a range of 65-75 most yeasts will perform just fine.

 

[Intheswamp]

Why not use a plastic jug for the Star San and K-Meta? The jug my distilled water came is is PETE1.

 

[Scooter68]

But you only have distilled water in there NOT a acidic solution. It might be safe but I'd prefer to use glass for acids and solutions of K-meta.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Ajmassa thanks. That does sound better than the stick on thermometer. Plus I can already think of other uses for it.

 

[Ajmassa]

Ajmassa thanks. That does sound better than the stick on thermometer. Plus I can already think of other uses for it.

Lol. The kids love stealing that thing! And take bets on which dog has the hotter mouth for instance.
But yeah man. Not that a cool thermometer is a crucial piece of equipment— I just like mine enough to warrant recommending it.

*my local shop sold those stick-on thermometers for cheap. Have em on a bunch of carboys and fermenters and just never took em off. Definitely handy to have.

 

[CDrew]

I use distilled water. I buy the jugs 10 at a time. I mix the solutions as I need them in the jugs the water came in. I do occasionally mix KMBS solutions for some spray downs of equipment and I also mix that in the bottle the distilled water comes in. You can tell with a wiff if the solution is still good. A good tip for sanitizing KMBS solutions is to also add something to keep the pH down (this makes it more effective). I've used citric acid previously but will be using tartaric acid going forward.

If I need a 5 gallon of StarSan, I'll mix that with hose water in a 5 gallon bucket but toss at the end of the day. Star san is so concentrated, you barely use any. It took me 3 wine seasons to use up the first 8 oz I purchased. Now I have a 32 oz that will likely last 10 years.

About the only thing in wine making I still sanitize with the KMBS solution is bottles just before filling, figuring a little extra sulfite is likely a good thing.

 

[Intheswamp]

But you only have distilled water in there NOT a acidic solution. It might be safe but I'd prefer to use glass for acids and solutions of K-meta.

Plastic doesn't break. When we were in the lead-acid battery business the bulk acid came in plastic containers...small amounts included with motorcycle batteries were in hard, white (HDPE?) plastic containers. Large, 5-gallon bulk containers were thick plastic bags inside of cardboard boxes. Sulfuric acid has a pH of around 0.5 .

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

I have a lot of spray bottles. I might try that to start with.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Thanks to everybody that has replied. You all have been a great help and it is greatly appreciated.

 

[Intheswamp]

The spray bottle is a good idea. I made up a gallon of Star San and used probably a pint or so in my bottle sanitizer (and when through sanitizing the bottles I poured the Star San that was still in the bowl back into the gallon jug). I used a spray bottle to spray my racking canes, hoses, etc., with. Really doesn't take much.

 

[Scooter68]

Hopefully you didn't drink out of those plastic containers. Holding a chemical safely - not dissolving or degrading is different than being safe for human consumption.

 

[Intheswamp]

No, I didn't drink out of the containers. Well...maybe only a sip every now and then.

 

[Rocky]

I keep my K-meta solution in a 1 gallon glass jug. I think this avoids any possibility of leaching chemicals out of the plastic jugs water is sold. I have both 1 gallon jugs prominently marked with 4" vinyl letters so there are no miscues. One jug can be seen in the pictures I posted above.

 

[Rice_Guy]

@Rusty Nesmith.
Here are some shots of my wine area, the first showing some of the equipment that I use and have found makes life easier. . . .

Rocky good set of photos & tricks- ex to sanitize.

A lot of this stuff is available as folks down size and it shows up on Craig’s list and from a local Vinters club. You will find more “tricks” that help your set up over time.

 

[Intheswamp]

Ruling out any chance of contamination is a good thing. I'm fairly easily persuaded.<grin> Good use of the vinyl lettering! No danger getting it confused with anything else. What does the #6 on the carboy denote?

I was just reading an article on a lady's website who has written for a couple of decades regarding toxin-free products. She wrote a brief write-up regarding PETE/PET plastic containers in which she states:

"Polyethylene terephthalate is a clear, tough plastic in the polyester family." and "Because it has “phthalate” in its name, some people think PET contains toxic “phthalates.” This is not correct. The toxic “phthalates” that leach out of plastics are “orthophthalates,” which is a completely different type of chemical than “terephthalate.”

She also mentions that NASA has tested it for outgassing and determined that it doesn't outgas.

This seems all positive about PETE/PET plastic BUT then someone asked in the comment section if these would be good for water storage. The lady who wrote the article responded, "I always recommend glass over any type of plastic."

I guess that being sure is, well,...being sure.

 

[cmason1957]

I own and have no problems using a few Better Bottle type PET carboys. I don't use them as much as I used to, since I now use a vacuum pump (Allinonewinepump) for the vast majority of my racking and I do have the plastic racking stuff for that, but since, it doesn't degas nearly as well into plastic, I just don't use them much.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

The kit is ordered. I should be fermenting within a week. I bought a Wine Expert Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

[Rocky]

Rusty, that is a 10 liter kit which means you will have to add about 13 liters (a little less than 3.5 gallons) or water when making the wine. In general, kits with a greater volume of juice, e.g. 16 or 18 liters, make a better wine. That being stated, it is a good choice for your first wine.

You might want to read through Joeswine's thread, "Tweaking Cheap Kits" in "Wine Making from Kits." Notwithstanding the unfortunate choice of a word, it is an excellent guide.

 

[stickman]

A good tip for sanitizing KMBS solutions is to also add something to keep the pH down (this makes it more effective). I've used citric acid previously but will be using tartaric acid going forward.

Just adding a comment, using citric acid to lower the pH of bisulfite solution has been established for many years, if you decide to use tartaric acid, you'll find out that it will drop out potassium bitartrate upon storage. The crystals can be a problem and will plug spray bottles etc.