Potassium metabisulfite solution mix ratio?

[zxert]

I'm extremely confused about how much pot-met to mix with water to make one gallon of sanitizing solution!

I've seen anywhere from 1/4 teaspoon to five tablespoons!

Can anyone clear this up for me?

Thanks!!

 

[Sacalait]

Three table spoons per gallon.

 

[zxert]

Thanks!

Wonder why the large disparity . . .

 

[oldwino]

Many wine makers use potassium metabisulphate for cleaning. I use one step because I get lazy. Using one step I don't have to rinse afterwards. However, after I clean a carboy and get ready for it to be stored for later use I throw in a few whole campden tablets, pour in a couple cups of water and cork the carboy. Swirl it around a little and put under the counter for storage. I clean with one step when I am ready to use it again.

All tools, corks, airlocks, wine thiefs etc. get soaked in one step before they go into my wine.

However these are only personal preferences. There is a whole lot of ways to clean everything. I have well water and all of the water in the wine room is bottled water. I use less water with one step, no rinse.

 

[Wine4Me]

Just wondering here what does this do??
[I throw in a few whole campden tablets, pour in a couple cups of water and cork the carboy. Swirl it around a little and put under the counter for storage. I clean with one step when I am ready to use it again. ]

 

[Luc]

Many wine makers use potassium metabisulphate for cleaning.

Oldwino I think you are mistaking.

Pot-meta is not a cleaning solution.
The strong solution is used for sanitsing your materials, bottles, hoses, racking canes etc.
It will not make things completely sterile but will kill enough bacteria to not contaminate the wine.

The smaller amount (like a campden tablet) is used for keeping the wine healthy and prevent it from oxidising.

For cleaning use something like soda ash or any cleaner and rinse will afterwards.

Luc

 

[Wade E]

1/4 tsp is for killing off wild yeast and micro organisms in a new 5-6 gallon batch of wine that has not had yeast added yet. 3 tbls is the desired ratio per gallon for making a sanitizing solution.

 

[seminarian]

here's a question. Should one take some of the meta solution for sanitizing and put in a spray bottle, so if you open your primary fermenter, or carboy should you spray it down with the meta to protect your wine? I saw this done recently and am wondering if this is standard procedure?

 

[Wade E]

I always have a spray bottle full of the sanitizing solution but dont recommend spraying any in a fermenting vessel with a wine in there fermenting. Just sanitize anything that you plan on sticking in there or for sanitizing a primary bucket before adding your must to it. Everything must be sanitized before it touches your wine but you dont want to be sanitizing a fermenting wine.

 

[zxert]

Thanks for the input everyone, that cleared it up.

 

[seminarian]

wade,

what actually was being done was the meta was being sprayed around the areas that got touched and opening the container where potential bacteria could develop.

 

[Wade E]

Depending on the size batch you are doing sparying some of that sanitizer in the primary could be lethal to your yeast. I would spray a paper towel with it and then wipe it, not spray it in there. Thats my opinion at least.

 

[arcticsid]

ZX, I,m pretty new to all this myself, but I use a one step my self. I use it a little stronger than recomended, but I wash and rinse and then "hit" my equipment again. Don't know for sure if it's the right way, but seems to work. I heard a couple makers using an "OXY-Clean", rinsing, and than follow with a one step, or other type of sanitizer. (oxy-Clean with NO CHLORINE!!!). Any thoughts from anyone else? I learned the two most important steps in here ZX, sanitize and patience. Good Luck, Troy

 

[Wade E]

one step is a cleaner , not a sanitizer! Oxy-clean is also a cleaner and not a sanitizer. Pot. Meta, sod. Meta, Star San, and Iodophor are sanitizers.

 

[AJ-123]

Metabisulphite powder in a spray bottle or other water solution will quickly "gas off" and lose it's santizing capability in a day, two, or three. Maybe in sealed bottle it will stay effective for a little longer. I'd mix it into water only immediately before using. It should also stay sealed (either tablets or powder form) as much as possible. The very wide range of effectiveness (or lack) of campden tablets which have been stored is a well known problem.

 

[my wine]

https://winemakerschool.com/howto-sulphite/
1. Dissolve 50 grams (3 tablespoons) of metabisulphite powder in 4 litres (approximately one gallon) of cool water.
2. Submerge or spray all pieces of equipment with solution.
3. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and drip dry. You can store leftover sulphite solution for two months in a tightly sealed container.

 

[balatonwine]

https://winemakerschool.com/howto-sulphite/
1. Dissolve 50 grams (3 tablespoons) of metabisulphite powder in 4 litres (approximately one gallon) of cool water.

Same formula as found in Jeff Cox's 1999 book "From Vines To Wine". Yes, I have a copy.

 

[user 36973]

https://winemakerschool.com/howto-sulphite/
1. Dissolve 50 grams (3 tablespoons) of metabisulphite powder in 4 litres (approximately one gallon) of cool water.
2. Submerge or spray all pieces of equipment with solution.
3. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and drip dry. You can store leftover sulphite solution for two months in a tightly sealed container.

This misses the fact that sulfites are more effective at low pH. (The same reason more sulfites are needed in wine at higher pH).

Mix in citric acid at a ratio of 2:1 and the sanitation will be better due to the lower pH and higher SO2 concentration in the solution.

 

[bstnh1]

https://winemakerschool.com/howto-sulphite/
1. Dissolve 50 grams (3 tablespoons) of metabisulphite powder in 4 litres (approximately one gallon) of cool water.
2. Submerge or spray all pieces of equipment with solution.
3. Rinse thoroughly with cool water and drip dry. You can store leftover sulphite solution for two months in a tightly sealed container.

There is no need to rinse. According to Tim Vandergrift, after a couple of minutes the amount of sulfites is negligible. He has stated that he never rinses k-meta from anything. I have never rinsed anything.

 

[balatonwine]

This misses the fact that sulfites are more effective at low pH. (The same reason more sulfites are needed in wine at higher pH).

Mix in citric acid at a ratio of 2:1 and the sanitation will be better due to the lower pH and higher SO2 concentration in the solution.

The ratios suggested in the formula account for a solution of tap water assuming neutral pH. So that is already built in. If you think of it for a second, 50 g of KMeta in 4 liter is actually a hell of a lot. So it is more then enough to get enough into solution** for the purpose at an assumed neutral pH.

That is, sulfites are not "more effective" at low pH, except in a relative sense to the amount added. That is, at lower pH one only simply needs to add less KMeta at lower pH for the "same" effectiveness that if the pH is higher. And thus, a lot of KMeta at higher pH can be as equally effective as less KMeta at lower pH. There are plenty of tables and formulae around about how much KMeta you need to add to get equal effectiveness at each pH. So, no, it does not "miss the fact".

If you want to use less KMeta, then yes, adding citric acid is a good idea. But if one uses this as a final rinse, before adding wine, I personally would not want to add any citric acid to the wine in any amount. But that is just me of course. To each their own.

** But I admit, getting KMeta into solution in tap water does require a bit of time and effort....