Sanitizing

[Christopher Anderson]

I keep finding stuff on Amazon that's like $10 per one carboy wash

as Wineview stated: buy a gallon of distilled water and mix 1.2 teaspoons of starsan. store the solution in that gallon jug with a cap firmly in place. use it to wash a carboy and pour it back into the gallon jug. It can be reused multiple times. Some videos on Youtube state that it can be used for months. I just keep some in a spray bottle.

 

[Vinegar]

as Wineview stated: buy a gallon of distilled water and mix 1.2 teaspoons of starsan. store the solution in that gallon jug with a cap firmly in place. use it to wash a carboy and pour it back into the gallon jug. It can be reused multiple times. Some videos on Youtube state that it can be used for months. I just keep some in a spray bottle.

Exactly how do I clean the inside of a car boy with something that's in a spray bottle and someone else said they had to use it with the fan so I'm wondering is it toxic?

 

[ratflinger]

Do you do beer also?

No, I just like Beer Clean as a no rinse sanitizer. I don't make beer due to self preservation - I can't sit down and drink a gallon of wine, I can beer.

 

[winemaker81]

How much do you use per carboy?

Star San and K-meta solution are used the same, although I typically use K-meta since it's what I was originally taught. To use either:

• Primary fermenters: splash the liquid around the top of a primary so it runs down the insides
• Carboys: pour some in and swirl it around
• Equipment: pour solution over it into a small food grade bucket

If the items are clean (free of foreign matter) I pour the solution back into the jug. Some gets used up in the process, but overall a jug of either will last me 6 to 12 months if stored in a sealed jug. When I get down to half a jug, I typically replace it.

I don't use the spray bottle, but that liquid is not recoverable as it's such a small amount. I've read different sources, and neither solution lasts as long in a spray bottle. My best estimate is about 3 months.

 

[wineview]

I keep finding stuff on Amazon that's like $10 per one carboy wash

That’s just wrong. I pour about 2-3 cups of StarSan solution into a carboy, swish it around and save it back to the gallon jug. Like I said before, 1.2 teaspoons into a gallon of distilled water which I reuse 6 -7 times. Check the ph. If it’s below 3.0 it’s good.

 

[Vinegar]

Star San is by far the best, although not the cheapest.

LD Carlson makes a no-rinse cleaner for brewing/winemaking. I have found it in small quanitities, and it seems to work well. It does not foam like star-san, and sometimes the powder does not dissolve evenly. It is cheap because LD Carlson did not put it through the rigors of FDA approval for typical sanitizers. Star San et al. is expensive because of the approvals they sought.

https://www.amazon.com/LD-Carlson-6016B-No-Rinse-Cleanser/dp/B00Q7LXHXI

How long does it last? Is it toxic?

 

[Vinegar]

K-meta, 3 T/gal can use over and over for quite a while.

I can't seem to find it?

 

[ratflinger]

K-meta = Potassium Metabisulfite (Periodic table, potassium's letter is K)

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=potassiu...ssium+meta,aps,140&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_14

And for your previous question the product is 1Step, same as EasyClean, and the same as OxiClean They are Sodium percarbonates that release hydrogen peroxide when added to water.

 

[Sailor323]

I can't seem to find it?

K-Meta is potassium meta bisulfite available at any winemaking/brewing supplies vender. Is it toxic? Some people are allergic to sulfites but most commercial wines contain it. It is noxious to breathe but I just keep my nose away from it and breathe shallowly and a whiff of it will cause you to immediately breathe fresh air.

 

[Sailor323]

How long does it last? Is it toxic?

It lasts for months, I mix a new solution every couple of months because it's so cheap. It is not toxic when used as a sanitizer though some people are allergic to it; most commercial wines contain sulfites.

 

[Vinegar]

K-meta = Potassium Metabisulfite (Periodic table, potassium's letter is K)

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=potassiu...ssium+meta,aps,140&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_14

And for your previous question the product is 1Step, same as EasyClean, and the same as OxiClean They are Sodium percarbonates that release hydrogen peroxide when added to water.

and i also have to order citric acid and mix right?

 

[Vinegar]

ARE YOU KIDDING? i do all this research and amazon wont shit star-san to Washington state. according to my facebook group a few members cant get it in their state. anyone know a way around this? star san will ship direct to me, for $10 a bottle more so it must have something to to with amazon

 

[Jim Welch]

ARE YOU KIDDING? i do all this research and amazon wont shit star-san to Washington state. according to my facebook group a few members cant get it in their state. anyone know a way around this? star san will ship direct to me, for $120 a bottle more so it must have something to to with amazon

There are other online vendors, most any place that sells brewing supplies will carry it.

Williams Brewing has it, just one of many, they’re in CA. This stuff is ground ship only btw.

https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Hom...ers-Gloves/1-Pint-Star-San-HB-No-Air-Shipment

 

[Vinegar]

There are other online vendors, most any place that sells brewing supplies will carry it.

Yeah I looked into that everywhere else wants like $10 more a bottle which is just outrageous

 

[Jim Welch]

Just noticed they’re sold out of that size until after Christmas but there are many others online

 

[Jim Welch]

Yeah I looked into that everywhere else wants like $10 more a bottle which is just outrageous

It SEEMS outrageous but it is a concentrate, iirc 1 ounce makes 5 GALLONS so that pint will make 80 gallons of sanitizer

 

[Jim Welch]

Considering that it only takes 2-3 oz of the mix to sanitize a carboy that’s a lot of sanitizer

 

[Vinegar]

I'm not sure how much you guys think I'm trying to order I'm only looking at the 4 and 8 oz . But it won't let me order any size from anyone anywhere on Amazon.
What about the stuff called one step is that just a cleaner or is it also a sanitizer if left long enough?

 

[Jim Welch]

Well then it looks like you won’t be buying it from amazon, no worries Jeff has plenty of money already! Morebeer has the 8 oz bottle. Good luck

 

[Raptor99]

ARE YOU KIDDING? i do all this research and amazon wont shit star-san to Washington state. according to my facebook group a few members cant get it in their state. anyone know a way around this? star san will ship direct to me, for $10 a bottle more so it must have something to to with amazon

Weird. I live in Oregon, and I have no problem with Amazon shipping Star San to me. Do some states not allow it to be shipped in?

There is a discussion on this issue here: Starsan cannot be sent by Amazon to me in California????