Is my Star San still effective?

Sun Jan 17, 2016 1:25 am

so, I have a bottle of Star San that I lost the cap to about 2 years ago. I have since been covering it up with a sandwich bag.
Will exposure to oxygen over time compromise it's effectiveness? ..
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MaltySmoOTH
 
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Sun Jan 17, 2016 4:54 am

If it still looks normal when it is mixed up, I would probably not worry about it. That said, the cost of a new bottle of star san pales in comparison to a ruined batch of beer.
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NateBrews
 
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:57 am

2 years is quite a long time. But, I did use a bottle of star-san with aluminum foil as its cap for quite a bit of time with no issues whatsoever. I think that stuff is pretty acidic in its concentrated form.
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brewinhard
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Sun Jan 17, 2016 11:12 pm

The cap of one of my bottles of Star-San broke too. That ought to be a known defect.

There are a lot of caps that will substitute. Just look around in your cleaning and auto supplies. Meanwhile some plastic wrap and a rubber band will keep the air out of it.

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Charlie
 
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Mon Jan 18, 2016 5:11 pm

make a small test batch and check with a pH meter if it is above 3 pH it is no longer an effective sanitizer.
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cascadiabrewer
 
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Tue Jan 19, 2016 8:23 am

An actual, logical test? Are you serious? I think we should just keep waving sticks at it & making guesses. :)
Lee

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Ozwald
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Tue Jan 19, 2016 9:53 am

Ha okay we'll meet in the middle....keep waving a stick as long as it is a pH strip!
Dump bad beer, don't give it to your friends
cascadiabrewer
 
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Re: Is my Star San still effective?

Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:43 am

Pfft. You and your new fangled magic.

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