Rust from Starsan. What can I do?

[gone_fishing]

Had a very nice Double-mesh Stainless Strainer that I used a few times. Noticed some minor rust around the fringe then went to brew again and the basket was rusty. Didn't think about the cause till my wife pointed out the acid in the Starsan. My question now is what options do I have to avoid this in the future? Do I use Iodine in brewing?

 

[bja]

Are you sure the strainer is stainless? Or is it steel with some kind of coating?

 

[gooberthud3]

Certain types of stainless will still corrode under certain acidic conditions. If the strainer was 304 or 303 or 316 stainless you would prob not see any corrosion. My guess would be the strainer is stainless and the ring and handle that hold it are mild steel the has been chrome or nickel plated. It easy cheaper for them to manufacture this way and technically the strainer is stainless just not the handle.

 

[gone_fishing]

It was this product that I bought at a LBS

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/double-mesh-stainless-strainer.html

 

[bja]

Like goober said, it's possible that the rim and handle are chrome plated steel. I'd send it back if it's rusting.

 

[heckels]

Try the magnet test on the rim. If it's stainless it should not be magnetic. My guess is you submerged the entire thing in star San and the moisture left in the rim is causing surface rust


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[gone_fishing]

The rim ended up not being a major issue. The entire basket rusting is my concern.

 

[heckels]

The rim ended up not being a major issue. The entire basket rusting is my concern.

My point is rusty water from the rim may be making appear as though the mesh is rusting. Star San should not cause stainless to rust. I use it on SS all the time with no issue.

What concentration was your star San at?


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[gooberthud3]

Stainless can be magnetic. Depended on what grade it is and if has been machined.

 

[acidrain]

The add says it's all stainless except the wood handle.
I would contact NB and ask for a replacement.

 

[unionrdr]

I got this one from Midwest; http://www.midwestsupplies.com/stainless-steel-strainer-10-1-4-diameter.html It's a dual lyer fine mesh. I soak it in PBW to clean it,then rinse well. Bop it on the butt of my hand to get the excess water off it,then dry with a towel. Then let it airdry a bit on top of my vinator atop the bottle tree. Bag it up in the bag it came in to store. Never any rust when spraying with Starsan right before use.

 

[gone_fishing]

That was the one that rusted. Gotta make sure I dry better.

 

[augiedoggy]

Stainless can be magnetic. Depended on what grade it is and if has been machined.

agreed 430 stainless is magnetic due to higher amount of steel in it and it rusts easier as well....I had a similiar strainers I bought from OLLies for $2... found out the whole thing was just coated steel after a long accidental soak in starsan... many home brew suppliers sell the same $1-2 strainers they buy in bulk from china... just with convenience fees of a couple hundred percent as a stocking fee..
midwest wanted over $135 for the bayuo burner gas burner I bought new on amazon for $35 shipped.... look at thier refractometers... $56 at midwest and the exact same one is $24 at amazon with free shipping... had it in 3 days.I dont mind a 10-20% markup but 100-400%??

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

If you can get your hands on some citirc acid you can soak it in there for about 10-15min at a time then rinse with water...and it will eat the rust off and passivate the stainless at the same time. We use a product here on some of our in-house molds called CitriSurf 77

Any stainless can rust if you introduce iron particles to the mix....i remember a neighbor of mine ruined a set of stainless boat props using SOS pads on them.....few weeks later they went from that nice silver finish to rusty brown! It took me 4 dipping sessions in the citric to get them cleaned
If you want to clean stainless, never use any metal on it other then more stainless....one easy way, if the stainless is nice and smooth, is to use a rag with a backing soda paste...and if its bad you can use the sponges with the plastic abrasive backing on it...just remember to go with the grain to keep any scratching to a min