What's your preferred way to apply Star San??

[SS4Luck]

I'm getting ready to tackle my first solo brew once Amazon delivers my yeast energizer and am getting all my ducks in a row.


I need to sanitize everything obviously and am wondering which way everyone prefers to apply it. I have a spare 2G sprayer I was thinking of using. It seemed like the easiest way

 

[eadavis80]

I have a 5 gallon bucket I keep Star San in. I just throw everything in there and I also have a spray bottle of it I use to spray stuff if need be.

 

[ahawk]

I prefer to fill up my conical about half, then disperse the Star San with a cloth until everything has been soaked. I also have a 1/3 full 2½ gallon bucket of diluted Star San around when I am brewing. It is just easier to throw stuff into the bucket, pick it up a couple of minutes later and know its sanitized. Finally, I have a spray bottle that I use when I make starters, take readings from the conical etc..

 

[DurtyChemist]

I like mixing a batch in my fermentor and letting it sanitize the entire bucket. After that I rack it to a keg and keep it there I'll pull some for spray bottles or air locks as needed. I have also kept mason jars full of it to be prepared for yeast harvesting.

 

[kh54s10]

I store mixed Starsan solution in a 5 gallon water bottle. I fill a spray bottle also. Some things get dipped others just get sprayed.

 

[Vandulus]

I'm getting ready to tackle my first solo brew once Amazon delivers my yeast energizer and am getting all my ducks in a row.


I need to sanitize everything obviously and am wondering which way everyone prefers to apply it. I have a spare 2G sprayer I was thinking of using. It seemed like the easiest way

As long as the sprayer hasn't been used for any chemicals, you should be fine using it. Just make sure to depressurize it after you're done which should help keep the seals/gaskets in good shape longer.

 

[RedlegEd]

+1 on the spray bottle (you can get them very inexpensively at W-mart.) It's great for applying a small amount to a specific area. For dipping and soaking, I keep about 2 gallons of StarSan prepared with distilled water (DW) in heavy duty 1 gal jugs (the kind that Costco's Apple Cider comes in.) I found that the cheap/thin 1 gallon jugs in which you get DW will develop holes from the StarSan and will leak all over the place. A wall paper tray makes an excellent container for long items.

 

[passedpawn]

+1 on spray bottle. I have lots of spray bottles, so I color code them with food coloring so I don't spray CLR or bleach or weed killer into my beer. Red is starsan.

 

[ncbrewer]

The 2 gallon sprayer seems awkward. After being sprayed, I guess the items will sit out on a counter - microbes can drop down on them. I prefer to make up about a gallon of Star San in a turkey roasting pan and keep the items in it - when I take them out, they're freshly sanitized. I use a wash cloth to sanitize the fermenter bucket and lid. I also have some in a tall beer mug to keep a stirring spoon and thermometer in.

 

[Homercidal]

I mix my starsan in a 3 quart water jug. I use that to top up my spray bottle. Sometimes I will pour some starsan into a vessel and slosh it around, and usually pour it back into the jug. At the rate I brew I can keep that jug in use for several months before refilling.

I actually mix it to 1 gallon strength, so the 3 quart mixture is extra potent. Make sure to use distilled or RO water when mixing Starsan. Minerals in tap water can affect it's potency. With distilled water it stays clear and useful for months.

 

[PlexVector]

I have homer buckets for everyday use of PBW and starsan with gamma lids, and change out when the pH is out of range or does not look "right" anymore as well as a labeled spray bottle of starsan.

Brew day I have a homer bucket of water to throw "dirty" hoses and things to be cleaned later, and a homer bucket that all things sanitized gets thrown into until needed, and then spray-as-you-go with the spray bottle.

When I first started using starsan and pbw my hands turned into a food grater and eventually became soft and smooth...

 

[estricklin]

I have a large Rubbermaid tote, I mix 2.5-5 gallons in there. That way I can dunk my entire fermenters and larger items such as an auto siphon with no issues. I also keep a small spray bottle around for things like scissors and spraying lids down on fermenters before opening. Star san once mixed, should last for a month for 2.

 

[Jwin]

I mix 1G distilled water in a 1g jug. Use spray bottles and keep excess in the glass jug. With DW, it lasts forever. I use less than a gallon per 11g batch, start to finish. I use a medicine oral syringe to add the correct amount to the water. Most pharmacies will give you a couple for free if you ask.
Don't over mix it. It doesn't make it "better" as it works by pH and overdosing it could make it work less effectively.
In addition to that, I always have a keg of starsan that I push out into another keg with co2 before kegging. Used DW there as well. Same starsan in there for a few months. Still clear!
If you want to go the dunk method, by all means do. But after going the spray bottle route, I estimate a single bottle of starsan will last me at least 200g of brew.