Cloudy StarSan

[dpeters]

I have been using StarSan for some time now and never have had this issue before and I am wondering if anyone can give me some insight on this. The issue is after mixing the StarSan with the water for some reason the liquid is milky in appearance. After the first time this happened I dumped it out rinsed the jug and made a new batch but the same thing happened.

 

[Hammy71]

It's probably the tap water your using. If I use tap water to make Star San, it turns milky in a couple off hours. If I use my RODI water, it stays clear til I dump it out. Sometimes that's weeks.

 

[RichH]

Mine always gets little cloudy but not as cloudy as your pic.

Never had an issue though.

 

[flars]

It is caused by a reaction to minerals in the water. The effectiveness of the Starsan solution is not changed. As long as the solution is pH 3.2 or lower the effectiveness as a sanitizer remains.

 

[grainbill]

how old is the StarSan? Check the ph of the starsan water mix. If it has a ph of 3 or lower it should be still good..

 

[homebrewdad]

Some people will tell you that cloudy = ineffective, but that's false. Star san works off of acidity. My water has a fair amount of mineral content, my Star San is immediately cloudy, but seems to work great. Also, there's this:

That's cloudy starsan that's two weeks old. Seems to still be quite effective.

 

[dpeters]

I have been using the tap water from our sink and the water from that sink comes off the water softener and has never done this before. I wonder if that is a sign that the water softener is not working as it should?

 

[Hernando]

Interesting about making starsan with RO water. I'll have to try that next time. Mine is always cloudy actually my starsan consistently does this after about a 1/2 hr of making the solution: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/starsan-band-273739/
No idea why. I just learn to accept it, mix it up and move on.

 

[pigroaster]

I had the same problem before I went to my RO system and used that water. Clear as a bell!! I do not have a PH meter and sure would like some advice on what to purchase. Sorry to hijack thread.

 

[homebrewdad]

I had the same problem before I went to my RO system and used that water. Clear as a bell!! I do not have a PH meter and sure would like some advice on what to purchase. Sorry to hijack thread.

I cannot recommend the Omega PHH-7011 enough. Here's the review I did on it.

Note that I am not paid for this review. I got the meter as a birthday gift after doing my homework on them.

 

[dk21]

I spoke with one of Five Star's chemists about this since I hear differing explanations online. He said that the solution turns cloudy as Star San reacts with minerals in the water. He said that this does have an impact on the effectiveness of the Star San solution. There is more to it than just the PH. He recommended only using it for the day unless it is mixed using distilled water.

You might be able to successfully use it longer, but it's not worth the chance to me.

 

[dpeters]

Well it looks like I figured it out. My water softener stopped working and now that I got it fixed it remains clear.