TheCiderDrinker
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Which one do you guys prefer and what are the best use cases for each?
Five Star - IO Star (Iodine) vs Five Star - Star San
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VikeMan
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Iodophore doesn't make much foam, so it's good if there's going to be a lot of agitation or movement via pumps, e.g. But it will stain your equipment and your home. I've used both; Star San at home and Iodophore in comm'l breweries. Personally, I wouldn't use Iodophore at home.
I mostly use star san at home because of its much shorter contact time, and ease of use with a spray bottle.
I do give all my cold side gear a good dunk in iodophor every few months to kill anything that might be lurking that is resistant to the star san.
I do give all my cold side gear a good dunk in iodophor every few months to kill anything that might be lurking that is resistant to the star san.
I have moved to IO Star for all of my sanitation outside of a gallon of Star-san mix I keep around for making starters. I think IO star is a little easier to work with and it is cheaper. Star-san can be mixed in distilled water and be kept confidently for 3-6 months (or longer). so it is great for longer term stuff. For brewday and keg purging, IO star is better for me. I try to only add it to water and keep an eye on the concentration. Other than that just do not spill the raw stuff as it will be prone to stain and keep it in a dark place as light will affect its life span.
From my understanding the IO Star contact time is the same as Star san.
I used Iodophor for years, but StarSan has been my sanitizer of choice for many years. Maybe Iodophor kills some organisms better than StarSan but some debate that. From a practical usage view, StarSan just has so many more positives.
You can store made up star san solutions for weeks or months. The iodine is only good same day.
The iodine doesn't foam, and is a better no-rinse for copper (like if you were sanitizing the inside of your counterflow chiller).
The iodine doesn't foam, and is a better no-rinse for copper (like if you were sanitizing the inside of your counterflow chiller).
TheCiderDrinker
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Why's that? I have been using it for my homebrew and it's been perfect, it hasn't stained any of my equipment either.
I use Starsan for sanitizing everything--no pumps to worry about foam. I have some Iodophor that I mix at higher than no-rinse levels, when I need to disinfect stuff with more certainty.
VikeMan
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I'd say you've been lucky so far. What do you use to sanitize tubing or other plastic parts?
My rule of thumb is whether or not foaming is going to be a problem. If I will be using a keg washer, I go with IO Star. For soaks I use Star San. Additionally I use SaniClean as a final rinse after washing with PBW on kegs and then seal them up for storage.
TheCiderDrinker
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I use food grade white buckets and regular clear tubing from Home Depot, I put in some IO Star in the bucket, then dilute with quite a bit of water and throw in everything I need to sanitize. Although, I haven't done a lot of cleans either so that might be why it hasn't stained yet, but even if it did there should be no problem with that.
Odd. I think I used to purchase BTF brand Iodophor. Buckets with a solution were stained a dark brown-ish (that would fade a bit over time). All my vinyl tubing was stained a light brown. Some hard plastic was not stained, but any soft plastic or gaskets were all stained a light brown. I mixed it at the lower 12.5 PPM level too. Make sure you are mixing it at the right level (1 oz per 5 gals = 25 ppm) with a 1 minute contact time.
I use Iodophor on brew day and have a bucket of Star San for other chores.
I use both but have to say I started using Iodophore nearly 20 years ago and mixed properly I have never experienced staining on any of my equipment.
Lol. Iodophor is fine just don't spill a bottle in your vans floor like I did. One of the hardest clean ups I've had to do. Finally had to let it dry in the Florida sun a few days to stop it from getting on things. But it has proven to be a great sanitizer as I have used it for many years. However, it stains everything in my brewery except stainless and glass.
Iodophor in flat pan for equipment soaking during the course of a brew day ... 1/2 oz. for 2.5 gallons. Cheaper than Star San which, with my hard tap water, immediately turns slimy. I do mix one gallon of Star San at a time in distilled water for the sprayer and smaller volume needs.
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