PBW question

[bentoni]

PBW is expensive. If I mix up a 5 gallon batch, how long is it effective for? Can I save it somehow for use again later? I have heard of people doing this with starsan.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

 

[LordUlrich]

Pbw will lose some effectiveness pretty quickly (minutes?) Some is stable for a long time. I would just try to use less. I use about a half gallon to a gallon for most cleanup, unless something is really bad and needs a soak.

 

[jbaysurfer]

It doesn't lose it's effectiveness in minutes. I don't know what "Some is stable for a long time" means though....

This is from another thread and posted by another poster who contacted 5 star directly:

PBW is good in solution for 12-24 hours. After this period of time the oxygen has been used up. The alkalinity and wetting agents are still good, but the extra boost of the oxygen is not there. So, to answer your question, can you save it for later, yes, but it won't work as well as a fresh solution.

Jon Herskovits
Five Star Chemicals

To me that means you can reuse it beyond 24 hours so long as it's not too dirty, and you add a bit of Oxyclean to up the O2 in the solution. Oxy's much cheaper, so this might be the best way, but to be honest, I use 1 scoop of it to clean EVERYTHING on brewday, or EVERY keg I have. It's not too expensive if you're smart about how you use it.

 

[bentoni]

The recommended mix is 4tbsp to 5 gals...if I'm letting it sit on my kettles or kegs I need that much...yes?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[jbaysurfer]

The recommended mix is 4tbsp to 5 gals...if I'm letting it sit on my kettles or kegs I need that much...yes?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

It's not a sanitizer, so I don't obsess about the recommended mix. I use a half scoop (it's probably roughly 1 tablespoon) for about 2-3G of mixture, and that's enough to clean everything. If you're soaking, use 3G of mixture in your keg, and flip it upside down every couple of hours.