Where the confusion comes in is the length of time the solution can be kept and how can you tell if it is still good. The answer lies with the acid concentration and the types of minerals in the water. When there is a high calcium or carbonate content in the water the pH of the end solution will approach 3.5 if it is above this then the solution will not kill micro-organisms. Because phosphoric acid is a poor chelator* for magnesium this element if present in the water will react with the DDBSA and make a type of hard mineral soap. This soap is the cloud that will some times appear in a Star San Solution. The amount of this mineral and in some cases even iron can be chelated by using citric acid in the make up water. Most of the time I tell brewers to use a mixture of DI water or distilled what that is common in super markets. As long as the solution is clear and the pH is below 3.5 it will kill, how long this is will depend on the amount of times used and how clean the equipment was when sanitized.
-Charlie Talley
The official answer is that Star San solutions should be clear and a pH below 3.5.
If you used Distilled water the solution would not turn cloudy. The product can react with hard water and turn cloudy. The Minerals in the water can react with the anionic portion of the star san and cause it to go bad. Yes, when this happens you should consider making a fresh solution. The cloudiness usually forms after a dwell time or when people try and store the solution for multiple weeks. If this is the case then, yes always start with a fresh solution.
Jon Herskovits
Five Star
For some reason,the Starsan in my spray bottle stays clear. But the SunnyD jug of it clouds up. I guess the spray bottles seal better?
We have soft water,but I only use it for Starsan & PBW. Under a microscope,it has a lot of seemingly dead ameabas in it,with little bits of crud.
So I think maybe a filter would help in that regard around here?...
Are you serious? Who provides your water service? Is it your own well?
Sent from my HTC One using Home Brew mobile app
I always make a new batch of Star San regardless of how much I have left over from a previous brew....to me it's not worth risking an infected brew.
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