| Author |
Message |
    
Ariel Baez
Junior Member
Username: Homebru358
Post Number: 66
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 09:25 pm: | 
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Hey everyone!
Here's a strange question. After racking my stout over to secondary last night, I was cleaning/sanitizing my equipment when, to my surprise, I found in the bucket one of the hoses I used for racking into primary last week. I had totally forgotten it was in there!
After pulling it out I noticed it turned bleach white and was opaque, but what concerned me is that it left a slimy/oily texture on my hands. Is StarSan strong enough to break down vinyl tubing if left in it long enough?! I've been using this 5gal. batch of solution for about 4/5 months with no problems, but I'm worried this may have contaminated it. Even worse, I sanitized my carboy/equipment and used it all for secondary before this discovery!
Is this at all possible, or am I going a little over board on the worry scale?! Maybe I need to down a couple home brews!
If you're gonna' brew on - BREW HAPPY!!
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Mike Rotert
Junior Member
Username: Baddude
Post Number: 29
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 10:09 pm: |
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This is common and has happened to me before. The residue is not the StarSan eating the rubber, its just something that StarSan does when it starts to degrade. If you wash it really well, it will come off, but your tubing will still be a little opaque. If you are anal about these type of things, I'd get some new tubing! |
Steve Anderson
Member
Username: Steveinmemphis
Post Number: 138
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 10:56 pm: |
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My wife spilled some full strength StarSan on a leather binder and it ate right through it. The moral of the story is keep it away from kids and women with Kate Spade accessories.
Steve Anderson
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Wayne Faris
Junior Member
Username: Bugeaterbrewing
Post Number: 98
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 12:41 am: |
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Well, looking at the MSDS for StarSan (available on their website), the concentrate is 50% Phosphoric Acid and 15% Dodecylbenzene Sufonic Acid plus some other stuff. The ph is listed as 1. No wonder it ate through the leather binder! Diluted properly, it seems to affect some plastic rubber items, but not others. Definitely don't leave the bulb from your turkey baster in it. |
Catt22
New Member
Username: Catt22
Post Number: 25
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 01:11 am: |
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Wear gloves when using Starsan or risk having the roughest hands ever. Oxyclean and BKF aren't so friendly to human skin either. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 2759
Registered: 01-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 02:12 am: |
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When diluted with water in the proper concentration for sanitizing, Star San is not a skin irritant. However, the undiluted sanitizer should be handled with reasonable care. The same is true of iodophor. |
Vince Turley
Member
Username: Vince
Post Number: 131
Registered: 05-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 03:41 am: |
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I went through two Auto-Siphon's before I reailized that the StarSan was eating away at the rubber - and I was using it at the recommended concentration level! I love the stuff, but only allow my Auto-Siphon a 2 minute soak anymore. |
Ariel Baez
Junior Member
Username: Homebru358
Post Number: 67
Registered: 07-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 05:59 pm: |
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Thanks for the feedback guys! I'll just soak/rinse the hose in tap water and let it air dry. If it's still slimy I'll just toss it. My main concern was that this reaction would have affected the whole bucket of sanitizer.
I'm probably going to toss this old batch of sanitizer, and make a new one after I'm done with the stout. I've gotten about 5 months out of it already, and I know some of you guys have mentioned in the past having stored StarSan for upto a year anyway.
If you're gonna' brew on - BREW HAPPY!!
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Vance Barnes
Senior Member
Username: Vancebarnes
Post Number: 1517
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 07:17 pm: |
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Straight StarSan isn't to friendly to laminate countertops either. I've learned to use it over the sink and completely rinse any residue off the bottle before setting it on anything.
At 5 months I think you've gotten your money's worth? If you've got an IC that needs shinning up just drop that in the bucket for a few minutes before tossing the batch. |
Tom Meier
Member
Username: Brewdawg96
Post Number: 214
Registered: 03-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 03:23 am: |
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StarSan undiluted dripping down the side of your container will bleach the crap out laminate counter tops.
I don't know anyone who uses starsan that hasn't bleached their countertop unless they were warned it would bleach before using it much.
Another tip - even if the top is on your 1 gallon jug of starsan, if it accidentally falls off or out of something while you are carrying it, the jug will land square on the plastic top. The top will shatter and then you have an open 1 gallon container of concentrated acid on the ground.. Makes a hell of mess rolling down a hill into oncoming traffic. |
R. M. Zelayeta
Junior Member
Username: Troglodyte
Post Number: 32
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 03:38 am: |
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Tom Meier,
I'd like to hear the rest of that story, if you wouldn't mind.
Thanks for the useful thread, Ariel. Seems that a long-running fool's chance has kept me from similar mishaps.
rz |
Brews and Views Archive 2005 
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