StarSan Smell

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Hi Guys,
My cider has come out really well. So well that I'm brewing some more.

I started off using the Wilko sanitiser, but as I will be doing more brews decided to get some Starsan.

First time i have used it. I mixed 3ml up in 2L Tesco Ashbeck bottled water as we are in a hard water area. Used it to sanitise the demi john etc for the brew and then re-bottled. When I came to use it again it had turned a little cloudy and had a funny egg / sulphur smell.

Is this normal? Or does it mean it is no good and I need to make some more?

Cheers
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Sounds to me like the ph has gone up. IIRC starsan goes cloudy above a ph of 3, and loses efficiency? I mix mine in battery top up water from Halfords (a couple of quid for 5l) and never had an issue to the point where I can re-use it over a number of brews.
 
Thanks.
I had read that Ashbeck bottled water was fine to use with starsan, and even though is cloudy is still ok to use. the smell is what worried me more.

Looks like distilled water may be the way to go then.
 
It usually is, plenty of folk on here use bottled water to mix it with. Was there anything in the demijohn that might have affected it, such as cleaner residue or somesuch? Ashbeck usually is fine for a good number of brews before you have to make up a fresh batch...
 
I use starsan, and I have hard water, which makes it quite cloudy from the start. I've also noticed a slight sulphur smell, mostly where I've left a few inches in the bottom of demijohns for a while. I chuck those dregs, give it another rinse and I've not had any infections at all (fingers crossed). I re-use it a lot.
 
I don't think there was anything left in the DJ. I cleaned with washing up liquid and rinsed several times.
Then used the Starsan, unless there was any washing up liquid still in there, but I did rinse well.

If I open the ashbeck bottle and have a whiff I get a slight sulphur smell.
 
Funnily enough I was thinking this yesterday. I've often notice a sulphur smell when using it. I mix mine with RO water. Never tested the resulting pH but never had a bad brew and it stays clear for months.
 
Thanks. Seems like the smell may be normal then. I probably need to check the ph level though.
 
I use a no rinse sanitiser that someone gave me. It's from a mob called Country Brewer. It's fine and works as far as I know. It doesn't seem to have a smell.

But I'm getting near the end of the bottle and I was going to order some Starsan, but reading this kind of puts me off.
If you google "does starsan smell" it appears a lot of people are asking the question.
 
I'm going to get some ph strips to test it. Not sure about the smell. But a lot of people seem to get a slight whiff by the looks of it.
 
Ok i got some ph strips and it is around a ph of 2. Definitely under 3. So all seems good despite the cloudyness or smell. :)
 
Whilst the pH of the water is important, it is the bicarbonate level that causes the cloudiness, if level is high then the Starsan uses itself up to reduce it, converting to carbonate so making the water cloudy. The Ashbeck had the lowest bicarbonate level of bottled waters, by far, last time I checked.
 
Thanks. I used ashbeck water. It was the PH of the starsan and water solution i measured. And still seems to be ok to use after a few months. I'll probably throw it away after this brew though.
 
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