Has anybody used Star San to sanitize tubes?

[HowardR]

I've heard that bleach attracts squirrels, and I don't know of a source for cheap hydrogen peroxide, so I'm planning to add Star San, a sanitizer used by brewers, to the water that I will use for flushing my tubes. After I pull each tap, I'll pump Star San solution directly into the taps and the attached tubes. Has anybody tried Star San -- or does anybody have a better solution for flushing tubes when you don't use vacuum?

[Ghs57]

I used it a few times to sanitize spiles. I seemed to work OK, but it's not as good as using new.

I remember reading some Dr. Tim/UVM research on washing lines, and the benefits (or lack thereof) of doing so. I rinse mine with fresh water and leave it at that. I also take down my lines every year, which is a condition of the property owners where I tap. As a result, I have not had much varmint damage.

[HowardR]

I used it a few times to sanitize spiles. I seemed to work OK, but it's not as good as using new.

Star San is quite popular with brewers. If I understand correctly, you don't need to rinse after you use it, and it is basically an "acid wash."

[HowardR]

I just found this post by pemelance in a 2017 thread:

I use a food-grade sanitizer called STAR SAN. It's widely used by homebrew/ wine makers. 1 oz: 5 gallons, and it kills E. coli and staph.
I fill up several 5 gal buckets (either outside or in my tub if it's cold out)- swish it around and re-use a few times in other buckets. For taps and tubes, I fill a 5 gallon container, and use a large syringe (60cc- from my vet, once I told them what I wanted it for) to plunge the liquid through tubing and taps. Once air dry, all is sanitized.
I do this twice: once right before (a day or two) tapping and again at the end of the season, before nestling and storing.
I was using a bleach solution like others, but STAR SAN seems safer somehow? Maybe it's the food service background...

[warners point]

Being a former home brewer I still use Starr San to clean all my maple stuff. I flushed out my 3/16th after the season and only had two small mold spots in almost 5000 ft.

[HowardR]

Being a former home brewer I still use Starr San to clean all my maple stuff. I flushed out my 3/16th after the season and only had two small mold spots in almost 5000 ft.

Thank you Warners Point. Based upon the positive responses and absence of negative responses, I decided to go ahead with my plan. I ordered a 32 ounce bottle of Star San yesterday.

[Zucker Lager]

Star San is quite popular with brewers. If I understand correctly, you don't need to rinse after you use it, and it is basically an "acid wash."

Hey Howard: I think that the "Star San" is the disinfectant of a two part brewers cleaning duo? PBW (powdered brewery wash) by Five Star first for cleaning then after rinsing use the Star San to disinfect. My Son is a brewer and uses them. He turned me on to the PBW and holy smokes does that work great no smell no residue and cleans and "deodorizes" just about "anything" love the stuff. PBW is a base cleaner so maybe the Star San being acid neutralizes as it does its cleaning / disinfecting job? Jay

[HowardR]

Hey Howard: I think that the "Star San" is the disinfectant of a two part brewers cleaning duo? PBW (powdered brewery wash) by Five Star first for cleaning then after rinsing use the Star San to disinfect. My Son is a brewer and uses them. He turned me on to the PBW and holy smokes does that work great no smell no residue and cleans and "deodorizes" just about "anything" love the stuff. PBW is a base cleaner so maybe the Star San being acid neutralizes as it does its cleaning / disinfecting job? Jay

Zucker Lager, my guess is that if you want to sterilize something, you have to wash it first using Powered Brewery Wash or some other cleaner. You can't pour Star San into a dirty pot and expect it to come out sterile.

[SeanD]

Zucker Lager, my guess is that if you want to sterilize something, you have to wash it first using Powered Brewery Wash or some other cleaner. You can't pour Star San into a dirty pot and expect it to come out sterile.

That is correct. It's a sanitary rinse or spray at the very end of the process. Air dry needed only. I use it in place of my bleach dip on my buckets and barrels. There was a very noticeable difference in how long the barrels stayed clean this year - and the last two years were very similar here.

I like PBW a lot, but it's pricey. Star San is very economical and VERY effective on surface sanitizing. What's more, it can be used multiple times. You could rinse multipe barrels with the same solution. I haven't tried it in tubing. Maybe I'll try it out on my vac set ups, but if the line already has gunk in it, it may not be that effective.

[S.S.S]

Would this stuff work great to wash stainless sap holding tanks and pvc lines that go from tank to tank? How about washing evaporator?