Hi all, I recently purchased a Brewjacket which requires the use of IO-star. THe directions say to air dry completely. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to put the rod as it’s air drying so as to not allow airborne contaminants to work against you, but still allow circulation so that it air dries efficiently?
Also, does it have to be 100% dry or do a few drops matter?
Thanks,
If you make it at a concentration of 12.5ppm (should be 1/2oz per 5 gal) you don’t need to worry as much. Let it drip off and insert into your beer. Sanitation time is longer at the lower concentration.
Never thought about adjusting the concentration. I could use a 5 gallon bucket and soak the rod for 15+ minutes.
That’s weird; my bottle of IO Star just says 25 ppm, one minute contact time, then drain. Regardless, it is a no-rinse sanitizer and there’s no reason to worry about a few drops ending up in the beer.
I’ve always worked off of the 12.5ppm is rinse free while the 25ppm should be rinsed or air dried.
15 minutes is way more than needed. 3 should be fine.
Why not a quick rinse with StarSan after the IO-Star?
I think the company recommends against Star San to avoid damaging the coating on the aluminum rod.
^^ This exactly. I typically sanitize my carboy with starsan and the Brewjacket rod and bung with IO-star. Thought about just using IO-star for everything, but my better bottles take a couple of days to dry, even on their side.
I use Star san for most needs, but use iodophor when it comes to yeast related tasks like starters and storing slurry. I use it on my fermenters (better bottles as well) every couple of batches. Try the lower concentration and just get most of the liquid out.
Not to harp on this too much, but you could also just follow 5 Star’s instructions without assuming it would cause a problem. ;D
The instructions call for air drying and he is trying to avoid that. From previous threads over the years, most feel 12.5ppm is fine for no rinse and no drying.
The Brewjacket’s instructions might, but I have the jug in front of me and the IO Star itself doesn’t say to air dry. And certainly, albeit anecdotally, many thousands of home and commercial brewers have been successfully using it as a no-rinse sanitizer for at least a few decades.
My small bottle says to dry. Maybe old labeling.
FWIW the instructions on my container of IO Star recommend 1oz/5gal. One minute contact time. No mention of air drying for equipment. It does recommend air drying when used to sanitize beverage containers.
I tracked down the PDF on Io-star and it says that you can sanitize everything in a 25ppm solution and doesn’t mention air dry. It does however mention that when sanitizing beverage containers that you use 25ppm and invert and allow to dry. I assume this is referring to bottles, growlers and such. It also says that a 12.5ppm solution can be used to “light sanitize” tap lines with no air dry. So if there is no mention of air dry for larger equipment, which I assume is fermenters, brite tanks and such. I wonder if a 3-5 gallon fermenter can be considered a “large” beverage container?