Contrary to other posts, after reading through the chemistry of Star San, and an experiment I tried (left plastic parts in the Star San for a couple months) I beleive the milky coating is actually the surfacants in the Starsan being pulled out by the slighty charged plastic parts. I have placed hoses in the stuff for months, and the diamters of the hoses have not changed. The white goo had a distinctly metalic smell to it, but if you rinse off the stuff and let air dry, all of my clear plastic parts have returned to “clear” after a few days of air drying.
Interesting, but that doesn’t explain why my starsan gets cloudy at the same time the hose gets gummy. Maybe it’s just a coincidence though, I don’t know.
Ditto, except I use a gallon of starsan for storage & when I think about it I’ll give the kegs a good shake while they’re awaiting their next call to duty…
I put my kegs to one side when they kick, then clean them all in one day with my keg washer. Then I store them open until I need them, sanitize with starsan, and fill. Whatever works for you though, I’m sure either way is fine.
Ha! Thanks Tubercle! That made me laugh.
I don’t think any of us were freaking out though; we were just trying to learn the best practice from our wise elders!
That said, I only stored star-san in my beer lines because it was easier than trying to get them empty and dry. I could be wrong, but at the moment I think I can only fully empty my beer lines by dissembling them which I’d rather not do as it is just one more task to do (and later undo)… Again, I can’t be the first one with such a problem.
For the record, most of my beer lines consist of:
Picnic Tap (force fit)::::: tubing::::Ball-Lock disconnect (hose clamp, some needing a special tool that I don’t have)
I suppose I just need to learn how to allow flow through the Ball-Lock disconnect when not attached to a keg post. One idea: a spare ball-lock keg post that is not attached to a keg.
Thanks.
Check the pH.
I have high bicarbonate water so the residual alkalinity is rather high. I’ve noticed my starsan solution gets cloudy pretty quick if I use the tap water. And the bottom and sides of the bucket get coated with a white residue or precipitate.
So do hoses that get left in the bucket for awhile. However, I’ve not noticed any permanent cloudiness of my better bottle plastic associated with storing cloudy starsan solution for weeks on end in it–it does get a residue coating that needs to be scrubbed off.
Vinyl hoses might be a different story–it is a lot more porous and softer–probably why it is harder to clean.
My suspicion is that the varied responses on this post have to do with 1.) the pH of the starsan solution, and 2.) the type of hose material (i.e., vinyl or PVC or Tygon)
OTOH, if you use distilled water to make your 5 gallon starsan solution, it’ll stay clear practically forever. And I doubt you’ll have any white residue build up on your tubing.
Which brings me back to my original point: Check the pH. The clarity of starsan solution is pH dependent (it must be < 3).
FWIW, I’ve not heard of acid “dissolving” vinyl tubing in any of the beer and dispensing literature I’ve read, so if anyone has a reference, please provide it.
Just press in the pin inside the disconnect with your index finger & hold it above the tap to allow air in & fluid out.
Like I said, if it’s working for you then don’t worry about it. But you could try something like LLC. http://morebeer.com/view_product/8898//LLC_Liquid_Line_Cleaner_32_oz. I assume it is safe to leave in lines, then you could just flush with saniclean when you are ready to serve.
As richardt mentioned, you can press the pin in to let everything flow out, but that hurts my finger. I prefer to take the disconnect apart with a screw driver, I can clean it more easily that way anyway. There’s a slot on the disconnect and giving it a twist and you’re set - just don’t lose any bits and make sure you remember how to put it back together.
Like I said, I assumed it was dissolving it, but something is certainly happening. We can speculate all day, but instead I sent an message to Five Star and asked. I’ll let you know what they say.
Actually, that makes perfect sense… Essentially, the charge of the plastic slowly adds positive charge to the solution over time, until the PH is high enough that it can no longer keep the surfactant (detergent) dissolved. If you were only getting the goo on your plastic parts and the water was NOT getting cloudy, then that would be an indication that the plastic is being eaten away.
The effect is that the water can’t hold the detergent any more so it get cloudy everywhere in the solution at the same time. If it were eating your plastic away, it would be cloudy only near the hoses, since that is where the highest concentration of dissolved plastic would be.
Bottom line is, don’t keep your plastic hoses in StarSan for weeks at a time, because you will get a sludge on them, and the StarSan will loose effectiveness…
Charlie Talley did a great interview that you can listen to on the Brewing Network - download the podcast
Tells you all about Star San and tubing, lifespan, cloudiness.
Reader’s Digest version – BDDS (benzyldodecylsulfate, I believe) the detergent in StarSan is electrostatically attracted to the plastic in the tubing and migrates into the pores of the plastic creating that white haze. It’s not actually damaging the plastic. Star San becomes cloudy beause of the BDDS binding with metal ions in the water and coming out of solution. Using RO or distilled water dramatically prolongs the cloudy-free usage of Star San – it still works when cloudy as long as the pH stays under 3.5, but it will leave a detergent film.
– Scott
If it’s adding positive charge to the solution it would get more acidic, not less, but I get your point. My point is, if the hose is absorbing H+ and making the solution less acidic, what makes you think it is not breaking down the hose? That’s how acid works to break stuff down, the H+ reacts with it. 
So it’s possible the cloudiness is the surfactant coming out of solution because of the rise in pH, because the hose is breaking down and getting gummy. Or it’s possible the gumminess is the surfactant. We’ll see what Five Star says.
Ah, I see animaldoc’s post - great info, thanks, I’ll have to go back and listen to that one.
Also consider the fact that concentrated StarSan solution is:
stored and shipped to us in a plastic container (HDPE, #1),
often diluted (1 oz. Starsan in 5 gallons of distilled water) and stored in a 5 gallon Homer bucket (HDPE, #1),
often stored in and used to sanitize Better Bottles (PETE, #2),
routinely used to sanitize vinyl tubing (V, or PVC, #3).
It does not corrode or break down plastic.
Just make sure the pH of the diluted Starsan solution stays below 3 (use distilled water or water w/ very low residual alkalinity).
The StarSan solution will remain clear and there will be no slimy/gummy residue on your equipment and hoses.
Fair enough. Although just because something is used to sanitize something doesn’t mean it won’t corrode it, chlorine and stainless for example.
True (re Cl and SS). No disrespect intended at all, Tom–I just wanted to make sure that forum readers get the right idea before 'acid degradation of plastic tubing" became an urban myth and had its own Wiki entry.
In fact, I sympathize–I, too, have a tendency to think aloud (or online) when I encounter a problem–and my comments and reasoning are not always correct. That’s what makes this forum so fantastic–we’re all on the same journey towards a better understanding of brewing great beers and there are a lot of enlightening comments and tips from the pros/veterans here on this forum.
No worries, I’m from NJ, I have a thick skin and a tendency to vigorously defend my position.
But I’m also a scientist, and I prefer to know the truth than cling to a failed hypotheses. I just take some convincing sometimes. 