StarSan - Can I re-use it?

[New to Brew]

I know this has probably been covered, but....

I have always used VWP to sanitise my equipment (without problem!) but having read/seen so much about StarSan, I thought I'd give it a go.

I used it for the first time on my last brew on Friday. It was really odd putting beer into a container still containing bubbles - but I thought "Just go for it!".

I then poured the remaining StarSan into a bottling bucket for which I'm going to use tomorrow for my 2nd to last brew. I'm thinking of simply filling each bottle for a minute or two with the 2nd hand StarSan, emptying the bottles and then bottle up the beer (still feels odd not rinsing!!).

According to all the reports, StarSan stays 'fresh' for a while.

Before I ruin a batch for the sake of a squirt of StarSan - will this work?? Does anybody do something similar??

Can I keep the StarSan for a third use for when I bottle my latest brew in two weeks??

Many thanks

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Im not an expert on star sans but use it allot, I typically mix up a couple of bottles and use them until their empty and that can take as long as a month sometimes, but as far as a full bucket I use new one about every other brew then dump just because I get a bunch of wart and other stuff mixed in over time

 

[Schram Haus]

Star-san is 'good' until the pH of the solution climbs above 3.5

At the brewery/winery here we have large 55 gal trash cans filled with solution that lasts us a few weeks worth of daily use. To get the max use of it we will mix it with RO water instead of using tap water. We also have a 4 bucket system to keep the solutions as clean as possible: 1) Trash can full of pre-rinse water and a scrub brush to get all the grain, grapes, etc off our parts before they go into cleaner. 2) PBW trash can where the parts get a 30 min soak. PWB is good until the pH drops below 10.5 and requires a 30 minute contact time 3) Rinse water and brush to remove the stubborn particles that didnt come off during the pre-rinse. Also PBW is a base and Starsan is an acid, so if you do not rinse the cleaner off you will neutralize your acid very quickly. 4) Trash can full of star-san solution. The contact time required here is 2 minutes.

The contact times and pH limits for PBW and Star-san were from a five star rep that was on a Brew Strong podcast a few years back.
Also- using more than the dose listed on the package is NOT doing any good. You're just wasting money by using more than you need to...

 

[Nosybear]

I mix my Star-San with distilled water and it lasts nearly forever. Again, pH is key - if it gets above about 3.5, it doesn't work any more.

 

[mpmccann]

I've actually keep it in kegs sometimes.

 

[lilyalvin]

Sometimes, I don't have to get a chance to re-use it. It can last long. But sometimes you find that opportunity.