Quick carb lid tubing deteriated (Starsan vs silicone)

[Wayne Schroeder]

So, when using a quick carb lid, I like to let the whole lid, tube, and stone sit in a bucket of star san before and after carb (before storing in my beer fridge drawer.) Twice now I've found the tubing split when I have left it in the starsan. This was an amazon product and said it had silicone tubing (seemed to be) and I've replaced the tubing with normal PVC liquid line at this point. Has anyone else experienced this? I could literally pull the silicone tubing apart with my hands it was so deteriorated. I use silicone tubing in my nitro RC hobby as fuel line so this really surprised me that methanol + notromethane + caster oil was fine in silicone tubing, but starsan was destroying it, multiple times.

As a follow-up, any reason using PVC liquid line for the carb stone would be bad? The beer sits in these lines all the time so I figured it was fine to use for the carb stone. Also allowed me to put the quick carb stone down low to reverse flow starsan through the stone up through the carb disconnect to sanitize before use.

Wayne

 

[GFHomebrew]

So, when using a quick carb lid, I like to let the whole lid, tube, and stone sit in a bucket of star san before and after carb (before storing in my beer fridge drawer.) Twice now I've found the tubing split when I have left it in the starsan. This was an amazon product and said it had silicone tubing (seemed to be) and I've replaced the tubing with normal PVC liquid line at this point. Has anyone else experienced this? I could literally pull the silicone tubing apart with my hands it was so deteriorated. I use silicone tubing in my nitro RC hobby as fuel line so this really surprised me that methanol + notromethane + caster oil was fine in silicone tubing, but starsan was destroying it, multiple times.

As a follow-up, any reason using PVC liquid line for the carb stone would be bad? The beer sits in these lines all the time so I figured it was fine to use for the carb stone. Also allowed me to put the quick carb stone down low to reverse flow starsan through the stone up through the carb disconnect to sanitize before use.

Wayne

Wow yeah all I know is you gotta be carefully when spraying/soaking starsan on fitting hoses ect over time as the spray dries it leaves a concentrated acid on the rubber seals and plastics that eats away at them.

I lernt this with my quick disconnects with brewing they would split after awhile due to the starsan acid eating away at them.

Maybe do your starsan rinse then boil the kettle and give them a bath in boiling water before putting away.

Good luck

 

[west1m]

Sounds familiar, I had to quit using the one gallon water bottles I buy distilled or spring water from the grocery store to store Star San. Twice I found StarSan leaking out of the bottles and flooding my shelves.

 

[Minbari]

never had this problem. I dip my areo stone in star san before and after using it to oxygenate wort before fermentation.

I store my star san in a lowes 5 gallon bucket. same bucket for last 5 years.

 

[Donoroto]

My EPDM gaskets see starsan a lot, but the hoses get sanitized only just before use and get washed after. I store the starsan in 2 liter PET soda bottles (as well as in each clean keg and the SS fermenter).

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Silicone is pretty tough, although a quick google shows it doesn't do well with high concentrations of sulfuric acid, but diluted it's fine. If it's any good it should of not been bothered by Starsan.

I use medical grade silicone hose for my floating pick-up in my kegs with no issues. It can smell like a stale hoppy beer after a while, but the odor doesn't seem to get into the beer. I sanitize it by boiling it in distilled water because it tolerates high temperature (400F). You could put your diffusion stone in the boiling water as well.

The PVC will be just fine, it's just not very flexible at colder temperature.

 

[SabreSteve]

Starsan has a ph of 3 if mixed in the correct ratio to water. That's like in the neighborhood of like orange or grapefruit juice. Should be fine for use with most plastics but yeah long-term exposure could be a problem

 

[GFHomebrew]

Starsan has a ph of 3 if mixed in the correct ratio to water. That's like in the neighborhood of like orange or grapefruit juice. Should be fine for use with most plastics but yeah long-term exposure could be a problem

It's when the water evaporates it leaves a lower pH on the surface eating it away.

 

[Brewer #396392]

It discolored one of my sets of silicon tubing

 

[GFHomebrew]

This is a quick disconnect that's split from acid

It eats away at the plastic making them more brittle.
Even your keg post O rings so keep that in mind when giving them a liberal spray down with sanitizer...

 

[Vallka]

Maybe check your mixing ratio, I once messed up on my mixing and StarSan ate a couple things…..just a thought.

 

[Ward Chillington]

Is the silicone and the pvc you are using food grade and from a reputable source?

I am still using silicone tubing I got from Amazon over 5 years ago that routinely got left in a cloudy bucket of star san and is still as subtle as the day I got it, albeit stained from wort, it held up fine. Midwest Supply was the source for Amazon..also a better price