Conserving water

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

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Cleetus
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 12:09 am

Conserving water

Post by Cleetus »

Greetings!

I am a new brewer (just brewed my first "kit" batch a few days ago -- it's still fermenting). One of the many things I've noticed is that the process of brewing seems to use (waste) a lot of water. Are there any tips to conserving the amount of wasted water?

I know about bottle washers (but I've not found one that will fit my sink). What are some others? How long can the sanitized water be saved (I'm using Star San)? I dumped the initial batch (2.5g) only to have to make another batch when I racked to the secondary fermenter. Would it be safe to keep that stored in the cooler for several days and continue to use it throughout the fermentation process? Perhaps put the bottles in there and leave them there until it's time to bottle? What about keeping some for longer periods in a spray bottle?

This might seem like a silly thing to bring up for one's first batch, but it's an important issue for me. Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
-C
Radler
Light Lager
Light Lager
Posts: 38
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 4:47 pm

I like water too

Post by Radler »

Cleetus, I am by no means the one who could answer this question best being that I just did my first batch but as I am firstly a conservationist and only secondly a brewer I thought I should give it a shot. I read a few days ago (don't remember where) that cleaners such as Star San could be kept for a few days and was even better off if kept covered. I do not remember if temp. had any affect or not. I know this is probably not much help but there are very few people who want to conserve water so I wanted to try. Good luck!
BillyBock
Imperial Stout
Imperial Stout
Posts: 561
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2000 11:37 am
Location: Ohio

Star San Usage

Post by BillyBock »

I've used Star San exclusively for the last few years and am a happy customer. You can keep some in a spray bottle for spot-spritzing things like valves, airlocks, etc. It will last for a long time....so I keep it in a sealed bucket or a spare keg. A little goes a long way, and as long as the pH is below 3.0 it can be reused. I've kept it for as long as 6 months and still used it to sanitize. Remember, though, to store the working (diluted) solution. Don't store the stuff straight out of it's original container. It's concentrated and powerful and will eat through stuff given enough time.

If you're worried about waste, you could use less Star San because the foam also sanitizes. For example, when I sanitize a keg I'll fill it with 1 or 2 gals of Star San, seal it up, and shake it around to coat all the surfaces for a few minutes...then drain and you're done.

v/r
Bill
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