Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

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bitter_dave
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Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by bitter_dave » Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:39 am

Hi everyone,

Anyone else use wilko de-ionised top up water for mixing with chemsan or starsan?

It says on the back “not suitable for human consumption” - do you think that’s because the bottle is not food safe? Does it matter for our purposes?

If it’s not ok, what bottled water are people using for this purpose these days?

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IPA
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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by IPA » Fri Jun 11, 2021 1:07 pm

bitter_dave wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:39 am
Hi everyone,

Anyone else use wilko de-ionised top up water for mixing with chemsan or starsan?

It says on the back “not suitable for human consumption” - do you think that’s because the bottle is not food safe? Does it matter for our purposes?

If it’s not ok, what bottled water are people using for this purpose these days?
Any water with a PH lower than 4.5 works for me. Can't find any where we live France so I bring back twelve litres when we go on holiday to Portugal.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by aamcle » Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:02 pm

why worry?

Just use Ashbeck form Tesco.


aamcle

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by guypettigrew » Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:07 pm

Or RO water from your local aquatic shop.

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by Carnot » Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:19 pm

Wilko DI water will not be an issue. They are being absolutely correct in recommending it is not fit for human consumption . Nor is distilled water. The lack of minerals , especially calcium, could be harmful over time. Measuring pH of demin water is a fools game. Unless you know what you are doing, and have a decent pH meter, then forget it. If you use Starsan at the recommended dose rate it will reduce the pH of all potable waters to the desired operating pH, though frankly I cannot understand the fixation with Starsan. It is at best a biostat, and an expensive one to boot. You can get the same effect cheaper with a mix of Fairy liquid and phosphoric acid at a fraction of the cost. I never use Starsan. I have a 1 Litre bottle that I will never use. Better still use an oxy cleaner which genrates hydrogen peroxide.

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by IPA » Sat Jun 12, 2021 7:12 am

FAIRY LIQUID ?? in your beer
Ideal drink whilst listening to this =D>
https://www.google.com/search?q=willie+ ... 0my%20beer
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by MashBag » Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:32 am

Is your tap water undrinkable?

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by IPA » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:15 am

MashBag wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:32 am
Is your tap water undrinkable?
For much of the year yes. It contains more chlorine than our swimming pool.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by Carnot » Sat Jun 12, 2021 7:16 pm

If your water stinks of chlorine then it is probably chloramine. This substance really stinks. I doubt if you could detect residual chlorine in your water supply.I cannot. If your water is chloramine treate d then you will smell it.

As for my Fairy Liquid phsophoric acid suggestions consider this. Fairy liquid is a consumenr product. It is very safe. It consists of anionic and non - ionic surfactans. Starsan consists of phssphoric acid and DDBSA (dodecyl benzene sulphonic acid). The later is an anionic surfactant that is under review. Benzene sulphonic acids are not very biodegradable. So would you rather have persistant surfactant or a more consumer friendly version. Think about it

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by IPA » Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:17 am

Carnot wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 7:16 pm
If your water stinks of chlorine then it is probably chloramine. This substance really stinks. I doubt if you could detect residual chlorine in your water supply.I cannot. If your water is chloramine treate d then you will smell it.

As for my Fairy Liquid phsophoric acid suggestions consider this. Fairy liquid is a consumenr product. It is very safe. It consists of anionic and non - ionic surfactans. Starsan consists of phssphoric acid and DDBSA (dodecyl benzene sulphonic acid). The later is an anionic surfactant that is under review. Benzene sulphonic acids are not very biodegradable. So would you rather have persistant surfactant or a more consumer friendly version. Think about it
I have tested our water supply using the the same test kit that I use on our swimming pool and the chlorine concentration is approximately double.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by MashBag » Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:54 am

IPA wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:15 am
MashBag wrote:
Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:32 am
Is your tap water undrinkable?
For much of the year yes. It contains more chlorine than our swimming pool.

IPA wrote:
Sun Jun 13, 2021 7:17 am


I have tested our water supply using the the same test kit that I use on our swimming pool and the chlorine concentration is approximately double.
Jeez. OK I get where you are going then.

That must make it sooo much harder for a lot of things. Do you how what chlorine they add?

I only ask, cos some can be cured (removed).

Does it boil, or Sun off?

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by IPA » Sun Jun 13, 2021 12:18 pm

I use an active carbon filter plus a particulate filter in tandem. Works a treat.
"You're not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on." Dean Martin

1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip

It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)

Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)

aamcle
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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by aamcle » Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:05 am

I use a 10" taste and odour filter it removes chlorine.

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by Carnot » Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:51 pm

I very much doubt if you aresmelling chrlorine. More likely you water is being treated with chloramine which is has a much lower odour threshold. It stinks.Have a look at this link.

https://dnr.wi.gov/regulations/labcert/ ... mistry.pdf

Some of the UK water companies are now using chloramines. What sort of chhlorine test kit did you use. Was it free chlorine?

Acarbo filter should help.

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Re: Wilko deionised top up water for Chemsan / Starsan

Post by Binkie Huckaback » Sun Jul 03, 2022 1:21 pm

I'm a but late to the party with this, but there seems to be such a lack of concrete information from the manufacturers and conflicting information on forums regarding StarSan, last year I emailed Five Star Chemicals to no avail. So, I called them and the person I spoke to said the only effect of mixing it with water of what is assumed to be the wrong ph is that it goes cloudy.

There is no mention of ph on the label either. In lots of the blog and forum posts I've read, I got impression StarSan never 'dies', but their website says to use it within one hour once mixed.

So, I'm inclined to beleive what I was told by Five Star and use tap water even though it goes cloudy. Since I started using StarSan, I've had one infection that I know although was caused by a sanitation issue, it was because something wasn't sanitised. Mind you, it could be that all of my brews are infected and I hust haven't realised.

Maybe if enough homebrewers email and ask, they'll produce a factsheet with all the information we need.

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