making K-Meta sanitizer

[winemaker81]

@Johnd -- the addition of acid blend dissolved. When I hold the jug up to the light, I see a slight haze. This corresponds with your experience regarding tartaric acid causing a haze.

As long as we know what to expect, I don't see a problem.

 

[Cellar Door]

Just finished bottling 15 gallons of my wine using the all in one wine pump. The entire process, from sanitizing the bottles through cleanup took about 2 1/2 hours. What a great addition to my wine making tool kit. Thanks, Steve.

 

[wineview]

Is there honestly a difference? You put 1 oz Star San in 5 gallons. I put 3 Tbsp K-Meta in a gallon. Someone else puts 2 Tbsp K-meta and 1 Tbsp citric acid in a gallon.

We are all using measurements we've been told to use, and accepting that solution works.

This yet another wine making situation where there are numerous correct answers. Some answers are possibly "more right" than others, but there is no overwhelming "this is the right answer".

Agreed.

 

[cmason1957]

Ask 10 winemakers a question about many items, get 11 answers.

 

[bstnh1]

I think this is one of those "ask 100 people, get 100 answers" type of questions. The key factors are (1) low pH (<3) to ensure a high portion of the sulfites are in the SO2- ionic form which does the sanitizing, and (2) sufficient sulfite concentration to be effective (>1500ppm)

I've posted this link to a cleaning and sanitizing guide by Presqu'isle before. They suggest 2tsp metabilisulfites and 1tbsp citric per gallon. I personally double these quantities for my sanitizer because I keep it in a wand sprayer for a couple weeks. However, this solution will chew through plastics and even trash the "acid grade" plastics after a year.
http://www.piwine.com/media/home-wine-making-basics/Cleaning-and-Sanitizing.pdf


Your pH probe should be able to handle even a pH of 0 with no problems. However, proper care, cleaning and storage of your probe will allow it to last longer. I always rinse my probe off with a dilute NaOH cleaner, rinse with distilled water, rinse with the sanitizing solution above, rinse again with distilled water and store in pH electrode solution until the next use.

I mix 3 T K-Meta and 1 or 2 T citric acid in a gallon of spring water for my sanitizer. I store it for a few months in the store bought bottle the spring water came in. I've never had a problem with the plastic bottle degrading in any way.

 

[user 36973]

I mix 3 T K-Meta and 1 or 2 T citric acid in a gallon of spring water for my sanitizer. I store it for a few months in the store bought bottle the spring water came in. I've never had a problem with the plastic bottle degrading in any way.

It is not the plastic container that degrades but the soft plastic used for the seals in the pump on the sprayer. The flap where air is pumped in and the squeeze trigger are what fail.