[Wade E]

When degassing your wine with a vacuum pump you need to use a glass carboy that is topped off
When using a vacuum pump you want to have the vacuum all the way off when starting and slowly move it up to around 10" and then let it run for a few minutes. If you notice at any time the wine or foam approaching the bung or carboy cap you are using then immediately back off on the vacuum to let the foam go down and then slowly increase again. Once you can get it up to around 18-20" and hold it there without an eruption your wine is degassed. You should also notice that when starting to degas your wine the bubbles are very small and abundant but towards the end the bubbles are less frequent and much bigger, this is a visual tell tale that you are or almost done. Also, when done degassing always either shut your pump down and let all pressure out before trying to remove the bung or just turn the knob down all the way and wait until the gauge reads 0.

[Wade E]

Here is a link to a picture Tutorial I made up awhile ago and forgot about it until Bob brought it upp the other day which Im sure could help out lots of people just setting a system up.
http://forum.finevinewines.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7430&title=how-to-degaselectric-vacuum-pump

[shanek17]

Originally Posted by Wade E

When degassing your wine with a vacuum pump you need to use a glass carboy that is topped off
When using a vacuum pump you want to have the vacuum all the way off when starting and slowly move it up to around 10" and then let it run for a few minutes. If you notice at any time the wine or foam approaching the bung or carboy cap you are using then immediately back off on the vacuum to let the foam go down and then slowly increase again. Once you can get it up to around 18-20" and hold it there without an eruption your wine is degassed. You should also notice that when starting to degas your wine the bubbles are very small and abundant but towards the end the bubbles are less frequent and much bigger, this is a visual tell tale that you are or almost done. Also, when done degassing always either shut your pump down and let all pressure out before trying to remove the bung or just turn the knob down all the way and wait until the gauge reads 0.

Wade! Why do you say to have it topped off? i have some 1 gallon jugs half filled with experimental wine and i would like to use the vacuum pump on them. but half of the jug is wine and half is air/head space so im worried about possible glass explosion. Whatda you think?

[Wade E]

2 reasons. 1 is that you dont want to apply vacuum to a 1/2 full vessel as the lower part of the glass is the weakest point so you should at least be up to the tapered point or you are really asking for an implosion! !!! 2 is that the more space there is the harder it is to create a vacuum in there as you have so much void in there.

[rhattin]

Christmas has generated some think time and I wonder if
1. Has anybody ever used small sharp screws or a prickly type of rod to generate more gas nucleation sites when they are vacuum degassing their wine. Cleanliness is assumed and so is ease of use.
2. Has anybody tried the ultrasound system for degassing fluids?
I did some experiments a long time ago to sterilize fluids using ultrasound and it did a fantastic job in removing any trapped gas in the fluid. I amguessing that you want ot end up at about 400 ppm for CO2. Anybody know what the a target solubility would be?
Ric
WIne time Factory

[vacuumpumpman]

Originally Posted by rhattin

Christmas has generated some think time and I wonder if
1. Has anybody ever used small sharp screws or a prickly type of rod to generate more gas nucleation sites when they are vacuum degassing their wine. Cleanliness is assumed and so is ease of use.
2. Has anybody tried the ultrasound system for degassing fluids?
I did some experiments a long time ago to sterilize fluids using ultrasound and it did a fantastic job in removing any trapped gas in the fluid. I amguessing that you want ot end up at about 400 ppm for CO2. Anybody know what the a target solubility would be?
Ric
WIne time Factory

I personally put marbles in a vacuum sealed container and rolled the marbles around and seen alot of CO2 being released at the same time. That is how I found out that vacuum racking while under vacuum will disperse the CO2 easier and more effectively. than putting a straight vacuum on a vessel.
I also have tried using ultraviolet rays to sterlize as well.

I also thought about using magnets to remove co2 under vacuum - but I was afraid of glass breakage and the splash racking was alot easier and efficient also.

[shanek17]

Originally Posted by rhattin

Christmas has generated some think time and I wonder if
1. Has anybody ever used small sharp screws or a prickly type of rod to generate more gas nucleation sites when they are vacuum degassing their wine. Cleanliness is assumed and so is ease of use.
2. Has anybody tried the ultrasound system for degassing fluids?
I did some experiments a long time ago to sterilize fluids using ultrasound and it did a fantastic job in removing any trapped gas in the fluid. I amguessing that you want ot end up at about 400 ppm for CO2. Anybody know what the a target solubility would be?
Ric
WIne time Factory

thats a good question about using a prickly type of rod for nucleation. Iv read into the nucleation and I found that anything small and pointy can be a good source to aggravate the co2 and help it be released. There is man on this forum who uses a large carboy cleaning bristly brush to degas his wine and he swears by it. I have tried it and it does work well, Im going to make a good carboy bristle brush extra long one of these days and use it in my 6 gallon carboys.

[MonkeyK]

Steve, when you refer to vacuum racking, do you mean that the agitation of gently racking disperses C02 effectively or do you mean splash racking?

I take gentle racking to mean preventing splashing and splash racking to mean allowing the racking output to splash into the receiving carboy (from high).
I think that since we are doing it under a relative vacuum, some splashing is preferable. The greater agitation should release more C02 and aid in stirring any desired additions.

[Wade E]

Yes he means splash racking and that's fine as long as its the first racking or if its not there should be sufficient SO2!

[vacuumpumpman]

Well this is how I degass and transfer my wines –

Day 5(approx. when there is little fermentation happening)

I will splash rack (racking cane at ½ way up in the carboy) under vacuum from the primary to secondary. Typically it is still fermenting a little at this point.
Day 12(approx, 1 week after 1^st racking)

I will splash rack (racking cane at ½ way up in the carboy) under vacuum from carboy to carboy. My wine is typically at 64 degrees F so normally I get alot of CO2 released at this time.
Day 42 (approx. 30 days after last racking)

I will splash rack (racking cane at ½ way up in the carboy) under vacuum from carboy to carboy. My wine is typically at 64 degrees F so normally I get a little of CO2 released at this time.

From thispoint on I would recommend putting the racking cane all the way down in the carboy – and the turbulence will also help release any residual co2. In my own experience – I do not believe that you can get wine oxygenated by splash racking under vacuum.
1. Thereis a negative pressure, forcing out any and most all oxygen from the carboy.

2. The time frame we are looking at is very minimal – a normal 6 gallon carboy takes 4 minutes to vacuum transfer so if the racking cane is ½ way up that means you are only splash racking for 2 minutes

These are strictly my own personal views that I have developed over the years, I have not had any wines go bad due to splash racking – maybe a bad airlock that I forgot about for awhile >