Tubing Straightener for Racking

[joea132]

I had this idea when I was reorganizing my equipment in the cellar about keeping plastic tubing straight. I HATE the memory in tubing when I'm trying to rack that makes it so I never get all the wine out without disturbing the lees. I originally looked for a way to hang my tubing with weight to straighten it but couldn't find a good way. Then I thought of this...

This consists of 3/4" PVC tubing cut to a length of 24 5/8" with a cross put on the top to hold it onto the demijohn. Everything is held in with friction, not PVC cement. The tubing is first inserted into the PVC pipe at the cross, then the anti-sediment tip placed on the other end.

One of the problems is that the middle part of the bottom is not the lowest point. The nice part of my system is that the plastic tubing can be adjusted in or out to reach the sweet spot in that groove. (See picture 2)

I also noticed a problem with the anti-sediment tip. (See picture 3) I then cut 2 channels into the PVC to reduce friction loss through the opening. I use a Superjet filter as a transfer pump but there's no reason to put unnecessary strain on the pump motor when it can be avoided.

I'm open to suggestions here, will PVC have any adverse affects in my wine even with short contact time? What about the ink that they print on it? Should I sand it off or am I opening the door to bacteria hiding in the scratches? I hope this helps some of you guys out there if you like it!

 

[djrockinsteve]

Now there is an ingenious idea. I have a sturdy plastic tube that attaches to my hose so it is stiff in the carboy and I can angle it to the side when the wine gets low.

I would sand down the ink, not sure if that would harm the wine but as a precaution. I would make sure that it is well sanitized before using. I know pvc has a smell to it but I'm sure it would fade over time.

Good idea though.

 

[Runningwolf]

Great idea. Since you are leaving some behind you can pour that into a small vessel and let it settle out and then rack off the rest of the good wine.

 

[AlFulchino]

one thing that might also help w your set up that i also use is to place a netting material around the lower few inches of your opening to keep wood chips and such from entering your tube when filtering or bottling or racking...and simply apply a rubber band to affix the net to the tube

so between your invention and adding the netting you can really go deep and get as much wine out of your carboy as possible on the first attempt at withdrawal...

 

[Flem]

Has anyone ever thought of using Viagara to keep their tubing straight.

I'm sorry----I just couldn't resist!!!

 

[Wade E]

Im not sure thats a good idea IMO, Im not sure PVC is acceptable with acidic stuff like wine. Me myself, I prefer a racking cane.

 

[Flem]

Can you fit an anti-sediment tip onto a racking cane?

 

[Wade E]

They come with them!

 

[Flem]

Sweet! I guess I'll see soon!

 

[Wade E]

Yes you will!

 

[ibglowin]

PVC and Ethanol (wine) are not good together especially the solvent glue. Even without the solvent glue I would look for something more inert. Hard poly propylene or even stainless steel would be a much better solution in the long run.

PVC was designed for transport of water for the most part (neutral pH) Wine being in the 3.X range is not good in the long run with or without the solvent.

 

[joea132]

Wade, what material would be better? Copper pipe is out of the question and I couldn't find or think of anything else.

 

[sjo]

A racking cane from any wine making supply store. Plastic one are a couple bucks. Stainless steel around 15.
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-2640-25452.aspx
http://www.finevinewines.com/p-781-4893.aspx

SJO

 

[tonyt]

I use the auto siphon for all my racking because of the neat trash blocking tip on the end. Sometimes the tip clogs but it's very easy to snap the tip off clean out and snap back on.

 

[philogeek]

+1 for the autosiphon!

 

[mxsteve625]

I too use the auto siphon - even when vacuum racking

 

[roblloyd]

Auto-siphon or cane. Why reinvent the wheel?

 

[joea132]

The difference is I tend to ferment in demi-johns. Being that they are heavy and harder to lift I bought a transfer pump that uses 3/4" tubing. I loved my 5/8" autosiphon but moving 15 gallons at a time is very time consuming without a pump. The 3/4" tubing on the pump has a metal wire that is supposed to help but it doesn't hold against the force of the tubing's memory.

Personally I don't think the PVC will be detrimental with short exposure time but only time and trial will tell. Does anybody know of any 3/4" racking canes?

 

[ffemt128]

The difference is I tend to ferment in demi-johns. Being that they are heavy and harder to lift I bought a transfer pump that uses 3/4" tubing. I loved my 5/8" autosiphon but moving 15 gallons at a time is very time consuming without a pump. The 3/4" tubing on the pump has a metal wire that is supposed to help but it doesn't hold against the force of the tubing's memory.

Personally I don't think the PVC will be detrimental with short exposure time but only time and trial will tell. Does anybody know of any 3/4" racking canes?

You could probably convert down to a smaller size tubing for the transfer pump.

 

[Flem]

The problem I have with the auto-siphon is that because of the outside diameter of the auto-siphon and the inside diameter of the neck of the carboy, I find it difficult to get to the outside edge of the bottom of the carboy trying to avoid the sediment.