Aarrrghh - stupid gas. How to make it go away forever ?

[jontallon]

I've done 5 kits now. 3 of them have been fine, but two have had gas issues. The latest is an 'Island Mist' kit. I have the little Zip-Loc vacuum pump thingey that I used during the de-gas cycle, and I stirred the heck out of the wine at that time as well. I did this because my first kit was a disaster due to gas issues.

I got ready to bottle the latest kit today, and it still has MAJOR gas issues. I have the first bottle sitting in front of me with one of those 'vacu-vin' vacuum capper thingeys on it, and it's bubbling like boiling water, and has been for 10 minutes now - obviously there is still a TON of gas in the wine.

I can live with this kit - it's just a wine-cooler kit. But I want to fix this problem before I start doing fancier, more expensive kits.

So, what am I doing wrong if I am stirring like crazy and using the small electric pump to suck out more gas, over the course of 15 to 20 minutes ? And, within a reasonable cost, what's the best thing to get to make this problem go away for good ? I see the 'winegasgetter' device - is that going to solve my problem ? If so, what kind of compressor do I need to do a single carboy at a time ? Is there some other solution that works better.

I'm tired of these gas issues

Thanks !

 

[Runningwolf]

Give it two beano's and send it to bed. LOL. Really what is your temp? You should be about 75 degrees to get it to degass properly. Did you stir it good and hard for recommended length of time. I usually do this first followed up with the stir mix on the drill. Then I follow up with the vacuum pump. If your using just that little tool your talking about and hoping to totally degas it won't happen.

 

[jontallon]

My temp is probably around 70 when I degas - it's in the 73 range during fermenting, but by the time I'm degassing I'm sure it has cooled a few degrees. So that's a good tip - I will bring it upstairs and warm it up a bit next time.

I AM stirring like crazy with a long plastic spoon, and then using both the vacuum pump thingey and the drill attachment. But the drill is a hassle - I've never been all that sure I'm using it correctly - for one thing it's relatively short compared to the length of the carboy - doesn't seem like it's getting that far into the wine...

Thanks for the feedback !

 

[Runningwolf]

Ok sounds like you're on the right track and if your stir mixer isn't long enough there ones that are. When using the drill is the must foaming up to the point its going to foam out of the carboy? If its not, I think your issue might be something other than gas. If it is foaming that much then keep using it till its not so bad. Be careful not to introduce too much oxygen into the wine by creating a vortex.

 

[BIGJEFF]

My temp is probably around 70 when I degas - it's in the 73 range during fermenting, but by the time I'm degassing I'm sure it has cooled a few degrees. So that's a good tip - I will bring it upstairs and warm it up a bit next time.

I AM stirring like crazy with a long plastic spoon, and then using both the vacuum pump thingey and the drill attachment. But the drill is a hassle - I've never been all that sure I'm using it correctly - for one thing it's relatively short compared to the length of the carboy - doesn't seem like it's getting that far into the wine...

Thanks for the feedback !

Are you using "the whip"
I use that one, it wasn't working too good when I used it with my 12 volt drill...I've since started unsing my 18 volt It's foaming like crazy!

 

[winemaker_3352]

I bet if you do the same steps at a higher temp it will do well. Most of my degassing is done at least at 75 degrees. Have not had any trouble at that temp.

 

[Wade E]

Those bag sealing pumps dont do a very good job nor doesn a sppon IMO. Get yourself a drill mounted stirrer. "The Whip" does work but its the worst of them all as its plastic and not balanced which means it will wear at the bearings on your drill. I think the "Mix Stir" is the best. I have had mine for 8 years now and the fins finally broke but for $1.80 I replaced them and its brand new again. Other then that the Mity vac is also awesome but btter then all is the electric vacuum pump like some of us have. It has so many uses besides degassing and takes the gess work out of it with then gauge on it.

 

[jontallon]

Can you give more details on the electric vacuum pump you are referring to ? I'm not against spending some money here if it will make my wine start turning out better I'll definitely pick up one of the 'mix stir' drill stirrers you mentioned !

Thanks !

 

[Wade E]

This is what I have below in the link an d also where I bought it. You can degas your win e, rack wine up hill from the floor to a counter top, filter by adding a whole house filter canister in between the two vessels. I also use mine to bottle myu wine by adding a Boun Vino auto filler making it so that I can cork one bottle while the next is filling and can have the batch all corked and bottled in about 7 minutes flat.
http://cgi.ebay.com/HOME-ASPIRATOR-...288?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5ef10668

heres a pic of my set up as I was racking a wine.

 

[jontallon]

Thanks Wade. I will pick up one of those pumps today. One question though, based on your info and other posts here... It looks like after a while with a pump like this you stop pulling CO2 and you start pulling oxygen from the wine ? How is that possible ? If it's a vacuum and a sealed container, wouldn't you want to pull ALL gas out of wine ? Will the bubbles EVER stop coming out ? Hope that makes sense...

 

[robie]

I agree with Wade, that little sealer vacuum, especially for only 20 minutes, is just not going to do the trick. I can't imagine trying to degas 6 gallons with only a long handled spoon, but some do it that way.

Get yourself a drill stirrer or a nice vacuum system (from EBay). Get that temperature up to about 75 and you will be fine.

Degassing always seems to be a hard one to master. Once you get it, you look back and ask why is this such a big deal. Well, it is a big deal! On one hand we don't like the taste of the gas, but on the other, we don't want to oxidize our wine. Whats a wine maker to do!!!!

When you think you have the wine degassed enough, put a cup or so of it in a wine bottle, put your finger over the top and shack it really well. When you stop and remove your finger, if you get a big pop and lots of fizzing, your wine still has gas. Just repeat the stirring until it is right. A little of the heavier foam is not the same as the tiny, fizzy, CO2 foam. Of course the heavier duty vacuum pump makes this whole process a piece of cake.

 

[gesnipes]

I broke down and bought a vacuum pump. In fact, I bought the one linked here. The shop vac works, but I still have to carry the carboys from my aging room to the garage, and that's a pain in the back. Having a pump in the room looks like a much better option.

I've seen some people talk about using the vac in their bottling set up. Can someone give me a few tips on how their setup works?

 

[winemaker_3352]

You can use you vacuum pump to bottle - but you will need to purchase the Buon Vino Automatic Bottle Filler - with that you can set the level to fill in the bottle and it will shut off when it reaches that level.

 

[homer]

Wade, why is the pump better than the siphon method? bk

 

[Runningwolf]

Wade, why is the pump better than the siphon method? bk

Homer, it is much faster and you can do it from long distances without moving/lifting any carboys.

 

[homer]

So the pump has nothing yo do with degassing, just ease of re racking? What pump are they speaking of when they refer to the vacuum cleaner? bk

 

[Wade E]

I use the vacuum pump which is really an electric aspirator pump used in hospitals for various things and also in Morgues to suck all the fluids out of bodies. You can use these pumps to rack up hill like off the floor to a counter top instead of lifting it up, for bottling with the addition of a Boun Vino auto filler, for degassing, and also for filtering within the addition of a whole house filter installed between the 2 carboys.
gesnipes, did you get the one I listed?

Homer, the pump just does so many things and you dont have to suck on the end of the hose or fill the hose with water to get it started which really could introduce bacteria. I have a bad back so after gravity racking I would have to pick that 6 gallon carboy off the floor which is what I used to do until my back gave out doing that one day and I fell to the floor, Luckily I was able to just support the carboy enough to the point it didnt hit the floor hard enough to crack open as I basically landed on it, if it had split in half I would have been in deep trouble and maybe not been here today never mind the mess that 6 gallons of wine would have made!

 

[Polarhug]

I just use the handle of my spoon, and stir like heck every 10 mins for about an hour.

Although... this gas will eventually dissipate with enough time, correct? Do large wineries de-gass with vacuum equipment or do they just rely on that splash rack transfer process? I'm curious now.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Get the All in One Wine Pump, it'll degass in no time flat, plus you can rack with ease, filter and bottle.

 

[Runningwolf]

Do large wineries de-gass with vacuum equipment or do they just rely on that splash rack transfer process? I'm curious now.

Wineries do not splash rack, that would be a quick recipe for oxidation. Wineries rely on time and aging. Little degassing is needed after fresly crushing and pressing grapes.