Adding Marbles

[Jenks829]

I have a few 6.5 gallon carboys that need to be topped up. Not by much, just about 2-3 inches at the most and that is at the neck of the carboy above the shoulder. I wanted to use sterilized marbles. I went to a pet store and purchased non-toxic rocks that are used in fish tanks. They are larger that marbles; about twice the size. The rocks are polished like a marble and are not porous. They basically feel like marbles except they are not spherical.

When I went to put them in, I didn't expect the loud "CLANK" as this thing dropped the height of the carboy! It didn't sound good and I became worried about breaking the glass. How to you who use marbles for top-up add them to the carboy?

 

[JohnT]

I am a little confused..

Were you putting the marbles into an empty carboy? If so, try to fill the carboy with wine first, then add the marbles.

If not, and you were adding mables AFTER the wine has been added, then it must be that the marbles are too heavy. You could try to tilt the carboy as much as you can so that they do not drop straight to the bottom.

 

[AlFulchino]

try tilting the carboy to let the marble ot rock roll down the side allowing the glass to bear the weight as it slides down

or place the marbles in a paint strainer type bag.....fill as you need then tie the bag if you like and lower gently in

i am sure there are other methods as well

 

[Lurker]

I drop them into full carboys. They do plunk, but not loud.

 

[Jenks829]

The carboys are full of wine. I was thinking of maybe forming a square of cheese cloth into a sack and tieing it at the bottom with a piece of fishing wire, filling the sack with marbles and lowering it into the carboy to the bottom, then pulling on the fishing wire to remove the cheese cloth while leaving behind the marbles. This sounds like a major PITA but it's all I can think of so far.

 

[KSmith3011]

I make a wish as I drop each marble in.
They do make a plunk when they hit bottom, I have not broken a carboy yet. Since you are using the marbles on steroids, perhaps tilting is not a bad idea.

 

[Runningwolf]

...so at what point do we decide it really is better to just top up with an inexpensive wine. Is it really worth the CLANK? It is truly a lot easier to either down size to smaller carboys or top up.

 

[AlFulchino]

i NEVER ever would think of using another wine to top off with..i know i am at odds w many on this practice.....but it just goes against my grain to taint a wine that i have worked on or crafted, and to this is exactly what is being done when you start adding other wines.....i will grant you that if you are introducing just a table spoon it doesn't mean much.....if you need more than that then think about it


16 cups to a gallon....so a five gallon carboy is 80...so w just one cup you have affected everything about the wine at 1.25%....2 cups 2.5%...sounds like a small number...but it isn't...and if you are making something special why affect it?

the 1.25 or 2.5 or 3.75% is small volume wise but not necessarily in terms of quality....body...etc etc etc....

use the damn marbles if you must...but i can tell you this..i dont use marbles or rocks...and i dont top off unless its the exact same wine/blend...if its properly stabilized and air locked you will NOT have a problem...you just wont...i have made to many wines over the years that were as an example, half filled carboys...whites mind you.....no oxidation...no off flavors and the exact same profile as its counter parts in full carboys

once again..i know this thinking is at odds w what most practice and it is not what i seek to do...but some time you just are in that position...

 

[Wade E]

I will add that Al most assuredly I hope is doing this while using good means of checking the sulfite levels unlike a lot of people who are just guessing by adding it when they rack.

 

[AlFulchino]

and to reiterate......from my post..."....if its properly stabilized and air locked...."

 

[Jenks829]

Holy headache! This kept me awake last night! I have equated my marble delivery system to the group of NASA engineers trying to fix the air filters in the movie Apollo 13.

I would rather not top off with any commercial wine if I can avoid it. I am trying to be a bit of a purest with that mind set.

I like what Al says about proper stabilization but feel the reduction of head space is an insurance policy.

One of my brainstorming exercises produced a long ladle with a skinny platform. I would lower the ladle in with 2 or 3 marbles on it and shimmy them off close the to bottom of the carboy. This will reduce the distance the marbles drop.

 

[winemaker_3352]

That is why i make more than what my carboy handles. That way i can top up with the same wine i am making.

I have 750ml 1.5L and 1 gallon carboys with airlocks to contain extra - after each racking i top off with my extra and what is left i put in a an appropriate sized bottle with an airlock.

I don't add marbles either - but if you do - why not put them in a mesh bag and attach a string or fishing line to it and lower it in - i have heard of this being done with oak chips.

 

[Wade E]

Just get some nylons and cut a leg off and put the marbles in there and slide that down into your carboy.

 

[Savana123]

Just get some nylons and cut a leg off and put the marbles in there and slide that down into your carboy.

Hey Wade... Nice thinking and very good idea... We can put marbles into the carboy by the help of nylons.. By doing this the glass also will not crack and marbles also put into the carboy.

 

[joea132]

Resurecting an old post but, I went through this myself thinking it would be a magical solution to all my problems. I went to Toys R Us and bought a bunch of cheap marbles, sanitized them, and added them with the help of a stainless steel "oaking tube." After adding a bunch of marbles and getting seemingly nowhere, I did the calculation to see how many marbles would take up a gallon. I think it was just over 1,800 but I'll have to go back and check my records.

After all this I came to the conclusion that it's just easier to either have a floating lid or to split batches up, even into 375mL bottles.

 

[Runningwolf]

Joe I agree with you. Marbles do have there place though. I would save them to put in nylon bags with elder flowers or oak to way them down. Saves you from punching them down every day

 

[robie]

I primarily use marbles to weight down bags of oak chips and grape packs. Like Wade said, I also put them in a separate bag and tie them to the oak and/or grape pack bag. If you just throw the marbles in with the oak or grape pack, you have a real mess separating them later.

You are right, though, it would take a bunch of marbles to displace a gallon of wine. However, when racking, if you have lost a gallon of wine, you need to start recovering some of that racked-off wine.