brake bleeder - harbor freight

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<DIV style="OVERFLOW: auto" ="msg">If I figure out how to set up pictures, I will submit my set up.
It is also a Harbor freight pump, but after viewing someone elses set up on the forum a while ago, I tried a little experiment.....I have a 1967 Buick show car that incororates a supplemental vacuum canister ( a glorified coffee can) to keep the engine running at idle - sometimes needed when the engines get more modified---you old timers know... anyways, this acts as a reserve accumulator-- so that is what I did to my set up.
I put a tee in the vacuum line and used a sanitised wine bottle as the reserve canister--this, I think ,helps because if the carboy is filled up like it should be, there is not enough vacuum capacity, and that is another reason that the vacuum will drop quickly in the begining.
like I said, I hope to get a picture set up soon---------But Turkey hunting comes first..........

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<DIV style="OVERFLOW: auto" ="msgSignature">"You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning "
" Aah, I see the Screw-up Fairy has visited us again..."
Hastings, MN </TD></TR>
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<DIV =msgSignature style=": left; OVERFLOW: auto">"You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning "
" Aah, I see the Screw-up Fairy has visited us again..."
Hastings</TD></TR></T></TABLE>

 

[Jeff H]

Yo Mo,


I've read that your wine level should be above the shoulder into the neck region when vac de-gassing. This way the winevolume distributesthe vacuum uniformlytherebyavoiding unsupported stresses on the glass surfaces of thecarboy. It makes sense and hopefully willforego an implosion of the carboy. FYI - it seems that your bung is about to be sucked into the carboy, something else to watch for. Hope this helps,


Regards, Jeff.

 

[MO-WINEAUX]

jeff,i was using the bung for my 6 gl carboy, have sence replased it with a universal bung. ( yes it was a close deal ) much better now.
JC

 

[scubaman2151]

So just to clarify, I need to have my wine topped up before I try to degas it so it doesnt implode?


BTW - Wade I went to Harbor Freight and bought the same bleeder that you have, seems pretty nice.Edited by: Scubaman2151

 

[Wade E]

It should be pretty close to shoulder of the carboy. 1 reason is that the more space there is in the carboy the more you will be pumping to create a vacuum on empty space. The other reason is that the lower 1/2 of the carboy is the weakest part of a carboy. The shoulder and neck area of any bottle are typically much thicker and can withstand much more pressure.

 

[scubaman2151]

So I was playing with this a little bit and had two questions. How much pressure can you safely pull without harming the carboy (20 lbs, 25 lbs)? How do you know when your wine is sufficently degassed

 

[Jeff H]

Scuba,


Here is an article from George and the crew: http://www.finevinewines.com/degassing2.htm


The most I'veseen is slightly over 25" Hg and that seemed fine. Carboy was topped up. I suspect that most carboys will not have a problem with a sustained vacuum of 25" Hg due to a sufficient wall thickness. Things that we can't see are micro-cracks in the glass structure. By keeping the carboy topped up it will assure a uniform pressure (vacuum) load throughout. My experience tells me that's a good thing! I don't have alot of wine making experience so this is just the engineer in me talking

.


Jeff

 

[Joanie]

Scuba, I believe you know you're done when you can hold 15" for an hour and the bubbles that come up are larger than what your first start with.

 

[Wade E]

Joan, you are right in my opinion. Some people struggle to get or use an electric pump to get to 25" and i believe now that it is too much. I strive for 15" that ca be held and that requires pumping it up to 25 " many times and has not resulted in any problems with carboys. I have gotten it to hold 25" with a wine that has bulk aged for over a year and didnt notice any difference then the one next to it that was holding 15" so Ill stop when I achieve 15" now.

 

[scubaman2151]

Thanks guys. Two more questions, I have a couple small 1 gal batches going and those bungs dont have the lip on them, how can I keep the bung from being sucked down into the carboy? How do commerical wineries degass large volumes of wine?

 

[Wade E]

Commercial wineries probably dont have to worry all that much as gas is released much easier in wooden barrels then in glass carboys. I have done a few in glass jugs and just watch to make sure that the bung does not get sucked in. Note: Make sure you have this gallon jub topped up properly and do not go above 20" to stay safe.

Edited by: wade