Brake Bleeder Pump for De-Gassing...

[tcb54]

I got in the brake bleeder hand pump today from Harbor Freight... I put the tube on the pump and into a bung with a hole in it (like Wade said). I pumped the heck out of it and it started foaming up. I got it to 20 -25 lbs. but it will not stay there. It keeps going right back down. I get little bubbles and foam but nothing else...
I see all you guys talking about holding the pressure at 20-30 lbs for an hour or more. Am I doing something wrong. I haved pumped this thing until both hands ache, and my pecs hurt from squeezing it with both hands (does anyone remember the Mark Eden ads? - I might be on to something here).


How can I get this to hold???Edited by: tcb54

 

[Wade E]

It will take some time to get it to hold and typically it will not hold more then about 15", after that it just pulls bubbles out of the wine which is not gas. When I can get it to hold for about 2 hours then thats enough for me.

 

[Old Submariner]

You are doing it correctly, as the wine degasses the vacuum will drop as co2 is expelled from the wine. you will have to keep pumping until all the co2 is out.
I usually stir by hand or with the whip to remove most of the co2 and then use the brake bleeder for finishing. When you can pump it downto 20-22 inches vacuum and it doesn't drop below say 15 inches overnight you have pretty much degassed your wine. this may take several days depending on how much gas in in your wine.
I usually only pump down to a level where the small bubbles are rising, not large ones. most of the time for me that is 20-22 inches vacuum.

 

[MajBob]

Is it necessary to sanitize the brake bleeder before using it?

My hunch is - yes - but when I think about it - I'm not so sure . . .

Thanks

 

[Wade E]

Nothing of my brake bleeder touches anything but the carboy bung so I dont bother except for the fitting which touches the bung.

 

[jobe05]

Don't kill yourself trying to get it all done with one vacuum session. I do mine a few pumps at a time, then a few more the next day, and so on. After a few days, it will start to hold more and more.

 

[MajBob]

Thanks - that's good to know. I pumped it about 2 or 3 bazillion times today. At first I couldn't get it over 10 inches. toward the end, though, I got up near 15. But it quickly zeroed out again. Thought maybe I had a leak??

Can I leave it connected and in the bung/carboy overnight - or should I replace it with the air lock?

Cheers!

 

[Wade E]

You can leave it in overnight. I usually pump it up right before I go to bed then hit it again before I go to work.

 

[MajBob]

That's what I was hoping to hear.

So I can give 'er a few squeezes each time I go by her. (the carboy, that is. My wife's a teacher and at school - so it's just me and the carboy . . .

)

 

[hannabarn]

I usually stir it for about 2 or 3 minutes with drill whip and then use the vacuum for a while and then stir it again with the whip and then back to the vacuum. It speeds it up a little that way

 

[termini]

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..........

 

[mississippi mud]

Hey termini,I could have used thatbottleonmy last batch asan overflow. I was watching the gauge and not the wine.I guess you couldcall it a vacuum controlled volcano.

Have you triedyour set upout yet? Looks good!!!Edited by: mississippi mud

 

[pizz65]

has anyone had problems with the drill whip with little pieces of plastic like coming off?? what can I use to prevent to much friction?? I was thinking of spraying just a little PAM on it, would that be ok as long as it doesn't get into the wine?

 

[hannabarn]

If I am going to use the drill whip really high speed, I put water in the cup to keep it cooler and it will lubricate it

 

[Wade E]

I have had this problem also. I now dont let the tapered carboy stopper and that little white plastic washer touch when in operation as thats what does it and it will eventually burn deep into the stopper.Havent had any problems since noticing that and the problem is solved.

 

[scubaman2151]

If I am going to use the drill whip really high speed, I put water in the cup to keep it cooler and it will lubricate it

This works very well and will keep the whip moving nicely.


Scuba

 

[fish1onthefly]

One comment on holding pressure- Be sure all the fittings even the bung are tight. I was losing pressure until I got everything good and tight!

 

[termini]

If you look closly at my picture, I sealed all the connections with silicone. I capped the end and had vacuum on it when I did it just in case there was a leak, then it would draw the sealant into it. ALSO--- make sure you let the slicone cure for a long time before using it because the high quality sealants have some strong odors and chemicals they give off while curing. and I did not want to take a chance taiting the wine......