Cant maintain siphon with racking cane

[m_lapaglia]

I got a racking cane today and 6 feet of 3/8th tubing. it wont maintain a siphon. I believe its because I got 3/8th tubing and not 5/16th (i didn't read right). I can siphon just fine with just the hose but with the cane it wont maintain the siphon. There is no air leak between the connections. I can get the right tubing tomorrow. I also want an auto-siphon but the budget wont allow it this week.

So did I screw up? If not how can I make it work?

To further confuse myself the LHBS website says "Hard plastic tubing used to siphon from one fermenter to the next. Curved on one end to install 3/8 tubing and it has a sediment cap on the other end to hold it above the yeast sediment." So they suggest 3/8 and not 5/16 that I read from the manufacture of the racking cane.

Someone tell me what I am doing wrong other than not getting the auto-siphon.


Edit to add its a one gallon jug I am trying to rack from.

 

[oxeye]

Hmm...

Somebody has been putting out some flaky info as to the proper hose diameters for racking canes. I've read somewhere, I can't remember where though, that the large racking canes used 7/16 inch ID hoses, and the small racking canes used 5/16 inch ID hoses.

This is false!

I just checked both of mine, and they are 1/2 inch and 3/8, respectively. The hose enclosed with each kit is clear with no size specs printed on it. But, I have all kinds of plastic tubing in my shop, so I double checked and the stats are as I posted above!

Assuming that you DO have a good snug fit at your hose connections, your problem is probably caused by the levels of your two containers.

The container which you are racking from needs to be significantly higher than the container which you are racking to!

If both containers are sitting at the same level, it is very easy to lose your prime.

Put one on a counter or table, and then put the other one on the floor. The bigger the difference in altitudes, the easier the flow will be.

oxeye

 

[m_lapaglia]

Hmm...

Somebody has been putting out some flaky info as to the proper hose diameters for racking canes. I've read somewhere, I can't remember where though, that the large racking canes used 7/16 inch ID hoses, and the small racking canes used 5/16 inch ID hoses.

This is false!

I just checked both of mine, and they are 1/2 inch and 3/8, respectively. The hose enclosed with each kit is clear with no size specs printed on it. But, I have all kinds of plastic tubing in my shop, so I double checked and the stats are as I posted above!

Assuming that you DO have a good snug fit at your hose connections, your problem is probably caused by the levels of your two containers.

The container which you are racking from needs to be significantly higher than the container which you are racking to!

If both containers are sitting at the same level, it is very easy to lose your prime.

Put one on a counter or table, and then put the other one on the floor. The bigger the difference in altitudes, the easier the flow will be.

oxeye

Thanks. I actually did that. With just the hose it works great. with the cane it wont really start let alone keep working. I am using Gallon jugs as the test because thats what I need to rack from. One on the counter and one on the floor. The cane has a pretty small ID looks like a 1/4". Its like the transition to 3/8" is where it screws up.

I really am stumped on this one. There is no leak at the joint I even tried taping it to be sure.

 

[oxeye]

Ahhh...

The options narrow considerably!

There must be a crack in the racking cane itself.

Rinse the cane off, put your thumb over one end, fill it with water, and blow on the other end.

I'll bet that water will start spurting out from somewhere along the middle!

oxeye

 

[cpfan]

The racking canes sold in Canadian stores (and the Auto Syphons made by Fermtech) are designed for 5/16" id and 7/16" id hose. The hose that I sold (and used) in my store was stamped 5/16" id x 7/16" od, and 7/16" id x 9/16" od. Do some people call the first 3/8" and the second 1/2"? Maybe. But not me. Get the correct id hose and you shouldn't have any problems.

Steve

 

[Noontime]

Obviously there is a leak somewhere, and considering you only have two parts it shouldn't be that difficult to troubleshoot (not to diminish your problem). As previously stated, you need to pressurize the system (cane and tube in this case) and see where there's a leak. If there is no leak than there must be a problem with the method or procedure used to siphon.

 

[m_lapaglia]

The cane says it is for 3/8" and I went back to the LHBS and they don't have 5/16 hose. So I bought a auto siphon instead. It also wants to see a 5/16 hose but a clamp on the 3/8th fixed it till I can find the 5/16" id hose. But at least I am working now.

FYI the leak was at the junction of the cane and the hose.

Thanks for all the help.