HELP! Using aspirator with Buon Vino Bottle Filler

[Brewgrrrl]

I'm hoping someone out there can give me some tips on using an aspirator with the Buon Vino Super Automatic Bottle filler! I've been practicing with water (thank goodness) and trying to adjust the suction from the aspirator and the fill level for the bottle. I'm getting better at minimizing the overflow, but the use of the aspirator seems to stop the automatic shut-off of the bottle filler. Is this true or do I still have the suction up too high???

Right now, the best I can do is watch the fill level and then manually shut off the bottle filler by pulling up the center shut-off valve.

What I had thought though was that there was some way of achieving flow to fill the bottle while still having the automatic shut-off when the bottle was full enough.

????
Any tips would be very helpful at this point. Thanks!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Per Wade's earlier post, I've been keeping the gauge around 8 (sometimes even less). In addition to having to manually shut off the flow (or at least help it shut off), as soon as I lift the bottle filler the slight vacuum in the bottle pulls more liquid from the filler - which screws up the fill level.

Grrr.

 

[Joanie]

Oh man!!! It's supposed to be easy!!!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

I think I'm having trouble because I've never used the auto filler at all and I just got the aspirator. I just realized that the rubber sleeve on the tip moves (I thought you adjusted it via the top part), and that's made the fill level better. I'm still having trouble filling skinny-neck bottles and with the vacuum sucking extra liquid. And it still only partially shuts off automatically - I still have to watch for it and then help it stop. Hopefully Wade or Appleman or one of our other resident experts will read this soon and let me know if there's anything else I can do to make this work better...

 

[Wade E]

Is it shutting off too early or not shutting off in time. Every set up may be a little different like maybe Im using a much longer vacuum hose or vice versa. If its shutting off too early then you might need to create more vacuum and make sure the filler is inserted into the bottle better cause it may be loosing vacuum.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Thanks, Wade (I was hoping you'd be online!). It's got a good vacuum and it *starts* to shut off when it's supposed to. But it needs a little nudge from me to shut off completely and then, when I go to lift it out of the bottle, the little vacuum "whoosh!" pulls a splash more wine out of the filler.

I haven't had the vacuum turned up much at all (8 tops), but when I've turned it lower than 5 it doesn't even pull the wine through the filler. argh.

When you use this setup, does your bottle filler shut off all the way?

 

[Wade E]

Yes, maybe try setting yours a little higher. Im a little new at this set up also but so far its worked great for me. I bottled 10 gallons yesterday in less time then it usually takes me to do 1 batch as I can cork the [previous bottle while the next one is filling and I dont have to struggle with the high punts or be bent over the whole time. Try filling a arboy with water and playing around with it till you get it figyured out. I had mine adjusted in 3 bottles though at around 8" vacuum and that screww almost all the way out on mine.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Oh, that sounds like a great way to go (corking while the bottle is filling). I had the screw out so far it actually fell off. You know what though - this has me thinking - I wonder if I'm taking it off the bottle too soon, when there's a stronger vacuum. If you are corking while the next bottle is filling, then you might be giving the air pressure in the bottle more time to release. I'll have to set this up and try again, maybe tomorrow after work. When I couldn't get the bottling done I racked over 8 batches to set up for bottling ASAP. So at least, as soon as I get the technique right, I'm ready to rock and roll with this.

Thanks for your help!

 

[grapeman]

I agree that you might be trying to go too low with the vacuum and releasing it from the bottle too soon. Let the vacuum seal the bottle and the device should trip on it's own. It took me a bit to get in practice and set up also, but I don't remember everything I needed to do since it was about a year ago when I first started using it.


Sorry I couldn't respond sooner. I was working on winery construction today and now I am cooking dinner for the family. A simple chicken parm while Cindy is working late today.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

I'll try again tomorrow - thanks you guys!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Sorry I couldn't respond sooner. I was working on winery construction today and now I am cooking dinner for the family. A simple chicken parm while Cindy is working late today.

Yum! Have a good night.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

SUCCESS!!!

I decided to give this another try tonight and I bottled a 5-gallon batch in less than 15 minutes (including time to obsess over fill levels and readjust the liquid in a few bottles). WOW this method is FAST. Honestly, it would have been worth the money just to have the aspirator for racking, but I cannot believe how easy and quick it was to bottle with it.

I still needed to watch closely and sometimes assist the filler in shutting completely off, but I got the timing down so that I could cork a bottle while the next one was filling. In the end, I had about a glass and a half of liquid in the overflow bottle, which I felt was acceptable during my learning process (and which I am currently enjoying while I type this).

BIG thanks to everyone who posted advice on this topic and especially to Wade for the great tutorial/pictures in the other section.

Not having to lug full carboys up and down a flight of steps anymore: PRICELESS.

 

[ibglowin]

Congrats!

 

[admiral]

It really is a time saver. Way to go!

 

[Wade E]

The praise has to go to appleman as he's the one who got me interested in this set up!

Hey, Rich, what other things do you do with this besdes rack, degas, bottle and filter? C'mon, stop holding out on us!!!!!!

Im not sure who truly came up with the idea but I do believe Tim Vandergrift(Tech Advisor for Winexpert) got this craze going by authoring an article in Wine Maker Mag on he he uses an old Gomco unit that a Mortician gave him to degas a wine. Glad you like the set up now Brewgrrl, I was beginning to feel that you didnt like the filler and I dont like to give out bad info.

 

[grapeman]

Well Wade since you asked......


there was that episode of an inflamed tooth I had to pull out last week from my jaw..... it worked great as a spit sucker!

Just kidding. The tooth wasn't really inflamed, it just broke and fell out where the dentist had done a root canal a few years ago...........


Seriously I have been working on another use or two, but need to perfect them before I share. I don't want anybody unhappy with the new uses.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Rich - EW!

Wade - I think I just needed to practice. Also, having bottled for many years with the cheap setup, I was used to being really precise. It's going to take a while before I get that way with the aspirator/auto filler, but - hey, at least it ends up in the canister for later... um "cleaning."

 

[gaudet]

Well Wade since you asked......


there was that episode of an inflamed tooth I had to pull out last week from my jaw..... it worked great as a spit sucker!

Just kidding. The tooth wasn't really inflamed, it just broke and fell out where the dentist had done a root canal a few years ago...........


Seriously I have been working on another use or two, but need to perfect them before I share. I don't want anybody unhappy with the new uses.

Rich,

that's what those machines are designed for........................Sucking spit and such.....

 

[ratflinger]

OK, just bottled 2 runs with this. I cannot get it to auto shutoff. I worked the setup with water beforehand & here's where I ended up. I varied the vac to get good pickup & flow, I adjusted the screw on top so it stays open when opened & stays closed when closed. Did not have a vac problem in the bottles. I was satisfied with it's operation, much less messy with even bottle fill, but I was operating it manually (closing when wine flowed out the top) and only lost a glass full (well drank it so no loss).

What am I doing wrong on my setup.

 

[Wade E]

Well I have my vacuum set at about 5". I think if you set it too high it will prevent it from shutting off. I also have the screw set on the side of the Buon to where it s almost falling out, they may differ but im guessing thats about where everyone has theirs approx. This screw is adjusted for shut off purposes so thats what it needs to be adjusted for.