Inert Gas

[dbeck]

I purchased a tank of nitrogen from the local welding supply shop and I am using it to fill the head space in my carboys while aging.

I've been doing some reading and see a lot of talk about using argon as its heavier than air. Now I'm second-guessing my purchase.

I've not checked with the welding supply but I'm guessing you can get an argon/nitrogen mix, too.

I'd love to hear from those of you using inert gas as to what you use. Did I get the wrong stuff?

 

[Runningwolf]

Nitrogen will work but Argon is even better. Better than Nitrogen that is, BUT it is not better than a full carboy. Inert gas is a very temporary fix. Topping up the carboy and having your SO2 levels where they belong is the only real fix and it's not expensive.

 

[sour_grapes]

I really do not think there is any difference in the effectiveness of argon and nitrogen. The fact that argon is a bit denser than nitrogen is of no consequence. Gases mix freely after just a few minutes; there is no "blanketing" effect that is often (erroneously) referred to.

The only reason argon *may* be preferable to nitrogen is when you are initially purging the headspace. The extra density helps a little bit at this time.

As Dan says, topping off is even better: wine is WAY denser than air!

 

[Rocky]

I thought Nitrogen was "ert."

...so much has changed since I was in school but I remember the "noble" gasses as Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon and Radon.

 

[sour_grapes]

I thought Nitrogen was "ert."

...so much has changed since I was in school but I remember the "noble" gasses as Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon and Radon.

No, nitrogen in the form of N2 is pretty inert. The other gases you mention are inert as monatomic species. N2, that is, the diatomic form, is nearly as non-reactive as the noble gases. (N2 will react, for example, with lithium or magnesium, but the true noble gases will not.)

 

[Rocky]

Paul, "pretty inert" sounds to me like "almost a virgin?"

 

[sour_grapes]

Paul, "pretty inert" sounds to me like "almost a virgin?"

Well, then, by this standard the noble gases are not inert, either. Xenon will form a compound with fluorine, for example.

From The Source of All Knowledge:

The term inert may also be applied in a relative sense. For example, molecular nitrogen is inert under ordinary conditions, existing as diatomic molecules, N2. The presence of a strong triple covalent bond in the N2 molecule renders it unreactive under normal circumstances.

Or would you prefer we only say "non-reactive"?

 

[JohnT]

There is no real substitute for keeping the carboys full.

You do not get a protective layer of gas. The gas simply mixes with o2. The most you can hope for is to reduce the amount of O2 in that headspace.

Also, if you are sealing your carboys with fermentation locks, and you have a lot of headspace, you are taking more and more of a chance as time goes by. Due to changes in temperature and barometric pressure, your carboy will "breathe". The headspace will expand (thus expelling some of the gas) and will contract (drawing in outside air). If you use the gas for the short term, your risk might be minimal, but over the long term you will be taking more and more of a risk of oxidation and bacterial infestation. It is best to use a pressure tight seal when sparging.

As Runningwolf has said, there really is no substitute for a full carboy. You will be better off topping up your carboy with a similar store bought wine.

 

[dbeck]

Thanks so much for the advice and help with my questions! I'm working hard to get to the point where I know what I'm doing! LOL. Read a ton every day.

We've been trying to rack a 6 gallon carboy into a 5 gallon and 1 gallon and use the 1 gallon to top off the 6. But it doesn't always work out that way and we turned to the gas.

I had thought the blanket of gas would be great long-term protection and its good to know its not.

 

[Rocky]

I hesitate to bring this up and I am not recommending it but a long way back at home (before we had either Sodium or Potassium salts to protect the wine), my grandfather used to pour a layer of olive oil on top of the wine in 1 gallon jugs to keep air out. This seemed to work but we could never get all of the olive oil out of the wine and there was always a little in each glass.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

The vacuum headspace eliminator seems to be doing a good job -
Yes I agree topping off is always the best , but sometimes you do not have that option readily available