MityVac after Brake Job?

[kirbyclk]

I have a MityVac that I have used a few time before to bleed my brakes. Obviously this would be a concern to use it for winemaking but I have never "degassed" using a vacuum before. If I thoroughly clean the MityVac, do you think I can still re-use it?

Does the wine even come into contact with any parts of the pump? From my understanding I just stick the tube into the hole in the bung, pump it up to create a vacuum, and let it sit for a while holding the vacuum?

 

[pightr]

I have a MityVac that I have used a few time before to bleed my brakes. Obviously this would be a concern to use it for winemaking but I have never "degassed" using a vacuum before. If I thoroughly clean the MityVac, do you think I can still re-use it?

Does the wine even come into contact with any parts of the pump? From my understanding I just stick the tube into the hole in the bung, pump it up to create a vacuum, and let it sit for a while holding the vacuum?

Personally I would still clean it just because but your right the pump does not come in contact with the wine at all, it just pulls a vacuum seal in the carboy. So I would still use it but I don't have a lot of experience here either but from what I know it should be a problem.

I was told as well when you think you are done degassing your wine, hook up the pump one more time and bring the pressure up to 20 and wait 1/2 an hour and if it stays above 16 on the gauge then you are done degassing. Good luck and I'm sure someone on here with more knowledge will be alone shortly to help.

 

[JohnT]

Personally I would still clean it just because but your right the pump does not come in contact with the wine at all, it just pulls a vacuum seal in the carboy. So I would still use it but I don't have a lot of experience here either but from what I know it should be a problem.

I was told as well when you think you are done degassing your wine, hook up the pump one more time and bring the pressure up to 20 and wait 1/2 an hour and if it stays above 16 on the gauge then you are done degassing. Good luck and I'm sure someone on here with more knowledge will be alone shortly to help.

I do NOT agree!!! I would not even put anything like that in my winery!!!

Let me put it this way. Would you feel right about smearing peanut butter all over it and then lick it clean? If the answer is "NO" THEN DON'T USE IT!!!!!!

Even if there is only a small chance at contact with the wine, why risk it? Pry open the pocketbook and purchase a food grade, food safe, vacume pump.

 

[Tom]

Buy another!
It cant be sanitized enough. Whay chance price for a batch of wine.

 

[winemaker_3352]

I totally agree - even the proper cleaning products to clean the fluid or not good to be in contact with the wine.

Get another..

 

[Runningwolf]

I agree with the above posts. For the $20 price tag at Harbor Freight why take the risk.

 

[Wade E]

The only way Id feel safe is if you had a hydrophobic filter inline between the unit and your wine.

 

[TStarr]

Good grief - how will a new one be any safer than an old one - I am sure the manufacturing process isn't designed to be anti-bacterial, so who know what could be in there. However, since nothing goes from the pump into the wine, what is there to be worried about? The idea is to suck FROM the dj or fermentation jar, not blow into it!! I use a normal rubber dj stopper, with "6mm to 8mm" plastic connector, attached to 1 metre of 6mm Auto vacuum hose. Pop it into any dj and suck away, sanitizing the bung and tube. If a new one was in any way 'better' than a used one, then would you only use it once and keep buying new ones? Sounds crazy!

 

[xoltri]

I'd use it, just put an overflow container in line.

 

[winemaker_3352]

To an extent you are right - you can add an overflow in - there are some of us here that are just a little more cautious than others.

However - i just wouldn't do it - you can sanitize a new one w/o the worry of brake fluid or cleaners that have come in contact with it.

Ultimately it is your decision on what you want to do.

These are just our opinions - most of which i value a lot - and I know most of the folks have been doing this long enough to have seen or done most of the mistakes that we are posting questions about.

 

[BobF]

The way *my* mityvac is built, air flows through the mityvac chamber to the carboy when the 'trigger' is pulled to relieve vacuum. Mine was never used for anything else and has had so2 vapors through it many times.

If it had been used for anything else, I wouldn't be using it for winemaking

 

[sly22guy]

Good grief - how will a new one be any safer than an old one - I am sure the manufacturing process isn't designed to be anti-bacterial, so who know what could be in there. However, since nothing goes from the pump into the wine, what is there to be worried about? The idea is to suck FROM the dj or fermentation jar, not blow into it!! I use a normal rubber dj stopper, with "6mm to 8mm" plastic connector, attached to 1 metre of 6mm Auto vacuum hose. Pop it into any dj and suck away, sanitizing the bung and tube. If a new one was in any way 'better' than a used one, then would you only use it once and keep buying new ones? Sounds crazy!

So say i pissed and took a crap on your pillow, would you still rest your head on it even after you washed it? No you'd go buy a new Pillow!

 

[xoltri]

To put it in perspective, many of us (myself included) have purchased used medical vacuum pumps on ebay to degass / rack / filter and have no idea what the history of these pumps are. But they don't come in contact with the wine because there is an overflow canister so it really doesn't matter. This is not really any different.

 

[TStarr]

So say i pissed and took a crap on your pillow, would you still rest your head on it even after you washed it? No you'd go buy a new Pillow!

What strange habits you have your side of the Atlantic!

Strange analogy also since the wine is a metre away from the Vac pump, and never 'rests its head' on the pump. Guess you would have problems with surgery using disinfected scalpels - would u be lying on the table insisting on new blades?

Has anyone ever experienced a bacterial disaster from using a vacuum pump in this way, or are we just playing safe/scaremongering for the sake of it?

 

[KSmith3011]

My cats often pee on our pillows. I think it softens the sheets to give me a better nights rest.
I vote for using the MityVac after a complete cleaning.
Off topic- anyone looking to adopt a couple cats?

 

[sly22guy]

Lol made that reply after sampling some wine and racking an such! Not sure were i came up with that analogy either. Anywho In retro spect yeah it is true that it will never come in actual contact with it, so i suppose with a good cleaning it should be fine. My only thoughts are that the fumes from the brake fluid could back feed to the wine. But there again if its been cleaned very well these should be gone.

Make sure your good this xmas or ill come crap on ur pillow! Lol

 

[Wade E]

To put it in perspective, many of us (myself included) have purchased used medical vacuum pumps on ebay to degass / rack / filter and have no idea what the history of these pumps are. But they don't come in contact with the wine because there is an overflow canister so it really doesn't matter. This is not really any different.

Lol made that reply after sampling some wine and racking an such! Not sure were i came up with that analogy either. Anywho In retro spect yeah it is true that it will never come in actual contact with it, so i suppose with a good cleaning it should be fine. My only thoughts are that the fumes from the brake fluid could back feed to the wine. But there again if its been cleaned very well these should be gone.

Make sure your good this xmas or ill come crap on ur pillow! Lol

Thats why I have a hydrophobic filter in between along with the overflow canister. I do think that if you are fine if youve had a overflow canister in betwen the whole time and arent using that hose to do anything with the wine.

 

[St Allie]

ok the pissing and crapping comments are rather unnecessary to the discussion..

let's keep the posted comments practical people..

cheers

Allie

 

[kirbyclk]

I ended up going to harbor freight and got a new MityVac MV8000 for $39.95. I degassed all of my wine that I had already degassed with a drill bit stirrer.

WOW!!!

The MityVac is definitely the way to degass. There was still a TON of CO2 left that I thought was gone.

Work smarter, not harder!

 

[Tom]

be careful you can suck all the flavor out as well. Look and see what size bubbles you get