Newbie Start Day

[uavwmn]

Ok, this is the day I plunge into the wine making kit! It came yesterday with everything in tact. Thanks, George! I am concerned with room temperature here in AZ. I am testing the larger bathroom room temp to see if I can get close to the 77 degree mark. I don't want to A/C the entire house to 77, I would freeze to death!! lol I believe I saw a thread where someone was keeping their primary fermentation cooled by water in the tub. Will that be ok? And the sanitizing, do I go out and buy a bucket exclusivelyto sanitize everything? Any tips for easy sanitizing? Pictures will follow this newbie thread.

uavwmn

 

[PolishWineP]

Sanitizing doesn't require a whole lot. We use a restaurant table bussing tub. We rinse the equipment &put it into the bus tub. We then sanitize our primary fermenter by pouring a cup or 2 of sanitizer into the primary and rolling it around and using a wine-making-only turkey baster to ensure contact on all surfaces. We pour the sanitizer into the tub and repeat the process there, once again using the baster. The baster has never even seen a turkey! (We send it on holiday around Thanksgiving.) A spray bottle with sanitizer in it is also very helpful. You can also sanitize all your equipment right in your primary fermenter before you start and lay it on a clean dish towel so it's ready for you.
As far as keeping things cool, I'm not your answer gal for that. I'm in Nothern Minnesota and have no qualms at all about turning my A/C down to 72 degrees.

 

[scotty]

i have the place at 77 for years and been making wine for 2 years. primary is a tad faster but no problems that could be blamed on temperatures.
I read that changes in temp too often and too fast are undesireable.

 

[Wade E]

77* is fine as my wine making room gets there and some times a little bit higher in the summer, just dont let it get much hotter. You could also keep it in the tub you you read in a previous post both in the primary and carboy.

 

[bovinewines]

Thanks PWP...the bus tub idea is a great one! Guess I'll be heading out to our local restaurant supply store tomorrow as well as visiting George!

 

[bovinewines]

I live in Dallas and was worried about temps as well. I'm on the 3rd floor of an apartment!


Primary fermentation I wasn't worried about..but I was during secondary.


What I did for secondary (and I could do this because I have two baths), is put the glass carboy in the bathtub, fill the tub with water so it was about 1/4 of the way up on the carboy, took a t-shirt and wrapped it with the t-shirt being wet and in the water (think wiking) and then put a table fan on the thing.


I was able to drop the temperature by a good 3 degrees by doing that.

 

[Wade E]

You could get something from Walmart or similar much cheaper.

 

[uavwmn]

Wade, hate to bother you again.
I have a white "clippy" thing that came with the beginners kit. I don't know what it does? It was in the bag with the sanitzer, spigot and cleaner. ????? uavwmn

 

[uavwmn]

And there is this clear plastic looking thing that looks like it has a floater plastic thing in the middle. No numbers or temperature gauge anything on it.

 

[Wade E]

Im guessing the clippy thinglooks like this<table ="Catalog" id="products" align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><t><tr><td ="table" align="default" width="2%"><div align="center">4880 </td>
<td width="5%"><div align="center">

</td>
<td width="20%">

Bucket Clip


Holds siphon in place</td></tr></t></table>As it says, this will hold the long clear racking cane in place so as that it does not sit in the sediment in the bucket will transferring wine to carboy. As for the clear plastiv thing with the thing in the middle, I dont know if you are getting a auto siphon but that may be the inside part of that. I need a picture to really identify these for sure though. You can also look on the sight under equipment to try and figure out what it is if you have no camera.

 

[grapeman]

Or is it one of these. These clamp off the tubing so you can start and stop the flow of wine.



<TABLE =Catalog id=products borderColor=#000000 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" align=center border=1>
<T>
<TR>
<TD =table align=default width="2%">
<DIV align=center>4860 </TD>
<TD width="5%">
<DIV align=center>

</TD>
<TD width="20%">


Tubing Clamp Large, fits 1/2


Large, fits 1/2" tubing</TD>
<TD width="2%">
<DIV align=right>$1.69</TD>
<TD width="2%">
<DIV align=right>$1.69 </TD>
<TD width="5%">
<DIV align=center>Stocked </TD>
<TD width="15%">


Add to Shopping Cart


Add to Wish List


Shipping Cost Estimate</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD =table align=default width="2%">
<DIV align=center>4858 </TD>
<TD width="5%">
<DIV align=center>

</TD>
<TD width="20%">


Tubing Clamp Small, fits 3/8


Small, fits 3/8" tubing</TD>
<TD width="2%">
<DIV align=right>$0.59</TD>
<TD width="2%">
<DIV align=right>$0.59 </TD>
<TD width="5%">
<DIV align=center>Stocked </TD>
<TD width="15%">


Add to Shopping Cart


Add to Wish List


Shipping Cost Estimate</TD></TR></T></TABLE>

 

[Joanie]

The plastic thingy sounds like your airlock!

 

[Joanie]

 

[Wade E]

I think you 2 nailed it on the head!

 

[Wade E]

uav, you most likely wont get much foam for this fermentation as usually only the reds foam up. What youll be getting is a lot of fizzing like a soda pop, just open the lid and put your ear in there and youll know when its fermenting.

 

[uavwmn]

Hello everyone, well I found the answer to my temperature problem. I found a cooler/humidifer at a thrift store. You put ice cubes on the top in this tray and turn it on. the ice melts in a holding area and blows cool air out. WOO WOO
I am thinking my wine is "fermenting" nicely as it smells of strong yeast in my spare bedroom/wine making area. haha
Next Sat or Sun I get to the 2nd phase of transferring the wine into the carboy.
Stay tuned!!! Pictures on that process next weekend.

uavwmn