Racking

[NorthernWinos]

We have never had wine in a gallon jug, mainly because of the foreseen siphoning problem....going to put wine in some gallons soon to age, so will have to figure something out. Will try it all, Thanks.

 

[ms.spain]

One thing that can help with racking/transferring from a gallon jug is placing a stable object,1/2" to 1" in height, under the jug on one side.( like a wooden spoon wrapped with rubber bands,or even a rubber bung.) Allow jug to stay in this position for 12-24 hours before racking.This will shift the wine and lees to one side, making it easier to syphon or pour, whichever method you prefer.


Hope this helps.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Thanks ms. spain. I do that also, and in addition, just before racking I've
taken to putting a non-slip pad at the front edge of the container and
swiveling the container around so the pile of lees is now on the back side
(must be done very gently.) As the level of wine descends during racking I
can begin to tip the container forward with one hand and not worry about
it kicking out at the bottom, and get almost all the liquid. This works with
1 gallon and 6 gallon bottles - just takes care.

Bill

 

[Maui Joe]

Here is a method that I have been using for racking 1-gal. jugs. If you do not have a rubber bung that fits a 1-gal., then you will have to "fileone down" using a rasp file works great. Prior to doing this, you will need to drill the center hole a tad under 3/8" to accept a 3/8 piece of hose for your syphon. Drill another hole at least 1/8" away from the center hole. This size hole is 1/4" for your "blow hose." Install a bolt through the center hole of the bung, add a washer and nut to hold it in place to avoid the bung from spinning. Mount it to a hand drill. Spin the drill slowly and as you hold the file at the angle of the bung, it will shave the rubber down real easy. Check to see that the bung fits the 1-gal. and continue until it sits in real good.


The 1/4" hose can be obtained at your local Home Depot in the tubing section. It is of "food grade" and use also for ice maker feed hose which has to be "rigid." Install the bung on the gallon jug and insert the 1/4" rigid hose thru the center hole of the bung down to the bottom of the jug allowing approx.1/2" below the bottom of the bung where you will then install whatever length of 3/8" hose you need to rack to. The 1/4" fits nice and snug into the 3/8" hose. You mayhave to pre-moisten the two pieces to join easier. Next, cut a 4" piece of the 1/4" hose and insert it into the other hole leaving approx. 2" above the bung top. This is where you will install a piece of the 3/8" flex hose any length you need to "blow through." I have my set at 12" so that I need not blow hard.


Next, while your at the store, go to the nuts and bolts sectionand pickup your "bung bolt, 2 nuts and washers. Also, check out the "white nylon" screws section and find a screw to thread into the bottom of the 1/4" rigid hose that you inserted to the bottom of the gallon jar. This screw will be "your plug" for the end. If they do not have nylon screws, then you may use "stainless" (Make sure that it really is stainless!)


Now for your own choice of location, you will have to determine where to cut a "V" knotch on the side of the tube up beyond the lees that lie on the bottom of the jug. It is important not to cut to deep of a notch. All you need is a1/8" notch, not a deep one(I have notched mine to 1/2" from the tip of the screw.) This notch is where the wine will flow through above the lees. Notch slowly to avoid "cutting through the hose" or file it at angle if you are worried.


Now that you are done, try it out on a gal. jug filled with water. The purpose of the "rigid" 1/4" is that it will naturally curve to one corner of the jug and remain there to avoid dancing around disturbing the lees at the bottom. Although the syphon is small, it allows a smoother flow with less disturbance next to the bottom. It takes approx. 3-4 minutes to syphon a 1-gal. of course depending how high you place it above the jug your racking to. If you desire "not to blow" into the tube, then check out the "squeeze bulbs" that they sell for syphoning gas for your mower. I just blow "once" into the tube with light pressure and it willflow well. Good luck, and if the directions are not substancial, I will take photos and post each step. Aloha!

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Hi Maui Joe - You wrote your description pretty well and I managed to follow
the thinking. I've heard elsewhere about blowing to establish a siphon, but
no one ever provided nuts and bolts details. Thanks for taking the time!

Bill

 

[Maui Joe]

You're very welcome Bill!

 

[Waldo]

I think the pics of each step would be great

 

[bj4271]

I agree with Waldo. Photos would help. I'm in aparticularly dense mood apparently, because I don't visualize it.

 

[Waldo]

Maui, Maui, jump on here quick


And post us all some real good pics

 

[Mike777]

http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=4878

I will be using one of these soon. Will report back on it. It is like a cone shape bung and the cane goes into a slot and it get tight around the cane when you push it into the carboy. I'm kind of fumbly at times so it seemed the best bet for someone like me.

Edited by: Mike777

 

[jobe05]

Mike, sometimes having certain items is either trial and error, or what works best for you. For instance that little orange cap that looks like the bottom end of a cow. I got one with my equipment kit, but never knew what it was for till someone posted it on a thread like this one. Now, I use it once in a while, but use the auto siphon more......... or just a plain old hose.

 

[Mike777]

It looks like this one will allow you to suspend the tip in the dead center just above the lees and have it stay there while you move the hose around as much as you want. My first rack I kept breaking suction and sticking the tip in muck. so it will be a step up for me i'm sure. I have some bulldog clips laying around for the primary.

Now that you mentioned it, what is that little orange 'cow cap'?

Edited by: Mike777

 

[Wade E]

It is a carboy cap. It allows you to rack rack without exposing
to too much oxygen. I have one but it is usually hard to get the
racking cane in and out of there. It is nearly impossible to use with a
carboy handle also. But when racking cane is inserted it also
makes it difficult to get all the wine out at racking since it holds
the cane in the middle.

 

[NorthernWinos]

We use the orange cap all the time....

Don't have a problem with the handles on the carboys getting in the way.

You put the racking cane through the middle thingy and blow throught the other thingy...the siphon starts with very little effort.

We have one racking cane that we just leave on the cap....just slide the cap up or down for a 5 or 6 gallon carboy.

Once you get the siphon going you can take the cap off the top of the carboy and gently move the cap up a bit and then push the end of the cane into the bottom side of the carboy....the cap doesn't have to be on the carboy once the siphon has started....

When you have a thick layer of lees [sediment] the plastic top can hold the cane above the lees if you like...Just set it short...it won't slip.

I don't know if more air gets exposed to the wine with the cap loose on the carboy....air gets in through the other hole when the cap is on tight anyway....and...without air the siphon stops.

Works for us everytime...

BTW...a cow has 4 thingy's [appendages] hanging down....a goat or deer would have 2 appendages [thingy's]

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Mike777]

Ok i should have seen the cow thing coming.

Now I gave this some thought, so if i'm wrong speak up so I don't blow it, but my understanding is the C02 is pretty heavy compared to air, so in theory if I take the lock and bung out of the carboy and carfully insert the cane through the CO2 gas and then siphon. As the wine draws down, the cap of CO2 spreads out across the carboy, just in a thinner layer. Now the theory is don't swish the cane move the container etc.

Now as the wine goes into the bottles it is touching its first air and actualy the corking of the bottle traps the first oxygen so the wine can begin aging.

Now I see some folks rack back and forth a couple of times, so the question is this: Should one of those winesaver things with the cartridges be used on the topped carboy until everything gets bottled? Or is that a bit overboard?

Also if I have the gas reasoning wrong, someone clue me in.

 

[jobe05]

We have one racking cane that we just leave on the cap....just slide the cap up or down for a 5 or 6 gallon carboy.

BTW...a cow has 4 thingy's [appendages] hanging down....a goat or deer would have 2 appendages [thingy's]

Wow.... 2 things I didn't know about the orange cap.

I have to agree with Wade, and perhaps that the reason I don't use it often is due to te racking cane is a b(#&h to get through that cap. But leaving it on would certainly be an easy salution to that. Something so simple, yet, so far out of mind......


Thanks NW, Apreciate your input, as always.

 

[Wade E]

I would think that CO2 is lighter than air and that it pushes out and
replaces the air, and when the head space is too much there is not
sufficient co2 to protect that vast area and that is why it is so
important towards the end of fermentation to keep it topped of to
eliminate the risk of oxygen exposure!

 

[JimCook]

From a purely chemical/molecular standpoint, air is mostly nitrogen gas (N2), which has a molecular weight of 28. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) has a molecular weight of 44. However, even though the carbon dioxide 'weighs more', this does not mean that O2 will not get down to the wine. With gasses, it'sa little trickier, as they do not do the 'oil vs. water' separation. Since gas molecules tend to mix and go wherever the heck they darn well please, it is my belief that the when the head space simply has less volume, it will contain less oxygen (oxygen being 'dissolved' in the solution we call air at a fairly regular percentage at the one atmosphere of pressure most of us live at).


Any movement in a gas will scramble those higher energy state molecules all over the place. If we could just rely on trusty blankets of carbon dioxide, we could virtually breathe down on the wine and our own exhaust of primarily carbon dioxide would help to preserve it, however this is not the case.


By the way - for a test of the relative molecular weight of carbon dioxide compared to air, watch dry ice sublime to gaseous carbon dioxide. The 'steam' will run along the floor or stay low, however, as it it encounters turbulence and warms up, it will 'dissolve' and dissipate more homogenously into the air of the room.


Bottom line - it's *very* difficult to make a gaseous air environment 'layer' into a strata.


My $.02,


- Jim

 

[PolishWineP]

Oh no! It happened again! I read that stuff and once again, brain material all over the fermenting room.

I know that eventually I will get smarter here.