Vacuum asperators

[grapeman]

I can use the supplied tubing with degassing. For racking, I used the 3/8" tubing because that fits my racking canes. Sorry I didn't see this sooner- been a bit busy today working on the winery a bit.

 

[Joanie]

Not a problem, Rich. Thanks for that info. (See what you started?)

Is there any reason why you can't use the cane part of an auto siphon?

 

[Wade E]

I dont see why not, its basically the same thing as a normal racking cane. So Joan, getting tired of lifting these obnoxiously heavy carboys?

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Okay, I made the leap myself today and the vacuum aspirator should be here within 10 days or so. My back isn't so happy lifting carboys around either and I have a lot of holiday bottling to do (thanks for that earlier post on using the automatic bottle filler with an aspirator, Wade).

 

[grapeman]

Joan it could be used to get started, but I hate taking hoses on and off. I leave the autosiphon alone for those quick single transfers and have a different setup for both degassing and transfer. The canes themselves are cheap so I just bought a few and cut them however they fit best for the job at hand.


Brewgrrl your back will thank you also!

 

[Joanie]

I can still do the lifting although I probably shouldn't! I'm just excited to know that my wine will be degassed for sure! Bottling will be easier and quicker too.

 

[AlFulchino]

Brewgirl....to save your back, get a carboy dolly....essentially it is nothing more than a plant dolly built to handle the weight

its worth it

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Thanks, Al. I did check those out after reading a post from Wade. But I think I need an elevator actually - all of my brewing and wine activities are upstairs in the kitchen, but the fermenting area is down in the basement... I mean, "the cellar."

A few trips up and down the stairs with a full 6 gallon glass carboy and my back is not happy. Also though, the safety hazards of doing this with glass have crossed my mind more than once. The reason I've always all the racking/bottling upstairs is that I was concerned that any musty-basement stuff could contaminate the fermentables with mold. But now I think we've gotten that problem in our house fixed and I've already picked out a nice, strong table for having my whole operation (sans the brew boil) downstairs. I actually woke up this morning thinking about how all this would work... how much easier it would be to rack, degas, bottle... not quite visions of sugar plums but it was dancing in my head.

 

[Joanie]

Brewgrrl, Doesyour cellar have stone walls and a dirt floor like mine?

 

[Wade E]

 

[Brewgrrrl]

No, just the standard cinderblock stuff. But it's 60 years old and the previous owner had it refinished and didn't realize there was a mold problem going on behind the wood paneling.

Wow, you really DO have a cellar! Well, if it worked for medieval European wine-makers...

 

[Brewgrrrl]

You know, with a set of longer tubing maybe I COULD move liquid up and down those stairs on brew day or bottling day... hmmm... letting the aspirator run a bit more with newly brewed wort would actually help aerate it...

The madness never really ends with this hobby, does it?

 

[Wade E]

I dont know if the tubing would handle a hot wort! I wouldnt want to move a liquid like this to a vessel where I couldnt see it also, you could be creating a volcano upstairs and spilling it all over the place, besides you know how every carboy is a different size!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

No worries, Wade - I have a wort chiller (always better to pitch yeast ASAP and it also keeps the aromatic hops from over-cooking) AND I have a six and a half gallon carboy for the primary.

Plenty of room for a five gallon wort and a little volcano.

It's so crazy it just might work... bwah-ha-haaaa...

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Also, the pump and the receiving carboy would be in the same place (downstairs) so I'd be more concerned about making sure I didn't leave any beautiful wort upstairs by mistake. Maybe tilting the cooled boil pot with a carboy wedge and then securing the racking tube with a clip before I went downstairs to start the pump...

 

[Joanie]

Madness? What madness do you soeak of?


I don't use my cellar because I'm not mad enough to think I could carry a full 6 gallon carboy up or down th0se stairs. I also don't want to carry a case of full wine bottles up and down them either.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

If I try this with my next batch of beer I will let you know how it goes.

 

[Brewgrrrl]

Yes Joan, now you see why I was offended when I bought my first 3-gallon glass carboy for wine and the guy tried to push me into getting a carboy handle "so you can carry it easier." Easier? Dude, I could play catch with a full 3-gallon glass carboy after all the beer and wine I've been hauling around! Sheesh!

 

[Brewgrrrl]

(maybe I just look dainty)

 

[Wade E]

Just drill a small j=hole under a heater or something to hide the hole cause you dont want the hose any longer then it will need to be, the longer the hose the harder your pump will have to work and probably put more pressure on an empty carboy with vacuum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!