Siphoning with the Carboy Cap

**Walker** · 10-16-2005, 02:04 AM

(multi-part post, because it contains several pictures and there is a limit per-post)

I've posted a few times that I use a rubber carboy cap for my siphoning, and people have asked how they are used. Here's some pics to make everything clear.

Here is my total siphong set-up. Two canes, a 5 gallon carboy cap, a 6.5 gallon carboy cap, and a piece of hose.

To assemble, just insert the racking cane through the tube in the center of the carboy cap, and attach the hose to the cane as normal. Note the other longer/skinny tube; this is where you will be putting your mouth. You mouth will never touch the hose, the cane, or (most important) the beer.

**Walker** · 10-16-2005, 02:05 AM

Now, to siphon from a kettle, bucket, or other large open mouthed container into the carboy. Just put the cap onto the carboy and put the end of the hose into the large container (yes, you can use a racking cane on the other end of this hose to better control the source of your siphon in the bucket.)

Starting the siphon is as easy as SUCKING through that smaller tube. It creates a vacuum inside the carboy, which will in turn draw the beer up the hose from the bucket and into the carboy. Once the beer starts flowing, remove your mouth and let the siphon run.

To go the other way and siphon out of the carboy and into the bucket (ie; bottling day), do the same basic thing. This time you will BLOW GENTLY into the skinny tube to increase the air pressure inside the carboy. Thhis will push the beer up through the hose and into the bucket. You are not blowing so hard as to disrupt the CO2 blanket over the beer, so your breath is not really touching anything.

And this is a picture of my carboy-to-carboy system. I prefer to create a vacuum in the target rather that blow into the source, but you can do it either way (No pic here, because I only have the one empty carboy right now.) I love how the canes are both held in place by the caps, and I can just stand there and watch it run with my hands stuffed in my pockets (or opening a homebrew.)

**Walker** · 10-16-2005, 02:06 AM

Finally, if you didn't already think this thing was worth the whopping $1 to $2 price tag, it has other uses. It can hold an airlock, and blow-off hoses can be attached to the thing. I know this is a tiny blow off in the picture, and I have both an airlock AND a blow-off attached at the same time, but it is for illustrative purposes. For blow offs, a larger hose can be attached to the tube where the airlock is sitting in this pic.

also, they come with small white rubber caps for those tubes, so if you want to use it in place of a rubber stopper and hold your airlock or blow off with it, the long skinny tube can simply be capped off and sealed shut.

The Swiss Army Knife for carboys.....

-walker

**Orfy** · 10-16-2005, 08:24 AM

Cool, thanks for the pics.
All I need now is a carboy.

Porter fan · 10-16-2005, 12:23 PM

Hey Walker,

Great job on the pics and explantion! I'm off too my LHBS for some supplys and that will be one.

Brewsmith · 10-17-2005, 12:40 AM

Thanks. Just purchased two online.

**subwyking** · 10-17-2005, 01:07 AM

Brilliant!!!!

<--B-->

Toilet Rocker · 10-17-2005, 05:08 AM

Very nifty setup...but aren't we still waiting on the syphoning pic from when your were sick?

**Walker** · 10-17-2005, 01:32 PM

man.. I might have to force my wife to do this just to get you guys off my back.

-walker

Darth Konvel · 10-17-2005, 02:06 PM

Nice post, Walker. Do the caps really hold the racking canes in place vertically? If so, I'll probably 'convert' to this system if / when my auto-siphon dies.

In regards to the canes, did they have a tip on the bottoms when you got them? If so, were they difficult to remove?