siphoning

Anyone have siphoning ideas? I heard you could use a turkey baster on some random forum, not this one. My local brew store laughed at me when i suggested that and made funny faces, Then of course tried selling me a 15-20$ siphon thing. Maybe the turkey baster is bad, not trying to be cheap, but trying to save money. Should i buy that siphon, or are there other options? cause twenty dollars here, 40 dollars there. I think im at like 80-100 dollars with fermenting buckets, 45b drying rack, solutions, hydrometer, bottling bucket, and bottle capper. Would like to keep all the materials needed under $150.00, haha was planning on spending like $50.00, but i was wrong.


George

Hi George. Yooperbrew has a pretty clear explanation of how to start a siphon in this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/siphoning-19825/

Also, if you look at the bottom of this page, you'll see a list of other related threads.

My final suggestion is to search on YouTube - I bet someone's put up a video on starting a siphon.

The turkey baster works as long as you can get
enough suction. Try a few different methods and
see what works best for you.

As one who owns an auto-siphon, I highly recommend you spend the money and get it!

George, here's a good YouTube Video, very clear on how to start a siphon

A turkey baster may work for starting off a siphon (I've never tried it), but I agree with your LHBS that it wouldn't be good for transferring the whole brew without a siphon. Perhaps they and I misunderstood you.

-a.

The Auto-Siphon is a "toy" that is nice to have but not necessary. One of the most well known homebrewers (Jamil Z) uses only tubing to siphon. You can simply fill the tubing with fluid, dip one end in your beer, the other end in your new vessel and let gravity do it's thing. You could also do a search for "T" Siphon and you'll see a little bit of a DIY take on the autosiphon.

I love my autosiphon, it's one less thing to worry about

+1 on the auto siphon. Makes the whole process super easy.

Don't get me wrong, I love mine too, it makes the whole process easier. However, I do know how much the initial investment was for me to get in to homebrewing so I can sympathize. Your money is better spent on a 10-20' length of 5/16 or 1/2" tubing for now. Save the toys for later...

I picked up a hand siphon at Home Depot for $3.50 and I just hook my blow-off tbe up to it. I've used it on 20+ batches and have never had an issue.

wyzazz said:

The Auto-Siphon is a "toy" that is nice to have but not necessary.

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After using the autosiphon for a few years now, I'd like to offer that toilet paper is also not necessary but doesn't it make taking a dump so much more convenient and clean?

Bobby_M said:

After using the autosiphon for a few years now, I'd like to offer that toilet paper is also not necessary but doesn't it make taking a dump so much more convenient and clean?

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Like I said, I have one and I love it. But my first few batches I used a simple piece of tubing, if you don't know if brewing is for you quite yet then why invest in all of the gadgets? Just my $.02. 90% of the time I use my autosiphon, but sometimes I transfer using racking canes and tubing.

I can't quite say the same thing about taking a dump, I definitely use TP every time.

I love my autosiphon, but during the period between melting it with hot wort (I recommend NOT doing this) and getting a new one, I used the "T" method of starting a siphon and it was pretty easy too. I still use it for siphoning my hot wort, because I don't want to melt my autosiphon again. If done properly it is quick and sanitary.

I've tried the old dipping the hose in the beer technique and frankly I never got the hang of it. A stainless "T" costs so little and it makes things so much handier IMO.

If you're looking to work on the cheap, you can use a turkey baster to fill up your tubing with sanitizer to start the siphon off. I dunk my hose/racking cane ends in my bucket o' sanitizer, then use the baster to blast all the air bubbles out.

Then, I reach in, stick my thumb on the hose end, put the racking cane in my bucket, and pop my thumb off over the sink or a pot to drain off the sanitizer. Then, into the bucket the hose end goes, and I've got a perfect siphon with no bubbles, right down to the last drop.

It only took me a couple practice runs to get it bang-on. I say spend your $20 on ingredients, and practice with a tube a couple times.

BuonAnno said:

I picked up a hand siphon at Home Depot for $3.50 and I just hook my blow-off tbe up to it. I've used it on 20+ batches and have never had an issue.

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to each their own but I don't think I would use that. Its made for kerosene and other things and since its not for food contact who knows whats in it.

springer said:

to each their own but I don't think I would use that. Its made for kerosene and other things and since its not for food contact who knows whats in it.

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Shhhh. . . and don't say anything about the moving parts that are exposed to the liquid either . . .

I had an auto siphon and broke it. Then converted to the mouth method with no ill effects for awhile.

Then discovered what I believe to be the easiest siphoning method out there.

1. Stick your racking cane in your beer
2. Grab your tubing which is most likely sitting in sanitizer already and pull it out but leave it full of sanitizer (grab both ends of the tube)
3. Stick one end on your racking cane
4. Drop the other end in your carboy or bottling bucket and let her rip

Sounds difficult but actually works extremely well. If you are worried about the hose full of sanitizer getting in your beer then you can let the sanitizer and first oz or so of beer run into your bucket full of sanitizer. Give the hose a pinch to stop the flow and then stick it in your bottling bucket or primary.

Thanks for the replies guys, and thnx for understanding wyazzz

George7845 said:

Thanks for the replies guys, and thnx for understanding wyazzz

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No worries man, I do think that you'll be obsessed with the hobby like most of us soon enough though!

+1 on the auto siphon.

Just wanted to clarify my post and say that I use that Home Depot hand siphon to get the suction going in my tubing. The beer never actually touches it since I pull it from the hose as soon as I get a good flow going.

1 batch in bottles, one batch in secondary which i had to rack 3 times and a one gallon batch of mead i siphoned into secondary. Alot of siphoning, i did buy an auto siphon, but it doesnt fit into one gallon batches so i just used hose which worked good, but siphoning defiantly takes some practice. Siphoned a little star san into mead out of confusion, but i think it will be ok. I think im going to get a piece of racking cane to put on other end of hose auto siphon isnt on. Its hard to pump the auto siphon and hold the end of the hose at the same time, a couple times once pressure was behind it, it snaked out and sprayed beer all over lol. I think my siphoning will get better with time as do all things, but if anyone has explainable tips or trick, im all ears.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/siphoning-carboy-cap-2910/

There's a post in there from Boston who used the carboy caps and a turkey baster to get it started.

I built a T-siphon with a plastic ball valve on each outlet of the tee. Super easy to use. I open the valve that is sticks out at 90 degrees, suck on it till the beer gets close, close it, then open the other valve when I feel like starting the flow. It's great to be able to start and stop the flow. Also, since I use a Tee, my mouth never touches the beer.

wyzazz said:

The Auto-Siphon is a "toy" that is nice to have but not necessary. One of the most well known homebrewers (Jamil Z) uses only tubing to siphon. You can simply fill the tubing with fluid, dip one end in your beer, the other end in your new vessel and let gravity do it's thing. You could also do a search for "T" Siphon and you'll see a little bit of a DIY take on the autosiphon.

Click to expand...

been doing that for 10 years. work great. I use starsan as my fluid so no worries on contamination.

I used an autosiphon for a couple years, I'm not much happier with a 5' piece of tubing filled with starsan. Fill with starsan, thumbs over both ends, hold one end low put other into vessel containing beer as you remove thumb, then place tubing into vessel you're racking to and remove thumb #2, done. One piece of tubing to rinse out when you're done.

Use a longer piece of tubing on your autosiphon so you can coil it at the bottom of the receiving vessel, that'll keep it from snaking around all over.

I love my Auto Siphon so much that today I bought a 1/2" version, siphons in half teh time of a 5/16" siphon. I watched the guy at the brew on site wine shop using one and it was very fast, definitely not a necessity but less time in the open air and if you are doing mulitple brews on the same schedule... well.

was just looking at the better bottle website and they have some very cool gadgets.

I put my lid on my bottling bucket, not tight just sitting on it and run the tube down through the air lock hole. This keeps the tube from getting all "snakey" and beer going everywhere. My autoshiphon rules! :rockin:

thats a good idea, i think the hose should fit in that airlock hole, i have the medium-big siphon, ill have to try it, sounds good, thanks for tip man.

What's the matter with spending 10 bucks for an autosiphon? A couple pumps and Bob's your uncle.

One tip on the Auto-siphon for any new guys;
Make the first pump as big as you can and get a GOOD flow started right away.

I have trouble getting a good flow going one handed. (It seems my hand muscles are trained for short strokes.) I get a bubble in the top which causes a lot of smaller bubbles in the fluid flowing past. I have had oxidized beer as a result. YUCK!!! (I saved the brews, so all was not lost.)

Remember, one long stroke, even if you have to ask the wife to stroke it for you. (Come on, Honey. Just stroke it one time! Please!!!!)

This will become my new signature

Beer_Guy said:

(Come on, Honey. Just stroke it one time! Please!!!!)

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This will become my new signature

Beer_Guy said:

I get a bubble in the top which causes a lot of smaller bubbles in the fluid flowing past. I have had oxidized beer as a result. YUCK!!

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Not sayin' it ain't so but I doubt that that little bubble caused your beer to be oxidized. Usually that little bubble and it's smaller cohorts are created by CO2 coming out of solution as the beer flows through the autosiphon. So usually the bubbles that you see are not O2 but CO2.

wyzazz said:

Not sayin' it ain't so but I doubt that that little bubble caused your beer to be oxidized. Usually that little bubble and it's smaller cohorts are created by CO2 coming out of solution as the beer flows through the autosiphon. So usually the bubbles that you see are not O2 but CO2.

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I totally agree.

I've got an auto-siphon now but for a long time I was using a turkey baster and vinyl tubing with great results. Dunk everything in StarSan, put the small end of your baster in your vinyl tube then suck. Using a clip, clamp down on your tubing when the siphon starts and wort gets to baster. Remove baster, spray every thing down with StarSan, insert tubing in carboy, release clamp and off you go. Because your sucking on the bigger end of the baster, you're pratically eliminating the risk of contamination because your mouth is never in direct contact with the tubing out of which your wort is coming.

I got my 1/2" autosiphon today and I like the speed however there is a lot of trapped air in the siphon. Not sure what I will do..