Help for a Newbie!

So I am fermenting my first batch, and I want to transfer it to a carboy to finish the fermentation. I know I need to use a siphon. I know a siphon came with my kit. What I dont know is how to use the damn thing. Any help would be appreciated.

Is the fermentation finished would actually be the first question. You need to make sure the fermentation is finished before transferring to secondary. You will know this only by taking hydrometer readings.

Carolinasimo said:

So I am fermenting my first batch, and I want to transfer it to a carboy to finish the fermentation. I know I need to use a siphon. I know a siphon came with my kit. What I dont know is how to use the damn thing. Any help would be appreciated.

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Before you transfer, take a gravity reading using your hydrometer. When you have tested the gravity and have gotten two readings that are exactly the same, two days in a row, your beer is ready to be transferred.

Try this test before you use it on your beer.

Place the siphon tube in your sink filled with water. Place the tubing in a bucket on the floor. Draw the handle on the siphon up and down, you will see the water drawn into the siphon tube and it will exit into the bucket.

Before you use it on your beer, siphon some sanitizer through it.

I think you have to put water in the tube and submerge the other end in the wort then in the other bucket let go of the tube and the water will flow out and pull the wort up. Dont use your mouth to start a siphon. HTH

okay i will be sure to check the reading again tomorrow. It has been in the primary for about 9 days. i didnt get great instructions with the actual hardware (read none). the beer recipe kit it came with was pretty straight forward though!

kryolla said:

I think you have to put water in the tube and submerge the other end in the wort then in the other bucket let go of the tube and the water will flow out and pull the wort up. Dont use your mouth to start a siphon. HTH

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won't this cause air to contact the wort? or is this okay at this point?

Carolinasimo said:

okay i will be sure to check the reading again tomorrow. It has been in the primary for about 9 days. i didnt get great instructions with the actual hardware (read none). the beer recipe kit it came with was pretty straight forward though!

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For good instructions on how to brew your next beer visit How to Brew - By John Palmer. You could buy the book if you want (my first kit i bought came with it free) but this is free. Read this all the way through and you will have a much better idea on how to tackle your next batch! Happy brewing!

thanks, i'll check that out

Carolinasimo said:

won't this cause air to contact the wort? or is this okay at this point?

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You want to minimize air exposure thus the siphon and not pouring the wort into the carboy. If you are worried then don't transfer it leave it in the primary. Also look into an auto siphon

just so i am clear, an auto-siphon and a racking crane do the same thing, correct? I think my kit came with both