Transferring from 13 gallon glass carboy - march pump?

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jamest22

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I currently have 11 gallons of Oktoberfest fermenting in a 13.5 gallon glass carboy. The carboy is in my fermentation fridge about 1 foot off the ground. I am trying to plan the best way to transfer to cornies post-fermentation. I have fermented ten gallons in this beast before and lifted the full carboy out of the fridge and onto a countertop to transfer via gravity. That was insane, I realize now that I was practically taking my life in my hands doing that and I don't plan to go that route again. I am looking into ways to transfer the beer out without moving the fermenter from the fridge.

So my options seem to be:

1) rig up a carboy cap and racking cane to transfer via CO2 pressure like I do with better bottles. I believe this is a bad idea as I should not be pumping pressure into a glass container.

2) March pump. Sanitize my march pump and hoses by pumping boiling water for 10 minutes, then pump the beer from fermenter to cornies. I have never used the pump on finished beer. Is there any oxidation or contamination risk?


Which of these methods sounds best? Any other solutions I'm overlooking?

Thanks
 
As i've read around I see that many people aren't recommending transferring finished beer using a March pump. Looks like CO2 push is the way to go. I guess I just have to watch the pressure really closely right? Or, perhaps the carboy cap would fly off before the carboy exploded.
 
I would transfer via CO2 pressure. I have done this when fermenting in a Sanke and have found that the gauge hardly registers any pressure at all and the beer moves just fine.
Using the pump is a bad idea in my opinion because of the frothing it will create.
 
I push with CO2 from a 6.5 gal glass carboy. I use the orange cap as it doesn't fit as tightly as the purple-ish colored one. It leaks the excess CO2. When I get too aggressive, the cap does pop off.
 
You can pump with 2 psi of CO2, however sometimes looking at glass cross-eyed will cause it to break.
 
You can pump with 2 psi of CO2, however sometimes looking at glass cross-eyed will cause it to break.

I never look cross-eyed at my carboy for this very reason :D

I do however transfer with co2. I only have a 6 gallon carboy, so I am able to lift it, but use co2 to start the siphon. I use a rubber stopper with 2 holes in it, one for the racking cane, the other for a barbed fitting for co2. I just hold the barbed fitting until the beer starts flowing, then pull it out and stop the pressure. As other have said, takes maybe 2 psi to start the flow.
 
I'd transfer with CO2 - It takes very little pressure. Close your regulator completely, and dial it up till the beer starts moving.

I highly recommend fermenting in a sanke if you need more than 5 gallons of room. A carboy cap fits a sanke pretty good, or you can buy the fermenter cap (It's freakin sweet :D) and transfer under pressure with no issue.

Glass is ebil and I'll have nothing to do with it. It's just not worth the risk of losing my best friend! ;)
 
10-4 on the Sanke fermenter. I actually have a Sanke I'm planning on using for just that purpose. I just haven't tried it yet as seeing 11 gallons ferment through the glass is just too damn cool.
 
Also I must admit that despite a two day PBW soak and rinse, i'm still worried about putting my wort into the great dark unseeable unknown that lies within that Sanke.
 
Also I must admit that despite a two day PBW soak and rinse, i'm still worried about putting my wort into the great dark unseeable unknown that lies within that Sanke.

I thought the same thing - One of my kegs was full of 6 year old Bud Light!
The aroma was indescribable :drunk:

I filled it with about 13 gallons of water, a cup or 2 of OxyClean, and set it on the Bayou Classic till it hit 200 degrees, and scrubbed the inside with a carboy brush.
Problem solved
Now I use the carboy/corny cleaner ah-la sump pump to clean most everything in my rig.

They aren't that hard to clean, really. Although I'm considering figuring out how to hook a CIP ball to my pressure washer :D
 
You can pump with 2 psi of CO2, however sometimes looking at glass cross-eyed will cause it to break.

Now is probably a good time to mention that I bought the carboy from a guy who found it at a Pennsylvania Dutch antique store and that the bottom is date stamped "1938".
 
its pretty neat. i'll have to post a pic of it on here sometime. The glass has a very subtle bluish tint to it. The owner said it was likely used as a farm acid jug.
 
Also I must admit that despite a two day PBW soak and rinse, i'm still worried about putting my wort into the great dark unseeable unknown that lies within that Sanke.

I thought the same thing - One of my kegs was full of 6 year old Bud Light!
The aroma was indescribable :drunk:

I filled it with about 13 gallons of water, a cup or 2 of OxyClean, and set it on the Bayou Classic till it hit 200 degrees, and scrubbed the inside with a carboy brush.
Problem solved
Now I use the carboy/corny cleaner ah-la sump pump to clean most everything in my rig.

They aren't that hard to clean, really. Although I'm considering figuring out how to hook a CIP ball to my pressure washer :D

I had the same fear...

Below is a thread related to a modification I made. I haven't updated the thread yet but I changed the seal to a big silicone o-ring and found some decent clamps... it worked fantastic!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/sanke-fermenter-upgrade-question-182696/
 
I've got a 6-gallon carboy with 1923 stamped on it. I'm trying to move away from glass (so far just cornies, but a full sanke makes sense when I hit 10g batches) but it sure is fun to use that old glass. It's and has neat small bubbles around in it.
 
Take a mag light remove the cover and tie a string to the end then lower it into the keg. You will be able to see everything. And after a good day or two of an oxy soak it should be gtg
 
it took me along time to get up the nerve to use my sanke. but once I did..well I have not used a bucket or carboy in about a year. kegs are great. they wont hold in heat.
 
I filled it with about 13 gallons of water, a cup or 2 of OxyClean, and set it on the Bayou Classic till it hit 200 degrees

FWIW, it's NOT advisable to heat a percarbonate cleaning solution past 180F.

You gain nothing in terms of cleaning power and the organic compounds you just cleaned off start reattaching to the surface. ;)
 
The diaphram pump looks great, but there are other upgrades i'd make before i dropped $140 on one of those. I'll stick with a CO2 push for now.
 
Heres a pic of my 13 gallon carboy with about 11 gallons of Oktoberfest fermenting inside of it. The one gallon water jug next to it should give you some perspective:

IMGP4402.JPG
 
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