Siphoning Methods

ok well today was my first bottling day and i had a very hard time siphoning my brew out of my carboy into my bucket. I used method of filling the tube and racking cane with water and using that to start the siphoning but it tended to only siphon a small amount before dieing out... i don't know whether the length of the tubing will affect the siphoning, but it irritated the hell out of me. i eventually had to suck on the tubing several times to siphon most of the brew out ( i know that was a huge mistake and will probably cost me later on, but i had little choice at the time).

well what i really wanted to know is if there were some easier methods of siphoning the brew out. Forgive me for my ignorance.

Go buy an auto-syphon...

i'll have to check in with my local brew shop and see if they have one lol.

Try lowering the bucket. If the liquid levels even up the siphoning will stop.
Sorry If I'm pointing out the obvious.

I place the carboy on an elevated surface, then the bucket on the ground. Go over to my bucket of sanitized water holding my submerged siphoning hose and racking cane and pull out hte hose keeping my thumb on one end. I start the siphon into a sink or a tub just to get the siphon going, I then stop the end with my thumb, pull everything out of the water, walk over to the carboy, insert cane, lower hose into a preplaced cup and let the siphon go. After the sanitized water has flowed out, I place the hose over my Hydromter vial. After that is full, I place it into my bottling bucket (or secondary depending on what stage) and let 'er go.

I try to keep it about an inch above the Trub and going to use the Wedge idea for my next brew when Siphoning time comes.

Auto-Siphons make life easier, but again are not 100% needed ... there are other methods. Someone on the boards (not for sure if it was this one) used a sanitized turkey bastor type thing and used that to start his/her flows. Use a search and I'm sure you'll find plenty.

I basicly do the same thing as Noldar. Carboy goes on the counter and bottleing bucket on a case of beer on the floor (so the spigot doesnt get in the way). If I'm being impatient I put the carboy up even higher then the counter by using a beer case or 2 under the carboy while still ontop of the counter

Auto - Syphon :rockin:

- WW

carboy caps...

the_bird said:

carboy caps...

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...are great if you use carboys for both primary and secondary.

If you use a bucket for primary, then just spend the $10 on an autosiphon.

There's a way to siphon without the fancy equipment (and without sucking on the tube), but I think you have to use a no-rinse sanitizer or sanitized water. Anyway, practice with water/sanitizing solution first to get the hang of it. I can't explain it well, so i'll refer you to where I read about it: http://www.beertown.org/homebrewing/pdf/bottling.pdf
But, then again, I'm probably doing way more work than I would if I spent the $10 on an auto siphon. Just another option...:rockin:

I had the same problem before I had an auto siphon and I assure you it will make the problem go away. Of course, gravity has to be on your side. Transfer from high to low. Buy the auto siphon - easy $10 for easy siphoning.

Not being tight or anything... but is there a way to make an auto-siphon yourself? That might be an interesting side project. I fancy a challenge

I sucked the siphon on my last batch... You could call it a novice mistake but I had no problems. Maybe I just have an extremely sanitary mouth

i can't imagine that sucking would infect a batch. when you suck, you don't suck so much that you get a mouthful of beer -- just enough to get it going. and you can do it in such a way that your lips only touch the outside of the hose. it's not as if you're french kissing the tube.

i agree that sanitation is important. but let's not get obsessive compulsive germophobic here.

cweston said:

...are great if you use carboys for both primary and secondary.

If you use a bucket for primary, then just spend the $10 on an autosiphon.

Click to expand...

As long as you are going into or out of a carboy, they work great. I use a bucklet for priomary, it's not a problem at all. Doesn't need to be carboy-to-carboy. There's a big sticky post on them somewhere, I think written by Walker, that explains the whole process.

i had problems siphoning on my first batch, so much so that i was nervous to do it again on my 2nd batch. i ended up sucking on the tube to get the beer rolling, which didnt seem to be a problem later

however, when i got to bottling my 2nd batch, i found it very easy, and satisfying to watch the beer drain slowly into my bottling bucket. i was smiling the whole time so, my limited experience tells me...you just need a little experience. practice makes perfect.

I do the suck technique and I've yet to have a problem I can attribute to it. I don't gargle the beer around in my mouth and spit it into the bucket afterwards, nor is my mouth dirtier than a bukkake girl when I'm siphoning. It's no big deal to slurp a little. And honestly, it doesn't make you gay.

There is a method I've recently read about and tested today, and it works perfek! No lips around the siphon either.

Invert both ends of the siphon to make a U shape, and pour some water into the output (don't fill the entire tube, just about a 1/4 of the voume will do). Now put the racking cane into your beer, and let the water run out of the other end as you would when normally siphoning (pour the water elsewhere until the beer starts flowing)

The vacuum made by the water is enough to get the siphon going

I'm gonna try this out next time I rack, which is in a couple of days time. It worked fine with water so it should work fine with beer

Auto-siphon is definetly the "best" option but one could always improvise. If racking from carboy to carboy with carboy caps, you could create a vacuum in the secondary by sucking from the second outlet of the cap (a tube is attached to it) carboy which will start the siphon.

I also have used the suck method and havent had a problem yet. I picked up a frying oil transfer pump the other day I am going t try that on my next batch it comes with filters to put on the inlet side.

Markusface said:

There is a method I've recently read about and tested today, and it works perfek! No lips around the siphon either.

Invert both ends of the siphon to make a U shape, and pour some water into the output (don't fill the entire tube, just about a 1/4 of the voume will do). Now put the racking cane into your beer, and let the water run out of the other end as you would when normally siphoning (pour the water elsewhere until the beer starts flowing)

The vacuum made by the water is enough to get the siphon going

I'm gonna try this out next time I rack, which is in a couple of days time. It worked fine with water so it should work fine with beer

Click to expand...

It works fine with beer. But replace that water with sanitizing solution... If you have solution in a bucket or pan, put the end of your tube into the solution and under the water. Slowly wrap the remaining tube around and under the water level and voila! Both the inside and outside of the tube will be sanitized.