Starting siphon with mouth

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williamo123

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Question, I have an 8 gallon pot, can I fill this pot with StarSan start a siphon with my mouth, then let the parts of the tubing/racking cane to have contact with the beer stay in contact with the StarSan solution for 5 mins, and then move the cane into the beer to siphon into bottling tank without a high chance contamination?? :confused:
 
Buy an auto-siphon. Best $10 you'll spend.

Not trying to flippant, but it's totally worth it.
 
I have started a siphon by month a few times when I had no other choice and never had an issue. What I do now when I can’t use my auto siphon is just soak the hose in starsan for a few minutes then with the hose full of starsan pick the hose up by both ends at the same time so the sanitizer doesn’t drain out of the hose. Then stick one end into the beer and drop the other end into your bucked or whatever your transferring to and the starsan will drain out pulling the beer along with it. You can just let the starsan drain in the bucket with the beer or start to drain in a 2nd bucket until the beer pushes the cleaner out and then move the hose to your bottling bucket or other. If you have a line T you can create a auto siphon with a little extra hose and a “T”. Someone here posted a thread on how to make one.
 
I've been doing mouth siphon for over a year without issues. I really need to get an autosiphon. I sanitize the tubing of course.
 
does nobody know how to start a siphon using the regular method?

This is a pretty decent video, I use a similar method that utilizes the same principle:



Practice a couple times just racking water between two buckets - once you've got it down do it for real with your beer. Starting a siphon the right way is easy - there's no reason to suck on the end of the hose.
 
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I've been in situations where I had no choice but to siphon by mouth. What works for me is to take a good mouthful of bourbon, vodka, scotch, or whatever is within reach and swish it around like mouthwash. I do this BEFORE starting the siphon. Theory is it kills off a lot of the stuff in your mouth. Whether it does or not, haven't had an infection on the batches I've done this on.
 
The siphon hose that is connected to my SS racking cane is 3/8" ID and 1/2" OD. So I just use a short piece of 1/2" ID tubing and slip it over the 3/8" tubing while still in Starsan. Then to start the siphon I just start it by mouth (on the 1/2" tubing), clamp the end of the 3/8" tubing with a tubing clamp, separate the two pieces, put end of tubing into keg, release tubing clamp and let it rip. The tubing clamp also allows me to 'grab' the 3/8" tubing without touching the tubing itself.

I do that whole operation over a big pot with a plastic 1 qt. measuring cup inside. There will often be a little spillage when separating the pieces so the pot catches that, then I run the hydrometer sample into the quart measuring cup, then over to the keg.

I have two auto-siphons and never use either of them. Creature of habit I guess.
 
I have done the "primed siphon" method as well as the mouth method, never had an issue with either, but damn the auto siphon is so much easier. Well not as easy as using my mouth which has the added bonus of tasting your beer, but just in case i ever do get an infection, the auto siphon will guarantee I will not infect the beer with mouth.

They are cheap, and only take a couple extra seconds to sanitize... BUY ONE!
 
End this thread, buy an auto siphon......................................

As Al "Freakn'" Gore said "The debate is over, buy an auto siphon and global warming will stop"
 
End this thread, buy an auto siphon......................................

As Al "Freakn'" Gore said "The debate is over, buy an auto siphon and global warming will stop"

Al Gore? Well that settles it. I'm never buying an autosiphon. ;)
 
Thank you to all, I just drank my dunkel and it was great. I did siphon with my mouth but soaked the parts that came in contact with starsan, I also rinsed out my mouth with scope as an extra precaution. No infection!!!:mug::mug:
 
I bought a new autosiphon and did not work properly. He could not make enough pressure to pull beer (leak). From it I made a tube holder and pulled my beer with my mouth. It works without problems over 30 batches.
 
I've been in situations where I had no choice but to siphon by mouth. What works for me is to take a good mouthful of bourbon, vodka, scotch, or whatever is within reach and swish it around like mouthwash. I do this BEFORE starting the siphon. Theory is it kills off a lot of the stuff in your mouth. Whether it does or not, haven't had an infection on the batches I've done this on.

sounds like a good reason to buy some whiskey :D
 
My first beer was fermented and needed moved to the bottling bucket. I kept getting a siphon going, but it kept petering out. Finally, I swished iodopher around my mouth for 30 seconds, then started the siphon with my mouth. When the warm beer hit my mouth, it startled me and without thinking I spit it in the bottling bucket. The beer turned out great, but I bought an auto-siphon the very next day.
 
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