Racking canes essential?

I am doing some research into home brewing before I actually jump into it. I'm still not completely sure what a racking cane is, I know it's a siphon tool but that's about it. Can someone explain to me exactly what it is and if it's essential or not?

It's a hard plastic tube with a bend in the top, so as not to kink the syphon hose. While the hose would work to syphon, the hard cane lets you control the location of the pick-up end. Otherwise, the hose might get into the sludge at the bottom. The more sludge, the hazier the beeer, and the more sludge in the bottom of the bottles. This won't impress your friends when you show off what you made. I use a spring clamp or clothes pin to regulate depth of the racking cane.

I also cut the cane down from the bottom, so it just fits my deepest carboy. Easier to make a syphon with my turkey baster that way.

Agree with that. The racking cane is a defininte requirement.

Spend the extra few bucks for the auto-siphon. It's a racking cane that will prime itself. Well worth it

Use plastic "Better Bottles" with spigots. No racking cane required. I broke mine a little while back and haven't replaced it yet.

Define essential.

See the problem here is this-- I know that I can get good beer using jsut tube for my siphons. However, I can't imagine working without an autosiphon anymore-- it's just too handy.

I agree with the auto-siphon route .... I have a racking cane that came with my kit that I have nevered used. If anything ever happens to my auto-siphon, I'll be on here in a hurry trying to find out how to use the thing.

I had a suction problem at first too, until I read some article on brewing. Forgot what it was but basically you take a turkey baster, hold the siphon hose above the primary, slowly suck until you get the line, past the racking cane, full of brew. Then in one quick action, drop the hose into the secondary or bottling bucket. The weight of the beer in the line will draw a suction out of the racking cane and away you go. Has worked wonders for me.

I had this same question when I was starting out and I've come to think they are an essential item. Auto-siphons are great too.

the only essentials are barley, hops, water, and yeast. Everything else is for convenience and insurance.

JimiGibbs said:

I have a racking cane that came with my kit that I have nevered used. If anything ever happens to my auto-siphon, I'll be on here in a hurry trying to find out how to use the thing.

Click to expand...

You simply fill it with water and then either put your clean finger over the hose end or use the valve (if it has one) to turn it off, trapping the water inside. Put the cane in the carboy and open up, the water starts the syphon without the need to suck.

Definitely go the auto-syphon route...you'll be glad you did.

Just be certain to leave to 2 parts apart after cleaning. Leaving it together is not good for the seal.

I can't believe I'm the only one advocating fermenters with spigots! So I'll advocate again...SPIGOTS! You never have to siphon, just put the full container higher than the empty one, attach tubing if you so desire, and open the SPIGOT!

I've not been able to get a good siphon with the racking cane so I've just used the tubing to siphon for my 8 batches. I'm getting pretty good at avoiding the sludge on the bottom. Although, I think I'll look at an auto-siphon this weekend (I haven't bought anything except ingredients in awhile ).

I use an auto siphon with a racking cane on the other end stuck in the secondary. Maybe I'm delusional, but I swear I get a quieter siphon than if I just have the tube in the seconday.

Yuri_Rage said:

I can't believe I'm the only one advocating fermenters with spigots! So I'll advocate again...SPIGOTS! You never have to siphon, just put the full container higher than the empty one, attach tubing if you so desire, and open the SPIGOT!

Click to expand...

The only problem I see with this is excessive aeration. When using tubes, you can place the end of the tube all the way at the bottom of the vessel as the beer flows in. If you use spigots, it seems to me that the beer would fall and splash in the bottom of the vessel you are racking into. Other than that, I can see how it would be easier. (I'm sure you have a system in place to minimize the aeration anyway.)

That being said, I do usually use the spigot on the bottling bucket to bottle, rather than the bottling wand for the same reason you mention.

desiderata said:

If you use spigots, it seems to me that the beer would fall and splash in the bottom of the vessel you are racking into.

Click to expand...

Yuri_Rage said:

You never have to siphon, just put the full container higher than the empty one, attach tubing if you so desire, and open the SPIGOT!

Click to expand...

I think this should clear that up.

Yuri_Rage said:

I can't believe I'm the only one advocating fermenters with spigots! So I'll advocate again...SPIGOTS! You never have to siphon, just put the full container higher than the empty one, attach tubing if you so desire, and open the SPIGOT!

Click to expand...

Don't you have some fermenters to build or something?!?

You can attach a hose to the end of the spigot, just like when bottling. I don't see that it would splash much more on the racking end than siphoning would.

I think you would get bad aeriation when the beer surface is near the top of the spigot and air starts getting sucked through the tube with the beer, especally if a whirlpool forms.

rdwj said:

Don't you have some fermenters to build or something?!?

Click to expand...

Indeed...here's my list of things to get done so I can brew on Sunday:
Finish DIY Grain Mill (easiest...I just have to put the hopper on it)
Finish Mash Tun (add false bottom to already converted cooler)
Weld ball valve to 20 gallon brew kettle
Weld brew stand / burner setup
Plumb pump / RIMS immersion heater
Finish DIY Conical Fermenter (hardest - UPS needs to bring me stuff tomorrow...need to prove that the seal works...it needs legs...)
Build Brew Closet (haven't even started, but the parts are here)
But I'M BREWING SUNDAY DAMMIT!
[/HIJACK]

Walker-san said:

the only essentials are barley, hops, water, and yeast. Everything else is for convenience and insurance.

Click to expand...

Nicely put! However, only real brewers would add bleach to that list.




cheers, loop

Yuri_Rage said:

I can't believe I'm the only one advocating fermenters with spigots! So I'll advocate again...SPIGOTS! You never have to siphon, just put the full container higher than the empty one, attach tubing if you so desire, and open the SPIGOT!

Click to expand...

Johnsma22 sent me the info on his Better Bottle setup a while back. While it is more expensive to get all the bits & bobs to make a convenient setup, I can't see how I will ever go back to glass carboys & racking canes. Dead easy transfers, no splashing/aeration. Once I can convince SWMBO to let me buy a keg & carbonation system (and the fridge to store kegs)(oh, and the refit of the bar area to put the fridge)(well if I have that, I have to have a tower to serve)(Gee, if I put in a tower for the kegs, I absolutely have to have a beer engine for a real ale setup)(Boy, once I do this, I'm going to need to get a better method to do more efficient brewing, sounds like I neeeeeed to build a brew sculpture). Where was I??? Oh, Better bottles, they ROCK!

So if I buy an auto-siphon, I can just skip the racking cane unless for some reason I find myself needing it?

ochocki said:

So if I buy an auto-siphon, I can just skip the racking cane unless for some reason I find myself needing it?

Click to expand...

You got it. A racking cane is rigid on the bottom half and you can control it like you would a racking cane.


loop