Auto Siphons

First batch under my belt as of Monday, learned alot. Need better wort chiller (see wort chiller thread), need better transfer from kettle to fermenter, I used the Autosiphon (3/8 inch) and found it much too slow, took nearly 15 minutes to empty 5 gal.. Gonna get a weldless SS bulkhead fitting with 1/2 inch hose and drain kettle with gravity, hoping this speeds the transfer and as a extra benefit with the bulkhead fitting, kettle can now be used for all grain processes. I also like the idea of being able to cover kettle with lid while transfering to fermenter. At least that's how I justified the valve purchase to my wife who had to hold the siphon hose for the interminable siphon period.

This concerns me as well. I have purchased a 3/8 inch autosiphon, but I havn't used it yet. I will be making my first batch in early August. But do you guys think the autosiphon is not a good way to go? Would a normal racking tube be better? Is 15 minutes a typical time? I imagine the only negative effect of a 15 minute racking time would be that its just annoying to wait, but it won't be bad for the beer right, as long as you don't splash it around and stuff.

The reason I went with the autosiphon is because I don't want to contaminate the beer by sucking on the end of the tube. I know there are other methods to get the siphon started and stuff but I thought the autosiphon might be a better solution.

If some of you guys could give your opinion of the autosiphon, in kinda response to what he and I have posted, that would be helpful for me. Sorry to hijack your thread danceswithbeer, this should be relavent to what you were saying though.

I have an auto-syphon and it takes less than 5 mins.

I think your clock needs repairs.

homebrewer_99 said:

I have an auto-syphon and it takes less than 5 mins.

I think your clock needs repairs.

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Heh, is that a 3/8" auto siphon or maybe a bigger one? Maybe it getting a good flow start takes some practice.

Isn't 3/8 kind of standard? That's what I use and it moves along just fine. Maybe around 5 min for 5g.

If it's going slow increase the vertical distance between the two. It'll go faster... Also, better to go slow and easy than fast & furious with splashing.

Edit: Check that last statement; I see you were talking kettle to ferm. Splash away. But go easy from primary to secondary or bottle bucket.

desertBrew said:

Edit: Check that last statement; I see you were talking kettle to ferm. Splash away. But go easy from primary to secondary or bottle bucket.

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I didn't even notice that, good observation.

I use a carboy cap with a racking cane. There is one hole to place the racking cane through, and you can blow in the other hole to begin a siphon. Then you never touch your lips to the siphoning tube.

I set the kettle on the counter, carboy on the floor, my auto-siphon is very quick.

Dienekles said:

I use a carboy cap with a racking cane. There is one hole to place the racking cane through, and you can blow in the other hole to begin a siphon. Then you never touch your lips to the siphoning tube.

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Of course you could easily blow spit into the beer at that point.

Oh, and I've never seen a carboy cap that has more than one hole, but I'll admit there are many things in this world I've never seen...yet.

bikebryan said:

Of course you could easily blow spit into the beer at that point.

Oh, and I've never seen a carboy cap that has more than one hole, but I'll admit there are many things in this world I've never seen...yet.

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Yeah they exist, you probably have seen them just didn't think about it, here is link:


http://www.austinhomebrew.com/popup_product_images.php?pID=1130

Yes the two holed carboy cap exists and works quite well. If you're concerned about blowing spit into the beer, do what I do, I attach a hose to one of the holes, and put the racking cane in the other. It takes very little air pressure to start the siphon, so its not like you have to blow like crazy.

Of course, I have an auto-siphon as well. The auto siphon works pretty well. I don't know why others are having problems with theirs. Maybe their hoses are a bit crimped, or there's some trub blocking the cap.

Bigger hose = more sucking power = more sediment pickup. Good things come to those that wait.