bulldogxray
Well-Known Member
Can you use an air compressor and a filter with a stone attached to aerate your wort? What would be the difference between that and using a fishtank pump?
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An air compressor is likely mega-overkill for this kind of task. But, assuming you can throttle it back to a reasonable volume/pressure and assuming you can get an air filter on there, it should work fine. Good luck! 
LarMoeCur
Well-Known Member
If you have ever drained your compressor tank, you would not even think once about using it for brewing! Depending on your humidity as the air gets compressed water will pool in the tank. There is a drain valve on the bottom to let this water out. WARNING !!! Make sure the tank is empty then open this valve and take a look at what comes out. I did this after about a month or so of use, the only thing swamp water has over this water is mosquito lava. And don't think that this water in not being blown out through the hoses. Run the air over a paper towel a few times and take a look, it will be damp for sure.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
If you want to aerate your wort properly, use Oxygen. Atmospheric air is only like 20% Oxygen.
Fastmetal
Well-Known Member
If you want to aerate your wort properly, use Oxygen. Atmospheric air is only like 20% Oxygen.
Do you have to get a regulator of some sort for those or do they come with a valve? I can't tell from the photo.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
You have to get the regulator. I ended up buying a Brazing kit at HD that had the Regulator and a bottle of O2. Wasn't the cheapest route to go but I didn't have time to track one down on line. I needed it right then.
I use one of these to infuse the oxygen:
I use one of these to infuse the oxygen:
The regulators are expensive and hard to come by these days thanks to some kind of manufacturing snafu. Most places that have them are charging a ransom for them. Oxygenation is a nice alternative to aeration, but requires a bit more attention.
Hang Glider
Beer Drinker
Austin has these for that Oxygen tank:
Hang Glider said:
Williams Brewing has them too, but they're both charging $50. A few months ago they could be had for half that.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
Pay cash
android
Well-Known Member
or just get an aquarium pump (they're super cheap at wally). i've been using one for over a year now and it works great for me. my 'sterile filter' got banged up inadvertently, so i stopped using it after a few batches (about 8 months ago) and it works fine without it too. i know people wouldn't advocate that, but i figure if you are pitching enough healthy yeast, it's not a big deal.
Fastmetal
Well-Known Member
$50 for a regulator to put 30 seconds (give or take) of O2 in my wort???? I'll pass. I'll stick to the fish tank pump.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
You can always go the cheap route and pump a bunch of Nitrogen and some oxygen into your wort. But if you are going to be cheap about it, why waste money on a fish pump? Just shake the bucket. It's the same thing. A bunch of Nitrogen and some Oxygen.
Yeast want Oxygen. I give them Oxygen.
Yeast want Oxygen. I give them Oxygen.
OP
OP
bulldogxray
Well-Known Member
I have a fish tank aerator and a stone but It did not look like the air was coming out as much as I think it should. Does anyone have a video?
No video, but all you really need is little ripples on the surface. By my understanding of the chemistry/physics involved, all you're really trying to do is to mix the liquid and replace the depleted air in the head space. The O2 absorption happens at the surface.
BendBrewer
Well-Known Member
I drain out of my kettle through a CFC and into my bucket. When the bucket is half full, I turn on my Oxygen. When done filling the bucket, I have about a 4-5 inch Oxygen Head sitting on my wort. The Yeast go to work in no time.
We are all just Yeast Keepers really. Do everything you can to make them as happy as they can be. That's your job.
We are all just Yeast Keepers really. Do everything you can to make them as happy as they can be. That's your job.
I used an aquarium pump for a while, but I got tired of waiting 20 min to aerate the wort before pitching my yeast...
Now I just Rock the Carboy! I rock the hell out of it for about 2 or 3 min and pitch. Done... no problems.
Now I just Rock the Carboy! I rock the hell out of it for about 2 or 3 min and pitch. Done... no problems.
This is very good advice. A shop air compressor is NOT what you want to use to aerate your beer. In addition to what's written above you should know that the liquid is not all water. Some of it is the oil used to lubricate the compressor. I would think that it would kill the head on your beer, let alone the obvious health implications of drinking the oil. There's a reason that breathing air compressors have a condenser after every stage, and then a giant filter stack on the output. It's to remove all that crap and keep it out of your body. Shop air is not fit for human consumption.
Brian
LarMoeCur
Well-Known Member
Good call Benthic! I forgot about the other contaminates like oil and metal shavings.
The Schwillster
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Try making a venturi tube out of white labs yeast vial and copper tube. Works great.
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