Siphon Starter Help...

Ok... I might just be a dumb-ass, but is there a trick to it? When I blow into the white filter part... nothing! I took the filter off, and blew into it, and no air passes through?!?!

I know... Damn newb!!!
Thanks guys nad gals!!!

I'm having trouble visualize what you are doing. There are several ways to start a siphon- the easiest is an autosiphon. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=974

I fill my racking cane and tube with sanitizer and start my siphon that way, if I am going from a bucket. This takes lots and lots of practice, but is very easy once you know how.

The last way is by using a carboy cap for your carboy and blowing into it. The racking cane goes through one port, you use the other to blow in. I do this often.

But, I'm not understanding what you're talking about with the filter. Could you post a link to the object you are using? Then I could be more help.

This is what I'm using. When I blow into the white filter part... nothing!
Hope this helps.

You do have this carboy up higher than the receiving carboy right? Also, are you able to get the beer up into the racking cane at all? It's possible that you're getting air leaks around the racking cane. Try putting a clamp on it.

Yeah, it's up higher!
It just feels like no air is going in, like it's blocked!

I believe those filters are one way filters, with one side meant for sucking and the other for blowing. Maybe its switched?

foureyedgeek said:

I believe those filters are one way filters, with one side meant for sucking and the other for blowing. Maybe its switched?

Click to expand...

I tried it both ways...
Thanks everyone for the help!!!

I used the same setup (sans filter) today to rack my IPA. I had trouble for the first time, so I pulled off the racking cane tip and tried again. The only thing I can think of is that the bottom is some how clogged in your setup. Or you have air getting into the tubing between the end of the racking cane and the tip. I wish I could help you- but I just can't figure out the problem.

Well,
I just pulled the white piece off and did it without! It worked fine!

Thanks again for the help!!!
This place rocks!!!

davidr2340 said:

Well,
I just pulled the white piece off and did it without! It worked fine!

Thanks again for the help!!!
This place rocks!!!

Click to expand...

Im no expert but that white thing you removed looks like a hepa filter, we use them in the lab for making up small volumes of sterile media (somethings you just can't autoclave compounds without destroying them). Its a very fine filter in the um range so its small enough to let liquids/gas through and dissolved compounds but large things like viruses and bacteria can't.
By taking it off you've just blown a lot of bacteria laden expired air in there not something you want to repeat to often.
Hope i haven't rained on your parade im sure it'll be fine after all the yeasties have done there job and turned the goodies into EtOH. Never seen it discussed here but i'd be surprised if the tens of billions of yeast cells wouldn't do a good job of holding in check the growth of a few bacteria. I think they will be releasing antimicrobial compounds into the surrondings (very common thing in the microbial world where the microbes are constantly waging chemical warfare on each other, don't tell Bush and the neo-cons he'll start a war on brewing ).

Forgot to say that you might have trouble blowing through it because of the small filter size it would take considerable force. If you can lay your hands on a plastic syringe (the bigger the better) it will fit on the end perfectly. you could then depress the plunger rapidly and all the air should be forced through it. Im not sure what size of syringe you would need to start the syphon but as i said the bigger the better.

I don't have a hepa filter and do this all the time. Your expired air probably does have some contaminates in it- but so does room air. I mean, you're siphoning it into your bottling bucket which is open to the same air that you are breathing in and out. You don't want to splash the beer around when you do it- but that's not because of bacteria-laden air, that's so you don't oxidize your beer. Your mouth never touches anything that touches the beer, so it's pretty safe. Unless you have bronchitis or pneumonia, don't worry!

Yooper Chick said:

I don't have a hepa filter and do this all the time. Your expired air probably does have some contaminates in it- but so does room air. I mean, you're siphoning it into your bottling bucket which is open to the same air that you are breathing in and out. You don't want to splash the beer around when you do it- but that's not because of bacteria-laden air, that's so you don't oxidize your beer. Your mouth never touches anything that touches the beer, so it's pretty safe. Unless you have bronchitis or pneumonia, don't worry!

Click to expand...

Im a great believer in emperical science, i guess the risk of contamination by this means isn't as great as some would have us believe, so not a problem then

Takes a lot of PSI to get that going...your trying to push 5 gallons of liquid up, which in itself is more than 35 pounds...better off sanitizing a short piece of racking cane and putting it at the end of the drain line...suck on the end (insert joke here) and pull the cane piece away before the liquid reaches it...your lips are only on the cane piece and not on the drain piece = sanitized...been working for me for 10+ years. No need for autosiphon, CO2, etc., etc., etc.

Easy = easy!

Good luck.

Thanks again all!
I was pretty worried about contamination by pulling the filter off. I hope it works out in the end!
The description on the B3 website makes it seem so easy...
Oh well!

woodstone said:

Takes a lot of PSI to get that going...your trying to push 5 gallons of liquid up, which in itself is more than 35 pounds...better off sanitizing a short piece of racking cane and putting it at the end of the drain line...suck on the end (insert joke here) and pull the cane piece away before the liquid reaches it...your lips are only on the cane piece and not on the drain piece = sanitized...been working for me for 10+ years. No need for autosiphon, CO2, etc., etc., etc.

Easy = easy!

Good luck.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a good idea to me!
Maybe I'll give that a shot with my next batch!

Thanks!