1 Gallon to secondary?

I'm having trouble starting a siphon from a small one gallon jug to another. So I got tired of it and just tried to gently pour it. It foamed up a bit I'm assuming there's still CO2 left and I figured it couldn't be a bad thing kind of like degassing. Am I wrong and I'm oxidizing it or will it turn out ok?

Can't help with the oxidation question. If it were beer then yes, that wouldn't be a good idea but I'm not sure if mead is the same at this point in the process.

I plan on getting an auto siphon soon. But in the meantime, I just fill the cane and tube with one step(that it has been soaking in). Keep the liquid in the tube and cane by holding your finger over the outlet end. Keep the cane vertical and lower it into the mead. Have a glass near your secondary. Let your finger off the tube but be ready to stop it again once the one step has been purged. Then simply fill your secondary.

You did have the secondary lower than the primary right?

Yea the secondary was lower. It was a pain getting enough tube into the small 1 gallon jug and pulling it out enough to get a siphon going. Thanks for the help.

jajao44 said:

Yea the secondary was lower. It was a pain getting enough tube into the small 1 gallon jug and pulling it out enough to get a siphon going. Thanks for the help.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you need a longer piece of tube.

You need it long enough to place 1 jug on a kitchen surface with the tube touching the bottom and so it reaches to the bottom of the second one. Then once you've sucked enough liquid into the tube, you just lower the end into the bottom of the receiver jar and it should (in theory) start running, you can adjust the height of the tubing in the jar being racked out of, so as to leave any sediment etc.....

They make small autosiphons for one gallon jugs, if that helps next time.

Pouring a mead is a bad idea and oxidation is a very real issue.

Yooper said:

They make small autosiphons for one gallon jugs, if that helps next time.

Click to expand...

That's good to know. I was distressed to learn that my auto-siphon wouldn't fit in my gallon jugs.

An easier way is to fill up the peice of hosing with some sterilised water, hold one end with your finger and then place the other end into the solution, then let go of your other finger. The water will flow out and pull out your delicious brew with it

Also, on the oxidation issue, I doubt that yours would be affected because of the residual CO2, but take more care when your mead has been aging for a long time!

I prefill my siphon with Starsan, then transfer it to my brew and drain the Starsan back into my sanibucket (bucket I keep my Starsan in) when the brew gets to the end I stop it and then fill my secondary. Kills two birds with one stone.

Yooper said:

They make small autosiphons for one gallon jugs, if that helps next time.

Pouring a mead is a bad idea and oxidation is a very real issue.

Click to expand...

+1 on that...

I actually picked up the shorter auto-siphon to make racking the mead from the 1 gallon jug easier. So, I have two auto-siphons to use. One for 3-6+ gallon fermenters, and one for small fermenters...

Yes I also have the small auto siphon and it works great on 1 gallon jug.

Roger

So there are taller auto siphons?

Make bigger batches!

Sent from my DROIDX using Home Brew Talk

I like the bigger batch idea.
I started and still do 1 gallon batches of anything and started with a small autosiphon. Definately worth the 10 bucks that it costs over the 10 single gallon batches I keep doing. Which tends to be mead, or single gallons of cider every other week.
(20 bucks now that I had to rack an infected mead out from under a (brett?) pellicle, but now I have a minisiphon in case I get another pellicle, and a clean autosiphon for normal one gallon batches.)

Thanks for all the help. Lots of good info. Its only been about a week in the secondary now and its so clear. Its my first mead its JAOM I'm thinking of bottling it in another week or two.
I also have another question. I have an auto siphon for 5 gallons but I was trying to clean the bottom where the little valve piece is and I popped it out. I figured it would go back in but its impossible. You have to put it down the tube and some how snap it inside rather than push it through the outside. I'm scared to try and take the black bottom piece off I'm sure its glued.

jajao44 said:

Its only been about a week in the secondary now and its so clear. Its my first mead its JAOM I'm thinking of bottling it in another week or two.

Click to expand...

Must not be a JAOM since his directions don't mention a secondary.

No its not exactly JAOM I figured I'd give him credit I kind of went off it.