racking cane

Can anyone explain to me how a racking cane works? I've always siphoned from one container to the next using either water to start the suction or, at times when frustrated, my mouth. Can the racking cane help me in any way?

You need an auto siphon. They are great and take any frustration out of starting a siphon. You can read a bit about it here > http://sdcollins.home.mindspring.com/AutoSiphon.html
and they are usually available at most homebrew stores.

I second the auto-syphon!!! Think Christmas present!!!

homebrewer_99 said:

I second the auto-syphon!!! Think Christmas present!!!

Click to expand...

I second your second! Seriously, getting an Auto-Syphon was the single best improvement to my homebrewing equipment arsenal. It's less than 15 bucks, but after you have it, you'd think it was worth ten times as much. Talk about taking a lot of aggravation out of the brewing process for a minimal amount of money...

Yeah, I'm a big fan of this thing...so go buy it already!

One tip though...make sure you lubricate the inside of the tube as well as the seal before assembly. The sanitizing soak will do.

Also, take it apart after cleaning and for storage. When it's apart the seal relaxes and won't shrink to the tubes inner circumference.

I LOVE my racking cane. It doesn't take the place of an auto siphon, but it's rigid and stays right where I put it. I don't have an auto siphon- I just fill my racking can with water along with the tubing and put it in the fermentor, clipping it in with the red plastic clip. I drain the tubing into a small bowl on the floor until the beer starts to run, then pinch it closed and put it in the carboy on the bottom and let 'er rip. When I siphon from a carboy, I use a carboy cap and put the racking cane in the middle hole. I put the end of the tubing in the bottom of the new container. Then I blow into the other opening- boom, instant siphon. It takes some practice, though, so maybe an auto siphon would be easier to start with.

Lorena

lorenae said:

It doesn't take the place of an auto siphon, but it's rigid and stays right where I put it.

Click to expand...

hehehehehehehehehehehehe

I've been brewing 15 years. Q. When did I buy an Auto Siphon? A. 4 weeks ago. Q. When should I have purchased an Auto Siphon? A. 15 years ago. It is such an inexpensive investment and makes tranferring a breeze.