Adding Oxygen to Wort

I am doing a full boil (6 gal down to 5 gal) for the first time and am wondering about adding Oxygen to the wort. Is splashing the wort into the primary fermenter enough? Would an aquarium pump work? Would the aquarium pump add contaminating microbes into the wort?

Thanks for any help.
Steve

I use a big strainer when I pour my 5 gallons into my primary bucket. It does a good job. Pouring your wort into the bucket and back into the kettle and back into the bucket will work to if you don't have a strainer.

More is better, but splashing works. I use an aquarium pump with a filter & stone, which will put about twice as much oxygen into the wort as splashing. For high gravity ales, I'll actually run the pump for 15 minutes every other hour the first day using a timer.

david_42 said:

I use an aquarium pump with a filter & stone, which will put about twice as much oxygen into the wort as splashing. For high gravity ales, I'll actually run the pump for 15 minutes every other hour the first day using a timer.

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How do you clean and sanitize the stone?

Cool idea on the timer. At what OG do you do this?

I sanitize my stone (Stainless diffusion stone) in StarSan for a few minutes--have never had any problems.

As for aquarium pumps. . .mine gave out, and since I'm the area EMS medical director, I carry medical supplies in my squad truck--including an oxygen tank:rockin:

So for my last lager, I just hooked my stone up to my O2 tank, and let it run at 6L/min for about 30 seconds. Seems to have worked just fine. . . .

Biermann said:

I sanitize my stone (Stainless diffusion stone) in StarSan for a few minutes--have never had any problems.

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Great! Thanks.

I did the EMT thing a couple decades ago back in my firefighting days. Those are some fond memories.

I worked on a Paramedic unit for 6 years before and during med school.

Now I'm the director of the biggest EMS system in Illinois, and have my own squad truck with lots of lights, sirens, lifepak, meds, etc. . .

Chicks love lightbars. . . :rockin: And just so happens I can use my Oxygen tank for brewing. . .

You can also take a pice of copper or plastic tubing, drill some small holes in it and the air will be sucked in through the holes foamin the beer as it goes into the carboy.

I use a de-gasser. It's a long plastic rod with a steel central core. Its got two flangs on the bottom to create a whirlpool action. You attatch this to your drill and it does AN INCREDIBLE JOB.

I use a bottle of oxygen the size of a propane torch bottle with a regulator and aeration stone attachment I bought from Homebrew Heaven. I just let it bubble through the wort for a few minutes before I pitch the yeast.