Alternatives to Auto-Siphons

Just broke my third auto-siphon. I love the ease of the auto-siphon...before I purchased my first one and was trying to create a siphon with a racking cane and tubing I found it awkward and difficult to do in a sanitary way.
I know a lot of members of this board have given up on the auto-siphon. It's not an expensive piece of brewing equipment...unless you have to replace it every third batch. For those of you who have given up on the siphon, what do you do now?

You might try fly guy's tubing and see if it works better for you. It won't break...

I have not broken my auto siphon yet. Not sure how I would... I just give it a little pump and off she goes... what broke? I am assuming it broke during cleaning, not use?

The most common problem with them is the one-way check valve at the bottom of the large tube gets dislodged. It's the key to the whole operation. There are two flimsy tabs that hold it from falling out and once they weaken, it can fall out. I've replaced it by sticking it on to a wooden dowel with fun tack and working it back in place. I just wish they'd make the molded plastic bottom removable.

I found out this weekend how easy it is to hook a CO2 line to one side of a carboy cap and push beer through a racking cane. (Only works if you are a kegger or happen to have a CO2 tank lying about).

Just use a racking cane, a hose and a turkey baster. Squeeze the baster, push it into the lower end of the hose and release. The suction starts the siphon. A simpe and saitary way to start a siphon.

Kai

I fill a hose with Star San, press it onto the cane, and let go of the other end. I collect the Star San in a cup, then drop the hose into the carboy once the beer starts flowing. Couldn't be easier or cleaner.

Kaiser said:

Just use a racking cane, a hose and a turkey baster. Squeeze the baster, push it into the lower end of the hose and release. The suction starts the siphon. A simpe and saitary way to start a siphon.

Kai

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Same here. My racking cane is stainless steel, no way will be breaking that guy.

I actually broke mine intentionally. Now I can clean it with the dip tube brush. And the hose can be cleaned by pulling a test tube brush through it.

Kai

Bobby_M said:

The most common problem with them is the one-way check valve at the bottom of the large tube gets dislodged.

Click to expand...

I think a lot of people either break it by trying to take off their tubing, or stepping on it.

There are easy solutions to prevent that:
1) You don't need to take the tubing off every time you use it
2) Don't step on it.

Both of my autosiphon issues have been microcracks developing on the tube. Didn't step on it.

Twice I've broken it by trying to pull off the tubing. This last time resulted in cutting open my finger on the jagged plastic. Is there any tricks to getting the tubing off without pulling pulling pulling *snap*?
The other time I lost a siphon to morphing from being set in hot wort.

thejerk said:

Twice I've broken it by trying to pull off the tubing. This last time resulted in cutting open my finger on the jagged plastic. Is there any tricks to getting the tubing off without pulling pulling pulling *snap*?
The other time I lost a siphon to morphing from being set in hot wort.

Click to expand...

Cut a piece of tubing the right size for your siphoning needs, then leave it on. There's no need to take it off. Tubing is too cheap to not warrant a dedicated piece for the autosiphon.

thejerk said:

Twice I've broken it by trying to pull off the tubing. This last time resulted in cutting open my finger on the jagged plastic. Is there any tricks to getting the tubing off without pulling pulling pulling *snap*?
The other time I lost a siphon to morphing from being set in hot wort.

Click to expand...

Run warm water over it.

thejerk said:

Twice I've broken it by trying to pull off the tubing. This last time resulted in cutting open my finger on the jagged plastic. Is there any tricks to getting the tubing off without pulling pulling pulling *snap*?
The other time I lost a siphon to morphing from being set in hot wort.

Click to expand...

easiest way to remove any type of tubing is to cut a slit in it from the edge of the tubing to the bottom of where its attached to the cane with a razor knife, then just peel it back . No fuss no hard pulling and no breaking the racking cane. I do this after 3 or 4 uses. When the tubing gets too short I just toss it.

In two years of brewing, I have had NO trouble with the autosiphon that came with my kit (I think it's Fermtech), and (without taking an exact count) I have to be between 40 and 50 batches. It shows no signs of wear & tear, and keeps on working.

I read something in an earlier post about hot wort, but I do not use mine in hot wort, just for racking to secondary and racking to bottling bucket. I also have no difficulty putting on the tubing or taking it off. Maybe some people are using tubing that's just too small for the autosiphon cane....this is a tough one to figure.

rico567 said:

In two years of brewing, I have had NO trouble

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I hear you rico... I guess folk are trying to clean it and break it dismantling it. I just rinse it with water, pump it with star san and leave it. No issues.

I have not put it in hot wort either. I am planning a ball valve install on my keggle.

I haven't yet bottled with an autosiphon (although I have one for the upcoming batch to be bottled), but a few years ago when transferring wine from carboy to carboy we used the following method:

fill a standard hose tube halfway with sanitized water, stick other end of hose in carboy. let water run out into spill dish, thereby pulling the wine up through the hose. when the water column is through, place hose opening into carboy, and let the siphon run.

It had the potential to be messy but its how we did it for lab science processes. Worked pretty well and is sanitary without the use of extra equipment.

McKBrew said:

I found out this weekend how easy it is to hook a CO2 line to one side of a carboy cap and push beer through a racking cane. (Only works if you are a kegger or happen to have a CO2 tank lying about).

Click to expand...

I figured this trick out last weekend, works great.

thejerk said:

Twice I've broken it by trying to pull off the tubing. This last time resulted in cutting open my finger on the jagged plastic. Is there any tricks to getting the tubing off without pulling pulling pulling *snap*?

Click to expand...

Oh, you guys think forcing something is the way do it! Taking the tubing off is NOT a strength thing, it is a finesse thing.

DO NOT PULL on the tubing. Use your thumb nail to ease the tubing off the cane. Using your nail, work your way around the cane while holding the plastic between the bend and the tube.

Here is how I solved the problem of breakage




Stainless







Dominus Vobiscum

Swagman

Swagman - That looks nice! Did you build that or is it for sale somewhere?

bytemyfoot said:

Swagman - That looks nice! Did you build that or is it for sale somewhere?

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I was asked if could be built from stainless and this was the out come. Works great but the cost of just the material is out of sight, not counting the lathe work on the piston and check valve. A brewer could buy several of the plastic ones.


Dominus Vobiscum

Swagman