Anyone else use a vacuum pump?

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Bsquared

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I bought a lab vacuum pump on ebay about two years ago, and I love the thing.

I have been using it primarily to pull my wort from the kettle through my counter flow chiller, and in to the carboy. I really love this set up because as I'm chilling the wort, I'm also aerating the wort, and when I want to swap carboys I just turn off the pump, switch them out, and restart the pump.

I've also used it to create a vacuum in my corny keg to start the transfer out of the secondary.

Just wondering if any one else has used one too.
 
Clayton does something similar. I found a medical vacuum pump on ebay recently for pretty cheap so I pulled the trigger. Now I need to set it up. Can you share some pictures of your connections, etc.?
 
Clayton does something similar. I found a medical vacuum pump on ebay recently for pretty cheap so I pulled the trigger. Now I need to set it up. Can you share some pictures of your connections, etc.?

The next time I brew I'll take a Video, and post it.
 
So I'm am idiot! I tried to shoot a video of the pump in action, but I guess I hit the button on the camera twice and only recorded three seconds of the sky...

but here are some images, I have a HERM's system, and so after the boil I clear out the MLT, and fill it with ice water, and then run the pump out through the 25' counter flow chiller back in to the MLT, I then use the Vacuum pump to create a vacuum in the carboy pulling the wort through the chiller and in to the carboy, the transfer takes about 10 mins, and gets the wort down to about 80ºF depending on the amount of ice i start with, but i usually use 10lbs

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for wine making - de-gassing; Has anyone been successful degassing pulling a vacuum in a corny keg? how much negative pressure?
 
for wine making - de-gassing; Has anyone been successful degassing pulling a vacuum in a corny keg? how much negative pressure?

I have not done it myself, but I've been told that it can be done.

Honestly for as much of a intrest as I have had in this question, I have never tried out my pump on my cornies.
 
I use my vacuum pump all the time to transfer from my conical to my kegs. I have a piece of 3/8 stainless tubing that I have a piece of vinyl tubing on with a liquid disconnect on the other end. On my vacuum pump I have a piece of tubing with a gas disconnect. It pulls the beer through the liquid post and down the dip tube. I put some co2 into the keg then connect the gas disconnect and turn the pump on. I run it until I hear the pump pull the vacuum then I connect the liquid disconnect and the beer starts flowing.
 
I use my pump with Cornies all the time.
I use one corny as the pressure tank, this avoids sucking liquid into the pressure pump.

I then jump to the corny that the beer/wine will be stored in.
Then I have a racking cane with a corny fitting on it.

I can suck from carboys, sankes or barrles in racks. All works.

I also suck wine through a filter before the corny keg.
 
I'll be trying in a few weeks. Isolating the liquid by using an intermediary second keg is a great idea. I'm still worried about the keg losing vacuum. I guess the only way to find out is to experiment.. Degassing wine via stirring or drill mounted paddle was rather frustrating. My carboy is plastic so it definitely would hold a vacuum
 
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