i was wondering what are some of the common problems people run into switch over from primary to secondary so i know what to avoid and what to stay away from?
Wait until the krausen is gone before transferring over to a secondary. There is really no rush to get it transferred over. I would wait until the krausen has completely fallen before moving over to your secondary. It will save you time in the long run by allowing your batch to clear out quicker. How long has this batch been going for?
My first home brew batch of any type is the current batch of cider. It has only been in my primary fermenter for a 5 days. I know that I've got another week and a half before I should even think about moving it along. I am just trying to understand what to expect and do when that time comes.
Not necessarily on the week and a half part. There are those that don't use secondary at all, either not believing a change in taste occurs by sitting on the yeast or enjoying it. There are also those that leave it in primary for long period (or forget sometimes . And there are also those that transfer to secondary as soon as it reaches below 1.020, I try to aim for this personally. This way the bulk of fermentation is over, but the last bit will provide more than enough c02 to blanket secondary and ward off oxygenation. This last option's schedule is based more on the quality/speed of fermentation than anything, as it can take a day or two or a week or two.
So the yeast at the bottom is no longer required even though the cider is not done yet? You say that you rack it to the secondary once you reach 1020. What is your target FG? That matters right? I believe my target is about 0.995.
So you're going for completely dry? Good because most ciders will naturally get there. I also let mine go completely dry. The yeast at the bottom is dead and mixed in with other sediment from the process and the juice. There is still plenty of yeast floating around in there you can't see.