Why Autosiphon?

I have read on here ,over and over, advice to get an autosiphon. I mean to the extent one would think it is some magical device. Well, I bought one and promptly left it an hour away when I bottled my beer. So, I used the regular old fill up a siphon tube method that has worked since the beginning of time (with sanitzer water for hygiene sake). Worked like a charm. Do some people find this extremely difficult to do without an autosiphon? Or did I just spend my youth in more delinquent ways than most and find my siphoning is above average? LOL!

well, you can do it however, but the autosiphon couldn't be easier... one pump and you're in siphon heaven. and yes, it seems you have above average siphoning ability.

I just started using one after 8 batches of beer because sometimes when you are nearing the bottom I will lose the siphon when watching for sediment. It is easier to get started again. Also the magic little bottle filler I just got fits on a larger hose than the one that came with my starter kit so I had to get a new racking cane ane everything anyway.

Hmmm...just tried the autosiphon on a bucket of water...It is easy but it took like a few seconds less than starting a siphon.

My siphon technique...

stick racking cane in bucket
lay tubing in whatever fluid you want to start with (sanitizer water) submerging entire tube and both ends.
pick up tubing holdin thumbs over ends or keping thme level. With thumb over one end attach other end to cane.
Lower tubing and put in a cup or whatever until beer starts.

presto....

Certainly the fill-up the tube thing works. But with the autosiphon I don't have to fill anything up. I remove it from my bucket of sanitizer, pump it once and watch it siphon.

Just one of those things that makes things a little easier.

I can see if you lose suction a few times how it would be worth having. I am glad I got it whether it gets used everytime or not.

I transfer the starsan from my keg to a bucket with Autosiphon. When keg is empty I put it in the carboy and the hose in the keg and pump. I had to use a normal Hose last time because my AS broke. It wasn't a big deal, but the autosiphon IMO is worht the $15. I have a 1/2" one this time one it's way from NB to replace the broken one.

SFBEER said:

I just started using one after 8 batches of beer because sometimes when you are nearing the bottom I will lose the siphon when watching for sediment. It is easier to get started again.

Click to expand...

Exactly

an auto syphon would be nice, but Im not running out the door to get one. Not worth the cost for me right now, when I have some plastic tubing that will work just as well

I also use it to sanitarily (new word) pump yeast slurry from the carboy to the mason jar. It reduces the chance of picking up nasties on the carboy neck. I can also pump sanitizer from inside my keg back into the posts and diptubes without using CO2. It doesn't require that you catch the first 4 ounce of liquid, stop the flow, then drop into your destination vessel. I mean, it's $12 to make life easier, but not the holy grail.

I've got one; works as advertised. However, I find it easier to not use it. Not sure why. I usually use a sanitized turkey baster to start the siphon. Personal preference.

MississippiSlim said:

My siphon technique...

stick racking cane in bucket
lay tubing in whatever fluid you want to start with (sanitizer water) submerging entire tube and both ends.
pick up tubing holdin thumbs over ends or keping thme level. With thumb over one end attach other end to cane.
Lower tubing and put in a cup or whatever until beer starts.

presto....

Click to expand...

My siphon technique...

Insert autosiphon
pump x 2

presto....

Bobby_M said:

I can also pump sanitizer from inside my keg back into the posts and diptubes without using CO2.

Click to expand...

Damn, I hadn't thought of that. Good one!

I guess to me grabbing the siphon hose out of the sanitizer and grabbing the auto siphon out of the sanitizer seems the same to me. You pump once on the AS, I hook up the hose to the cane. Same amount of steps its just I have to be a little more careful with the steps I take. I also drive a standard transmission car and do not have an iphone. LOL!

I ran out and got one after a particularly bad bottling day. I kept losing the siphon as I transferred from the carboy to the bottling bucket, and had to start one by mouth at least once. It just removes that extra bit of stress.

LOL! Start by mouth...especially bad if you are siphoning gasoline! Trust me! I hope you sanitized your lips!

Different strokes for different folks. Do what you like and enjoy and don't worry about everyone else

I use one of these

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/flyguys-t-siphon-3-replacement-autosiphon-25774/

I've got two of those red clamps. One on the output side and one on the suction side. Clamp the output side. Suck on the suction side until beer starts coming down the tube then quickly clamp down the suction side and unclamp the output side. Usually before I clamp the suction side I let it run out into my Hydrometer tube to take a reading.

And please don't tell me I'm going to get bacteria into my beer. I don't really think a lot of bacteria is going to be swimming up stream from the suction side and getting through the clamp to get into my beer.