Adding more sparklloid?

[D-west]

Trying to clear my cider in the next week or two.

I looked around at a few different fining agents and decided to give sparkolloid a shot.

The instructions on the package are vague, and told me to mix 1 cup boiling water with 1tbsp powder and let sit for 5min. I did that and then added it to my secondary slowly, gave it a swirl and let it sit. Package instructions say 1-2 weeks to clear. (for wine)

After that I jumped online to see how long before I might see results. Every place I looked it said it starts to clear in HOURS. The videos I watched made me excited, so I left it overnight and checked yesterday, no change, it seemed to be a little worse actually.

There seems to be a grey area as to how to prepare the hot mix. As I said, my package instructions are not specific. I checked online and I see people boiling the mixture for 5min. I didnt do that... I used my kettle to boil water, added it to the powder, mixed and let sit for 5min. Was that the wrong way?

Its now been 48 hours and its actually the same clarity as it was before I added the sparkolloid. So maybe its just really slow?

Its in my 50 F garage on the cold cement floor so the temp of the cider is probably closer to 40.

Should I add more? Can I add more? Do I have to wait?

 

[WVMJ]

Did you degass first? If your cider is full of gas then its harder to get to clear. We just microwave ours 3 times each time it boils, stop and stir, and then stir into the wine. I usually leave it for a week as SOP anyway. WVMJ

 

[D-west]

Did you degass first? If your cider is full of gas then its harder to get to clear. We just microwave ours 3 times each time it boils, stop and stir, and then stir into the wine. I usually leave it for a week as SOP anyway. WVMJ

No I did not degas it. I got impatient and racked it again last night, boiled the sparkolloid for 5min like most everyone else ive seen and added it to the carboy and rolled it around a little.

I don't have a way to degas it. Don't you run the risk of oxidization if you do that?

Either way, I checked it a few minutes ago and its crystal clear! I am going to leave it for a few more days and it should be perfect.

What do you think the issue was?

 

[WVMJ]

Possible that when you racked it enough CO2 was driven off or that you didnt make the sparkaloid right the first time or you made it ok the first time but didnt add enough. You can degass with a drill whip or even a big spoon. Your choice to degass or not, the CO2 affects the taste making it more sour, sulfites can protect against oxidation. Most impatient people who really get into it buy a degassing pump, mine works real good WVMJ

 

[D-west]

Thanks! I'll look into the different methods to degas. A pump would be dual purpose, that might make my life easier when racking. Hmm. More to buy

 

[WVMJ]

And you can get a little valve thingy that lets your bottle with it also, WVMJ