Cheap (free) vacuum packer for hops

[mrgreen4242]

Whoops: I meant to put this in the DIY forum, sorry about that! If a mod wants to move it, please do so!

I've been trying to come up with a way to vacuum pack bulk hops that didn't require a $100 vacuum sealer (or even a $30 jar sealing kit) and came up with this method. Thought someone else might benefit!

Basically, you punch a hole in the lid of a canning jar then make a "bandaid" with electrical tape by putting a small piece of tape on a larger one, sticky sides together. Then put the jar together, with the hops inside, and use a wine bottle pump to suck the air out of the jar. The tape over the hole creates a simple little value. It works pretty well, creating enough pressure to inflate a balloon inside the jar.

I took some pictures of the whole this and posted them here: http://mrgreen4242.imgur.com/vaccuum_packing_jar

 

[blizzard]

Wow, that's pretty ingenious. Good job.

 

[mrgreen4242]

Wow, that's pretty ingenious. Good job.

Thanks! I was using those zip-lock vacuum bags with the little electric pump, but I had about 1 in 3 lose their seal on me, and for some reason I seem unable to seal zip top bags of any sort properly (I catch a lot of grief about it from SWMBO).

 

[Catt22]

A better test than the balloon would be to seal the jar, then submerge it in a bucket of water and crack the lid seal. Water will rush in to equalize the vacuum. The jar should fill to about the 85% level or better if you have evacuated enough air. This is how I checked the performance of the Food Saver mason jar vacuum sealer thingy. I use an air powered vacuum pump I bought at Harbor Freight on sale for $6. The Food Saver mason jar attachment was $9.99 at the Bass Pro Shop. You could also purge the jar beforehand with CO2 (if you have a cylinder on hand) to reduce the oxygen level even more.

 

[jevehn]

http://www.pump-n-seal.com/

I have one of these things, and it works really well. Same concept, better pump. Cheap to buy. I use it for lots of stuff.

 

[mrgreen4242]

http://www.pump-n-seal.com/

I have one of these things, and it works really well. Same concept, better pump. Cheap to buy. I use it for lots of stuff.

$30 is halfway to a seal-a-meal type device, or better yet about 2-3 pounds of hops, which I think I would rather have. :/ Neat product, but I guess I was going for FREE rather than cheap.

I'm going to try Catt22's water test this weekend, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[MikeRoBrew1]

Thanks for the tip I will give it a try