Auto Siphon questions....

[ridebadger]

A few questions about auto siphons.

1. How long will they last?

2. Does the seal need some kind of food grade greese?

3. Would you recommend a 1/2" over a 5/16" Auto Siphon?

4. What are the bad things to consider?

Thanks for any information you can provide.

ridebadger

 

[cd2448]

i've changed the tubing out a couple of times, as that gets worn out, but the siphon is still the one i started with nearly 6 months ago. i think i'm more likely to break it than need to replace it for any other reason, to be honest.

unless the experts explain otherwise, of course!

 

[nl724]

I love how easy it is to use, but not that it is plastic. As I was trying to get my hose off the top I accidentally broke it...not to mention stainless steel is always better than plastic.

 

[Blender]

I have had mine almost 2 years and it is like new. Don't store the plunger in the siphon tube when not in use. Don't use it in boiling wort as it will deform.

 

[Bobby_M]

Get the 1/2" one. Other than that, it's the best brewing gadget since fire was invented.

 

[ridebadger]

Thanks for all the wisdom. I will get a 1/2" with my next order.

ridebadger

 

[boo boo]

I love how easy it is to use, but not that it is plastic. As I was trying to get my hose off the top I accidentally broke it...not to mention stainless steel is always better than plastic.

Yeah, I did this also. I just bought a replacement cane.

 

[uwmgdman]

Yeah, I did this also. I just bought a replacement cane.

+1 for that. I'm extra careful to run it over hot tap water for long enough to loosen it up before I pull it off now.

Aside from the 100% necessary equipment to buy........this should be the next piece you buy.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Check this out:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=2910

This is what I use and I find it vastly superior to the auto-siphon. If you are worried about your breath getting on the beer, use one of these:

http://morebeer.com/view_product/16797/

 

[Bobby_M]

If you use better bottles, the carboy cap is not superior. It doesn't seal well enough for pressure siphoning in that way. Also, sanitizing your tubing is so much easier with the AS since you can pump it through. Anyway, everyone is polarized on the benefits of the autosiphon, and I'm in the "fan" club.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I've had mine for years and the tubing has never been off. As long as you rinse it out with hot water after using it there's no need to.

I soak it down with sanitizer then assemble. Once in the bucket I pump sanitizer through and let it sit before use. I disassemble the tubes and place the outer tube in the fermenter and then push the inner tube in with the hose in the receiving container.

Always store the inner tube and outer tube disassembled. This way the seal won't shrink. The only lube I use is water/sanitizier.

 

[malkore]

I've had my auto siphon for 10 years. still going strong.
definitely store the two parts separately to keep the seal in good working order.

 

[IrregularPulse]

What is the trick to getting Hose off the canes? I use the same auto siphon and tubing for racking and bottling with my wand. Thus far I've had to cut the tubing to be able to get the bottling cane off and my hose is getting shorter and shorter.I'd like to avoid this. I guess i could buy more hose and another cane and just leave one setup for racking and one for bottling, but my HBS is over an hour away.

 

[Yooper]

Run hot water over the plastic, and it'll pull right off. To put it on, same thing. Run hot water over the end until it's pliable, and it slides right on.

 

[boxerman]

I have the 3/8 inch auto siphon from AHB and have used it several times. But I'm not sure (yet) what is the correct way to use this with the fermenter. Should I just place the large tube vertically into the bucket until the tip touches the bottom and then hold it still while the siphon completes? My question is really: is the end of the large tube designed to be placed in contact with the bottom of the fermenter and NOT pull sediment? I tried to hold the large tube off the bottom of the fermenter by a little bit and I think that this creates more entrained sediment because of the motion of the end near the bottom. I'm betting that the design is such that it should be touching and held still. I also have tilted the fermenter near the end to pull more beer - that is a NO-NO for me in the future. Thanks for advice.