craigmw
Well-Known Member
To enhance my fermentations, I purchased a barbed 0.5 micron oxygenation stone off Amazon, and connected this up to a small oxygen regulator from an unused Oxy-MAPP torch I had laying around. I used 1/4" PVC tubing with an air filter between the regulator and stone. While I could get oxygen into my wort, the stone would often just float to the top of the carboy, resulting in poor diffusion. So, I ended up building an oxygenation wand using a 3/8" chromed copper faucet riser:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BrassCraft-3-8-in-O-D-Tube-x-20-in-Faucet-Riser-1-20A-CF/100621865
The barbed end of the oxygenation stone fits tightly onto the flared end of the riser (which has a vinyl washer inside that ensures a tight fit over the stone's 1/4" barb). The riser is made from soft copper that is chromed on the outside, so it's quite flexible and will bend. But, this works fine and has the advantage that the stone can be easily removed and boiled if needed. The only tricky part was getting the 1/4" PVC to go over the 3/8" riser. I simply placed the end of the PVC tubing into boiling water, used needlenose pliers to stretch/flare it, and pushed it over the end of the riser. A little liquid soap rubbed around the end of the riser helped with this.
After assembling, I let it soak in some Starsan, hooked it up to a small bottle of oxygen, and it worked great adding oxygen to the bottom of two carboys. I did not detect any leakage from the connection between the stone and the riser.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/BrassCraft-3-8-in-O-D-Tube-x-20-in-Faucet-Riser-1-20A-CF/100621865
The barbed end of the oxygenation stone fits tightly onto the flared end of the riser (which has a vinyl washer inside that ensures a tight fit over the stone's 1/4" barb). The riser is made from soft copper that is chromed on the outside, so it's quite flexible and will bend. But, this works fine and has the advantage that the stone can be easily removed and boiled if needed. The only tricky part was getting the 1/4" PVC to go over the 3/8" riser. I simply placed the end of the PVC tubing into boiling water, used needlenose pliers to stretch/flare it, and pushed it over the end of the riser. A little liquid soap rubbed around the end of the riser helped with this.
After assembling, I let it soak in some Starsan, hooked it up to a small bottle of oxygen, and it worked great adding oxygen to the bottom of two carboys. I did not detect any leakage from the connection between the stone and the riser.