DIY Oxygenation/Aeration setup possibilities

[HubCitySuds]

This is officially my first post on the forums. Thanks in advance for anyone that can help me out.

So I'm going to be brewing my first high grav batch and I wanted to make sure my oxygen levels were adequate for a strong ferment and good attenuation.

I basically need advice on how to piece together my own oxygenation /aeration system to see my yeasties through primary without dropping out once the abv gets high.

Please explain anything you can, preferably from a DIY point of view, as i prefer to put my own stuff together rather than buy things premade.

I'm brewing with 6.5 and 5 g glass carboys so nothing too crazy please. Looking for less costly solutions.
The recipe is for the "Tripel 'Round the World" from Calagione's book, OG 1.090. Getting ready to step up WLP 575 for it.

 

[HubCitySuds]

If you have any good setups to recommend, please mention a list of parts to go with it. Thanks

 

[Alphonso]

Find an old propane torch,
cut off the burner tip,
buy some silicone tubing and jam it over the end you just cut off,
duct tape over the air holes at the base of the torch,
buy a can of oxygen from menards and attach the torch/hose thingy you just made,
buy a .5-1 micron airstone from your LHBS or aquarium supply store,
attach airstone to silicone hose and you've got an oxygenator.

Be gentle with the gas, just crack it, do some tests in water, where you can see the bubbles, to get comfortable with how much to open the taps.

Boil stone and hose before using and clean immidiately after.

 

[samc]

Bite the bullet and buy a Oxygenation set-up from a brew supply store or website. You aren't going to save much trying to cobble one together.

 

[adworld]

I picked up a oxy/mapp kit from homedepot. was $40 for a tank and regulator. and picked up a 2 micron stone online for like $7-9 and some tubing for a couple bucks.

I've only brewed one beer but my yeast were hungry after only 2 hours in the carboy.

 

[looneybomber]

Why do you need to run oxygen instead of just normal air run through a hepa filter using an aquarium pump? It'll take longer to get the same amount of oxygen in it, but it'd be cheaper.

 

[Alphonso]

I picked up a oxy/mapp kit from homedepot. was $40 for a tank and regulator. and picked up a 2 micron stone online for like $7-9 and some tubing for a couple bucks.

I've only brewed one beer but my yeast were hungry after only 2 hours in the carboy.

+1

It'll cost the same or less than an oxy kit from a LHBS, and you'll also have the oxy/mapp torch for future use.

unless you have all the parts laying around and can cobble something together for about 10 bucks (for the airstone).

Air, at atmospheric pressure and room temperature can only give you about 8ppm dissolved oxygen. That's with any method; shaking/pouring back and forth/air pump. Less if it's high gravity. To go higher, into the 8-12ppm recommended range (or higher for high grav beers), you need to use pure oxygen. Or nitrox, or something that is oxygen enriched.

 

[Bobby_M]

A couple things....

Propane torch has right hand thread, oxy is left hand.
I've never seen an oxy/map torch kit for $40. My local Lowes gets $60 for Item #: 98894

You'd still need a sintered stainless stone to diffuse the oxygen.

 

[Alphonso]

Maybe 40 is without the tanks.

And Bobby is right. I'm not gonna say what I did about the left/right thread because I wouldn't exactly call it 'safe', or 'wise'.

I had everything laying around, but if you were to go out and buy it, probably would end up costing the same as just buying the oxy kit. And then you have to hack at it and cobble together and waste time. That's the other thing, how much is your time worth? Because once you figure that into the equation, it's probably more cost effective to buy the kit. And it will work. Properly.

 

[Duckfoot]

Oxygenation stone

Oxygen regulator

Some 1/4" tubing and an O2 bottle (Worthington is that brand I got) from Home depot and you are in business....

 

[Alphonso]

oops, just read that it was 40 with the tank, good deal.

 

[adworld]

I've never seen an oxy/map torch kit for $40. My local Lowes gets $60 for Item #: 98894

I checked my receipt and i stand corrected it was $60 @ Homedepot and it included the tank and regulator

 

[iceroadbrew]

A question for you my beet junky brethren.. Are the cheap aquarium diffuser stones good enough? And does the disposable O2 need to be filtered?

Thanks

 

[adworld]

A question for you my beet junky brethren.. Are the cheap aquarium diffuser stones good enough? And does the disposable O2 need to be filtered?

Thanks

not sure I am qualified to answer with only 1 batch under my belt.

I'm sure an aquarium one could be used but the SS one seems pretty sturdy. I have a 2 micron one. I don't filter my O2, right from tank to wort.

 

[microbusbrewery]

A question for you my beet junky brethren.. Are the cheap aquarium diffuser stones good enough? And does the disposable O2 need to be filtered?

Thanks

I run a filter on mine (like this) but only because it came with the kit. I doesn't hurt to use it but I don't think it's absolutely necessary. For example, I don't run a filter on my kegerator CO2 system and I've never had a problem.

Re the airstone, if you're not running it inline (e.g. hard plumbed between chiller and fermenter, think about one of the wand style stones. They cost a little more but they're easier to get down to the bottom of the fermenter. The barbed ones on tubing tend to float up on you.

 

[Pezman1]

Why do you need to run oxygen instead of just normal air run through a hepa filter using an aquarium pump? It'll take longer to get the same amount of oxygen in it, but it'd be cheaper.

Two reasons:

You only have to run an 02 system about a minute for five gallons. You have to run it much longer than that with air, and foam starts to become a real issue.

You cannot acheive the same amount of dissolved 02 in solution with air as you can with pure 02. Air is only 21% oxygen, and no, running an air system 5 times as long as an 02 system doesn't make up the difference. I cannot explain the chemistry behind it, but its true.
Pez.

 

[adamreef]

Hi all,

I went the home depot option. I dropped the oxygen "regulator" (really just a valve) on my garage floor and dinged the edge ruining it.

I am going to do what I should have to begin with... a real oxygen tank and regulator. Harbor freight carries them. The O2 tank is $99 and the regulator is $35. The tank occasionally goes on sale for $85 and Harbor Freight always has 20% coupons floating around.

So, with coupons and sale prices, tank and regulator could be $85 + $35 = $120 - $24 (20% coupons) = $96 plus tax. Add another $10 or so for your first fill.

When you figure out the cost of the initial set up and the cost of replacement home depot cylinders over a couple of years of brewing, this is a no brainer. (at least IMHO).

Adam