FlyGuy's T-siphon: a $3 replacement for an autosiphon

[FlyGuy]

I congratulate you on your inginuity, but why do you find the autosyphon difficult to clean?

To clean/sanitize and autosyphon all you have to do is put it in a bucket of sanitizer and pump it once to get the hose filled up and let it sit.

I think your contraption (which is a variation of a simple sprayer) would be more difficult (with more parts) to clean/sanitize.

Sorry, not difficult. Just awkward since it is so long.

But actually, now that I spent a wopping $3 and got a wallpaper tray, it is pretty easy. So I use both.

 

[CollinsBrew]

This works great....however, how do you keep your tubing from curling up?? I got about half of my wort siphoned to secondary when the bottom of the tubing floated to the top and lost suction. It turned out to be a real PITA!

Is there a way to keep this from happening? Or better yet, is there a way to straighten out the tubing so that it goes all the way to the bottom of the carboy?

 

[FlyGuy]

No, I haven't had this problem. I am not sure what kind of tubing I use, but it stays pretty straight. I have also used it with a racking cane, but the idea doesn't work as well then because the added length/height of the siphon makes it harder to start.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Sorry, not difficult. Just awkward since it is so long.

But actually, now that I spent a wopping $3 and got a wallpaper tray, it is pretty easy. So I use both.

So, you had to buy extra equipment...that cost should come up to the price of an autosyphon...

I'll stick with my AS it's easier to use and clean. Thanks.

 

[CollinsBrew]

I own an autosiphon as well but the carboy that I had my Oatmeal Stout in was given to me by someone and the opening at the top wasn't large enough for my autosiphon to fit into. I'm going to have to get another one I think because my beer thief won't fit into this one either which makes taking a sample for gravity readings a PITA as well.

Because of this, I ended up having to pour my stout into secondary....slowly. I hope I didn't cause it any damage. I think what will help the curling up of this new tubing is to put it in some really hot water to soften it and then stretch it out straight.

 

[FlyGuy]

Sorry, not difficult. Just awkward since it is so long.

But actually, now that I spent a wopping $3 and got a wallpaper tray, it is pretty easy. So I use both.

So, you had to buy extra equipment...that cost should come up to the price of an autosyphon...

I'll stick with my AS it's easier to use and clean. Thanks.

Actually, no, I think you misunderstood. The additional cost of the wallpaper tray was for the autosiphon to allow for easier cleaning and sanitization. That actually INCREASES the cost differential!

 

[Schlenkerla]

This is cool. I thought of something similar before I bought an auto syphon.

I was thinking about using a $5 fish tank air pump.

• Use the carboy cap method, the cane in the airlock hole and push air into the blow off hole
  
  OR
  
• Do Flyguys idea with the pump doing the sucking.

I don't like sucking on anything other than a bottle of beer or fine cigar.

Ok - a hooter too.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Actually, no, I think you misunderstood. The additional cost of the wallpaper tray was for the autosiphon to allow for easier cleaning and sanitization. That actually INCREASES the cost differential!

Ah! I can see that if you disconnect the hose from the cane, but I don't. I just put the AS in the bucket of sanitizer and pump it once to fill the hose and just let it sit there for a few minutes before using.

 

[FlyGuy]

Ah! I can see that if you disconnect the hose from the cane, but I don't. I just put the AS in the bucket of sanitizer and pump it once to fill the hose and just let it sit there for a few minutes before using.

Yes, right. I take the whole thing apart and wash every surface.

I had a nasty wild yeast contamination from a bad no-boil wort kit once, and it infected all my plastic equipment. I ruined a few batches of beer before I threw out all my plastic equipment. Ever since then I am a maniac about cleaning plastic. So perhaps I go overboard, but honestly, with a bottle washer and a wallpaper tray, neither the siphon hose or the autosiphon are that hard to clean. It just takes a bit of extra time (especially for the AS). But I am always in a hurry, too, so I tend to use the t-siphon more than my autosiphon now.

 

[Schlenkerla]

If you do fly guys idea....... what if you used your bottle filler as the sucking piece. It will automatically check when you release the lip lock.

:rockin:

 

[Got Trub?]

This is cool. I thought of something similar before I bought an auto syphon.

I was thinking about using a $5 fish tank air pump.

• Use the carboy cap method, the cane in the airlock hole and push air into the blow off hole
  
  OR
  
• Do Flyguys idea with the pump doing the sucking.

I don't like sucking on anything other than a bottle of beer or fine cigar.

Ok - a hooter too.

I've been using the aquarium pump method with good success. In fact I can rack from one container to another with both at the same level as there is enough pressure to overcome the head differential.

 

[Schlenkerla]

I might just have to try this air pump idea for simplicity of it all.

 

[CollinsBrew]

To get this to work better, do you need to pinch closed the hose going into the new vessel? I wasn't getting enough suction with it open.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Yes, right. I take the whole thing apart and wash every surface.

I had a nasty wild yeast contamination from a bad no-boil wort kit once, and it infected all my plastic equipment. I ruined a few batches of beer before I threw out all my plastic equipment. Ever since then I am a maniac about cleaning plastic. So perhaps I go overboard, but honestly, with a bottle washer and a wallpaper tray, neither the siphon hose or the autosiphon are that hard to clean. It just takes a bit of extra time (especially for the AS). But I am always in a hurry, too, so I tend to use the t-siphon more than my autosiphon now.

Ah, impatience...is a killer.

I don't even take the spigot on my bottling bucket apart. I have 2 that haven't been apart in 10+ years. The sanitizer fills in all the voids brew can get into. I don't worry about contamination there since the sanitizer is in there longer than the brew.

 

[abracadabra]

This works great....however, how do you keep your tubing from curling up?? I got about half of my wort siphoned to secondary when the bottom of the tubing floated to the top and lost suction. It turned out to be a real PITA!

Is there a way to keep this from happening? Or better yet, is there a way to straighten out the tubing so that it goes all the way to the bottom of the carboy?

In addition to the hot water allowing the tube to become softer a hair dryer will soften it up as well.

If you put a weight on one end of the tubing and hang the other end up high letting the tubing hang straight and storing it that way the tube will automatically tend to want to be straight just like it wants to curl up if you store it curled.

 

[brewerdave]

I just built one of these yesterday, and it works like a charm! I found that instead of putting the clamp on the hose that you are sucking on, it works better if you clamp the hose that goes in your bottling bucket to start the siphon. When the beer gets to the tee, just pinch the hose in your mouth closed and release the clamp on the hose in the bottling bucket. Great idea, though. Thanks Fly Guy!

 

[FlyGuy]

I just built one of these yesterday, and it works like a charm! I found that instead of putting the clamp on the hose that you are sucking on, it works better if you clamp the hose that goes in your bottling bucket to start the siphon. When the beer gets to the tee, just pinch the hose in your mouth closed and release the clamp on the hose in the bottling bucket. Great idea, though. Thanks Fly Guy!

Yes, that's what I am doing now, too. Glad it worked out for you, and thanks for posting the tip.

 

[brewerdave]

No problem. You're the one who posted this idea in the first place, so thanks again!:rockin:

 

[eddie]

This works great....however, how do you keep your tubing from curling up?? I got about half of my wort siphoned to secondary when the bottom of the tubing floated to the top and lost suction. It turned out to be a real PITA!

Is there a way to keep this from happening? Or better yet, is there a way to straighten out the tubing so that it goes all the way to the bottom of the carboy?

If you want to straighten out your vinyl hose, you can put it in a pot of hot water for a couple of seconds (about 10 or so) then hang it up so the entire length is off the ground. The tube will soften from the heat and gravity will straighten it. Once cooled, it should remain straight.

 

[Kai]

I'm making one. Go you.

 

[FSR402]

I hate to bring up an old thread like this but what about the air that is in the tube you are sucking on? You know, the air that the beer is flowing past.

I like the idea of this thing and I'm sure it works well but I see people here that worry about the little air pocket where the racking cain meets the hose. This is a LARGE air pocket.

 

[explosivebeer]

I hate to bring up an old thread like this but what about the air that is in the tube you are sucking on? You know, the air that the beer is flowing past.

I like the idea of this thing and I'm sure it works well but I see people here that worry about the little air pocket where the racking cain meets the hose. This is a LARGE air pocket.

I haven't tried this yet but I'm going to put one together soon. Once clamped though, the middle hose is pressure neutral and the air in there shouldn't be mixing with the flow that's going past. Theoretically.

Regardless, if you're kegging, it shouldn't matter since any potential aeration would get purged with CO2. If you're bottling, it's a slightly bigger concern but I don't think it would have a major impact.

Great idea FlyGuy.

 

[Pez]

To to be safe, just before you siphon, gargle with a fine Scotch or Bourbon and be sure to swallow it. To be doubly safe, do it twice...And if you want Triple Safety, well, you know the drill.

Good point! that oughta kill the germs

 

[dstar26t]

Bumping an old thread but you could save $.99 by using a binder clip (if available at your work/office) instead of a hose clamp.

 

[Aleforge]

Bumping an old thread but you could save $.99 by using a binder clip (if available at your work/office) instead of a hose clamp.

Wait... are you promoting stealing office supplies from the workplace! Who would do such a thing!

 

[dstar26t]

Wait... are you promoting stealing office supplies from the workplace!

Yes. I'll consider it this year's bonus

 

[Panagiotis]

A small improvement to a great idea (thanks Fly Guy)
Tested yesterday for siphoning & bottling....works like a charm!!

 

[hellbender]

If you try it, let me know if it worked for you! I wish I had figured this out years ago!

I finally got around to trying it and it worked like a dream. Good clean siphon . . . . better than any other method I have used. Thank you!

 

[Special Hops]

Nice - I am going to have to give this a try.

 

[Keating]

Put your hose clamp about 2" from the T.
Once the wort/beer flows past the T, suck enough wort/beer into the 3rd hose to reach the clamp and clamp through the wort/beer.

The only exposure to air will be the 1/4-1/2oz in the 3rd hose that will be dumped/flushed out when you rinse/clean the rig.

P

I like the idea of this thing and I'm sure it works well but I see people here that worry about the little air pocket where the racking cain meets the hose. This is a LARGE air pocket.