Help needed

[Jvdvlde92]

Hi all
Apologize as this is our first time winemaking
Have been watching a lot of videos
Just a question
We are making vineco Niagara mist home brew kit. We did the two weeks of sitting in the bucket and the hydrometer reading was good. So wanting to transfer into a carboy.
Now we have a buon vino jet filter for the wine. Would we use this now to transfer it from the bucket into the carboy? Or how else do we transfer it? The bucket doesn’t have a spigot.
Thanks and sorry for the (probably) annoying and dumb question!

 

[IAmPistolPete]

Personally I would rack it into the carboy & let it clear as much as possible on it's own before I filtered it. Fine filter pads can gunk up quick on a young brew. You can just siphon it if you don't have a pump. Be careful & avoid sloshing it around or it may oxidize. A good time to sulfite.

 

[mashdar]

"auto-syphon" may be the tool you need.

Put bucket high, carboy low, and start syphon with the auto-syphon pumping action.

Second considering sulfites, but I recommend some reading about it

 

[IAmPistolPete]

If only I had an auto-siphon 30 years ago when I was stealing gas outta Dad's Pontiac on a Saturday night

 

[IslandLizard]

Read up on how to rack properly, and do a few practice runs using plain water, to learn the method with your equipment.

One of the tricks is not sticking the siphon all the way onto the bottom. Suspend it somewhere midway between the surface and the bottom, then lower it as the level recedes, while preventing sucking air. This way the sediment (lees) won't be disturbed and stays on the bottom.
When there are only a few inches left, tilt the fermenter toward the siphon to keep the siphoning well deep. As soon as you see lees being picked up, stop the siphon, the transfer is completed. Depending on how much wine is left in the first/original fermenter, you could harvest it.

You want to prevent sucking air and thus "losing prime." So keep the bottom of the siphon well underneath the wine surface.

Most siphons allow you to clamp an diverter cap/tippy onto the bottom of the siphon/cane, so the wine enters from above, to reduce sucking up lees when you get near the bottom.

The end of the hose in the receiving vessel should stay underneath the surface, to avoid splashing, as that would incorporate air into your wine, potentially oxidizing it.

Gently stirring in some meta powder will help prevent oxidation.

I don't like auto siphons because of how it exposes the wine to air when priming it. I prefer a regular racking cane, but one need to learn how to prime it. Use a bucket with water to get the method down to a T.

 

[mashdar]

I never had air exposure issues with auto-syphon. What's the concern?

 

[IslandLizard]

I never had air exposure issues with auto-syphon. What's the concern?

You're right, if stored and used correctly there are usually no issues. But I've seen videos where they use it like bicycle pump.

Also, the outer and inner tube should be stored apart, not assembled!
Reason is: when they are stored assembled, the rubber plunger can/will get deformed, and it may take a few pumps to get it straightened out, pumping air into the beer while doing so.

Best to pre-prime using a (small) container or bucket with Starsan, to make sure it works as intended.