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[rslayback]

Trying to figure out how to keep the auto siphon centered in the carboy during bottle fill, otherwise it keeps moving around kicking up nasties from the bottom. All ideas would be appreciated, as I ran out of them.

 

[Pkrd]

Decant into a bottling bucket.

 

[Cyclman]

I just put mine in the "nasties" the cap on the autosiphon keeps them out. Or, raise it up off the bottom a bit, I got a clip at my homebrewshop that does that. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...vptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_2s6k055dvg_b

 

[bernardsmith]

These clips work.

 

[Yooper]

After making wine for more than 25 years, I still rack to a bottling bucket almost all of the time. It makes life so much easier!

If there are still lees in the bottom of the carboy, the wine isn't ready to be bottled anyway, though. Wine is ready to be bottled when it's clear and has gone at least 60 days without any new lees in the bottom of the carboy. If there are lees, it's almost impossible to bottle with a siphon and it may drop more lees in the bottle.

 

[bernardsmith]

But Yooper, racking from one secondary to another even if there is no intention to bottle still means that you may have to keep the siphon rod above the sediment. If there is just a dusting the end fitting may keep the siphon off the bottom sufficiently to avoid sucking in lees but if there is a half inch or so I am not sure how you can successfully keep the transferred wines as clear as possible unless you have some way to keep the siphon at a height you determine and not a height determined by the manufacturer of the siphon. A bottling bucket assumes the solution and is not, IMO, the solution itself.

 

[Yooper]

But Yooper, racking from one secondary to another even if there is no intention to bottle still means that you may have to keep the siphon rod above the sediment. If there is just a dusting the end fitting may keep the siphon off the bottom sufficiently to avoid sucking in lees but if there is a half inch or so I am not sure how you can successfully keep the transferred wines as clear as possible unless you have some way to keep the siphon at a height you determine and not a height determined by the manufacturer of the siphon. A bottling bucket assumes the solution and is not, IMO, the solution itself.

Of course you do. But if you're not bottling, you don't have your hands full at that time. It's easy to rack when you have both hands free, and I can rack a full carboy so that the light dusting of lees stays put without being disturbed. I tilt the carboy slightly, generally.

But trying to hold the siphon still, even with a clip, and trying to bottle at the same time means that it's almost impossible to avoid sucking up lees since you just don't have enough hands for that.

 

[bernardsmith]

Fifteen , Love. Good point, Yooper.

 

[RegarRenill]

I tilt my carboys, as well, but after one decided to roll on my when the wine level dropped I made a "cradle" for them...it's roughly the same angle as the wedges you can buy from a hbs. I'm up to 4 made, thinking about making a 5th. If you guys like it, I'll post it in the DIY forum and post the link here...