how to top up secondary?

[ThePrisoner]

1 gallon jar is about ready to transfer to secondary.
This will leave a little more headroom but I have nothing to top it up with.
Water will dilute it and isn't sterile, apple juice will re-add sugar, and no other cider to add.
Any recommendations for what to do as leaving too much headroom will allow oxidization?

 

[chapman_164]

Sanitize some marbles and drop them in?

 

[Maylar]

It's a problem with 1 gallon batches, there's no appropriate size of carboy to rack to. I wish somebody made a 3 quart jug.

What I usually do is rack to another 1 gallon jug and hope for the best. I figure as long as fermentation is in process there will be at least some positive pressure to keep out oxygen. I also purge the headspace with CO2 before installing the airlock. I won't go more than a couple weeks before bottling though. Haven't had a problem yet.

I looked for marbles at the local toy store and they're outrageously expensive. I did find some glass "rocks" intended for flower arrangements in a crafts store, but haven't used any yet.

It gets easier when your batch sizes get a little bigger.

 

[DaMonkey]

1 gallon jar is about ready to transfer to secondary.
This will leave a little more headroom but I have nothing to top it up with.
Water will dilute it and isn't sterile, apple juice will re-add sugar, and no other cider to add.
Any recommendations for what to do as leaving too much headroom will allow oxidization?

You can top it off with juice the little extra fermentation won't do anything bad.

But if you can't/don't want to top it off then just add k-meta and sorbate then you don't need to top it off and there is no risk of oxidation.

 

[menerdari]

I never top up secondary and have never had a problem, but I don't leave anything in secondary any longer than I need to.