Isn't using an auto siphon supposed to be easy?

[TxBigHops]

I bottled my first batch today - what a disaster! First problem was I couldn't get a siphon started with my racking cane. After numerous attempts I decided to run out to a nearby LHBS and buy an auto siphon. It took more work than I expected, but I finally got it going. Also, seemed like it only worked when I pumped it fast, and it made a lot of bubbles. I was worried that it was aerating the beer. Next problem was because my beer was pretty dark, I couldn't tell where the bottom of the siphon was located. Next time I will make a mark on the tube so I will know how deep I can go without plunging it into the trub. Next problem, it kept stopping and I would have to restart it. Possibly I had the wrong type of tubing (silicon) because it didn't seem to fit as snugly over the cane as it should have. I didn't have this problem when I racked from primary to secondary, so I'm not really sure what the issue was. I guess the cane on the auto siphon was a little smaller that the racking cane I used before. The last time that it stopped, I was unable to start it at all, leaving at least 4-5 bottles of beer in the bottom of the carboy. I have attached a picture of the amount left behind.

Is it normal to leave this much beer behind using an auto siphon?

Could I have been doing something wrong with my process of using the auto siphon? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bamsdealer]

If you were bottling straight from the carboy, make sure the plunger on your bottling wand is depressed when using the auto siphon. Otherwise, the air in your tubing has no where to go and you're trying to pump liquid in an already occupied space.

You can prop one end of your carboy with a book to get most of the beer out, but you risk rousing up sediment too.

Another trick is to keep the auto siphon a good ways into the liquid when you pump. A pump or two is all you should really need before the liquid does all the work.

Practice with some water after this. If you're still having issues, it's probably a defective siphon.

 

[mtnagel]

I used to have a bunch of problems with my auto siphon to, but what I've learned:

1. Make sure the end of the outlet tube is below the bottom of the auto siphon in the carboy/bucket.
2. Make sure the tubing attached to the auto siphon is tight. You don't want any air getting in.
3. Use keg lube on the rubber gasket on the raking cane. You don't want any air getting in.
4. Mark the tube with a sharpie so you know how far the bottom of the auto siphon is.
5. Tip the carboy/bucket so you can get most of the beer out.

Since I've done these, I never have any issues with my auto siphon.

 

[BrewCrewKevin]

No, it should be working much better than that. Here's the common problems to watch out for:

1) Butterfly valve in the bottom of the cane. There is a small one-way valve. If that falls out, it's a pain in the *** to get back in, you may as well buy a new autosiphon in my opinion. Some people are able to get them in with double sided tape and a dowel or something, but it's tricky.

2) Keep the cap on the bottom of it or it will get clogged up with trub.

3) If the hose to cane leaks air, it will not hold a siphon.

4) Obviously you still need to be going from higher to lower.

Once it works properly, you'll be happy with it. I definitely am, but they take some getting used to. You should be able to pick it up once, push it down once, and it will push the wort/beer up the hose and begin the siphon.

 

[johnsnownw]

I've never had an issue with an auto-siphon. I will recommend that you invest in the racking adapter for better-bottles. If you do, you'll never have this issue again.

 

[The Moravian]

air bubbles in the line is a hose to siphon air leak. mine does the same thing. i am going to put a hose clamp on it the next time i use it

 

[Clonefan94]

Looks like a lot of extra crud in the better bottle. Were there loose hops in there? The autosiphon is a dream to use, but they will clog easily, when they get clogged, they suck air down the large tube from the top and it squeezes past the stopper on the racking cane and you get a lot of bubbles.

Next time, get a paint strainer bag from home depot, cut part of it off, sanitize that and a rubber band and put that around the bottom of the autosiphon to keep the crud out. If you are seeing air bubbles in the line, usually it means the opening to let the beer in is clogged.

 

[mattmmille]

My first couple of times using the siphon were a learning experience, too! I agree with the other suggestions here. Having never used one before, I had trouble getting the flow going...much like you describe. I found that you do need to draw liquid into the siphon and then you need to be pressing on the racking cane tip while you press the siphon handle back down. Worked like a charm! It helps to have a helper to get it started.

The amount of beer left in your carboy is correct. The removable cap on the end of the siphon is designed to keep you from drawing in the sediment off the bottom. As someone once advised when I first started, it's better to lose a few ounces of beer than to spoil it with a bunch of trub! If this is nice, clean stuff that has been racked, cleared and is ready to bottle, then you can remove the tip and tilt the carboy and carefully prop it with something like a wallet, a boxed deck of cards, the lid to a couple of dvd cases, etc., so that you can remove as much liquid as possible. Happy brewing!

 

[TxBigHops]

Thanks guys. First off, I may not have been clear but I was racking from the carboy into my bottling bucket, and yes the bucket was below the counter top.

I will look for some keg lube next time I'm at the LHBS to ensure I have a good seal between the gasket and the outer tube.

I definitely think that I didn't have a good seal between the racking cane and the tubing. I'll use a hose clamp next time. I assume that this is why I couldn't keep the siphon going and had so much trouble once the beer level was low.

I did leave the cap on the bottom of the outer tube. I assume the butterfly valve was working properly because when cleaning there was no water coming out the bottom of the siphon.

I'll put something larger under the carboy next time to prop it up a little higher.

johnsnownw, are you referring to the auto siphon clip to attach it to the top of the bottle? I actually had planned to get one of those when I bought the auto siphon, but I was stressed out and in a hurry, and forgot it until after I had left the LHBS. That would have freed up one of my hands and definitely made for an easier time of it.

I will definitely test out the auto siphon with water after I lube it and clamp it to make sure it's not defective.

 

[johnsnownw]

johnsnownw, are you referring to the auto siphon clip to attach it to the top of the bottle? I actually had planned to get one of those when I bought the auto siphon, but I was stressed out and in a hurry, and forgot it until after I had left the LHBS. That would have freed up one of my hands and definitely made for an easier time of it.

Nope, talking about this little guy:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/better-bottle-racking-adapter.html

You'd have to purchase the simple-flow valve along with it...well and add a port to your current better bottle.. I just prefer it over the racking cane...and since you're already using a better bottle...

 

[TxBigHops]

Looks like a lot of extra crud in the better bottle. Were there loose hops in there? The autosiphon is a dream to use, but they will clog easily, when they get clogged, they suck air down the large tube from the top and it squeezes past the stopper on the racking cane and you get a lot of bubbles.

Next time, get a paint strainer bag from home depot, cut part of it off, sanitize that and a rubber band and put that around the bottom of the autosiphon to keep the crud out. If you are seeing air bubbles in the line, usually it means the opening to let the beer in is clogged.

Yes, there are a lot of hops in there. That's another lesson I learned with this beer. Next time I dry hop I will use a hop bag. I'm also building a hop spider for my brew kettle. Gotta do a better job of keeping all that junk out of my beer.

Even thought I made a ton of mistakes with my first brew, I have learned about a dozen things that I will do differently from now on. So even if this beer ends up sucking, it will still be worth it for all the lessons learned. Many thanks to all of you here on HBT who have helped me out with my numerous questions over the past few weeks!

 

[TNGabe]

The ID of the tubing needs to be 1/16" smaller than the OD of the racking cane. You'll need to dip the tubing in very hot to boiling water the first time (or first couple times) you put the tubing on the racking cane. If you used tubing where the ID is the same as the OD on the cane, after several uses it will no longer seal well enough to maintain the siphon. If you attempt to remedy this with a hose clamp, you will eventually crack the racking cane, and then you're going to be stuck mid-transfer with a broken racking cane.

If you are careful, you should leave only a few ounces of beer behind at most. When a few inches of beer remain in the carboy, carefuly tilt the carboy and place an object underneath it to maintain the tilt. I use a small metal bowl to hold one side up around 3". Works like a charm.

As mentioned above, a paint strainer bag works great if there is a lot of hop matter, fruit, etc. I don't bother to cut the bag down and prefer to use fishing line rather than a rubber band.

 

[Queequeg]

I don't know if it been said already but before you siphon, pipette 20 of so ml of beer into the space between the cane and the outer tube of the auto- siphon. The air ingress is from around the seal between the two. If you fill this with just a little beer is will draw beer and not air.

Also store is in parts as to keep the sections straight.