siphon from Ferm bucket to Bottling bucket without Auto-Siphon

[Dawgbrew]

My kit didn't come with an Auto-siphon and it suggested that I put water in the tube to get it going. I don't mind doing this from the boiling pot to the Ferm bucket b/c I have to add 2.5 gal anyways, but my questions is will the little amount of water that I use to siphon screw up the beer once it's fermented and is being transferred from the ferm bucket to the bottling bucket?

ps today is my first HomeBrew!!!

 

[Dawgbrew]

I know about auto siphons! I'm just trying to use what I have at this point!

 

[Dahoov]

A little extra water shouldn't hurt anything. You can also start the siphon with a turkey baster. I did this before I got an auto siphon.

 

[smurfjuice]

Its a great investment.. :rockin: Well worth the $12.00, $ 15.00 bucks.

 

[kable]

I let this extra water (starsan in my case) and the first few ounces of beer run into another container and then I pinch off the tube and finish the siphon in my destination vessel.

 

[Dawgbrew]

thanks for the info! First Brew going well! Just added the Bitter hops for 40 mins

 

[KYB]

All you need to siphon is a tube. Stick one end in the beer, suck on the other end, and it starts flowing. Not difficult. I've been doing this for 2 years, not a single issue. Works every time. I've yet to see how spending $12 on something when it takes me 1 second to start it. I could make 5 gallons of beer instead. To each his own though.

 

[Conan]

TTYTT (to tell you the truth....) I've used an Autosiphon my entire brew career, illustrious as it's been, and am sub-pleased with it. Sure, it gets the beer a'flowin quickly and easily with no mouth contamination. Sure, it's easy to direct the 'in' end of the tube near trub-level at the end of the transfer. But here's what they don't tell you: the little bugger doesn't like to hang where I put it in carboys, so I always end up suckin some trub. The pumping required to get the flow going can, if I'm not careful, aerate the crap out of the beer. I'm only really concerned with this when I'm going to secondary or keg. Come to think of it that's the only time I use the thing anymore....and come to think of it a little more, I only use it to transfer to secondary. Anyway, I always end up with a little train of foamy bubbles running up the hose to the bend in the racking cane, getting stuck there and stopping flow. I have no idea how it happens, but I feel it's something to do with me not watching where the beer level is in regards to the business end of the siphon. Ah well, it's handy to have around and works pretty good for directing where exactly you're siphoning from.

So, how'd your brewday go, and what'd ya make? Kyle

 

[Yooper]

It's super easy to siphon without an auto siphon and without mouth contaminuation! Practice first, with some water, but it's super easy. Put water in the tubing/racking cane. Put your finger over the end. Release to start the flow. That's it! It takes practice, but I'm an old winemaker and perfected it with a few tries.

 

[sweet_corn]

I agree with Yooper. I have never used an autosiphon. I do the old water in siphon, finger over hose, let it go trick. I also drain the water into a separate container. Most of the time I use my tank sprayer to fill with starsan solution to sanitize. Easy as pie....

 

[Sean]

I boil the water first, I am not sure it that is understood. Then fill the tube and let er rip.

You do not need to use your mouth. Contamination would definately be an issue.

 

[sh00t]

sucking on the hose sucks but does work in a pinch... i started out that way then moved to the filling the tube with water and found it sucks too... auto-siphons are cheap, so do it one of the two previous ways but invest in an auto-siphon later. Again, this is just MY preference and TETO

 

[Dawgbrew]

For those who use the water tech, does the water or startsan effect the beer when you are about to bottle it? IF you drain that water in a separate container how do you stop the flow once it starts? Use the clamp? If so, sounds like you have to be quick so you don't loose beer?

Kyle- Whisky Stout

 

[Dawgbrew]

for those who use the water tech, does that water effect the beer that you are about to bottle when you are transferring from Ferm to Bottling bucket? If you put it in a separate container, how do you stop the flow once it starts, so you won't lose any beer? Hose clamp? If so, i guess you have to be quick.

Kyle-Whisky Stout

 

[kable]

The amount of water/starsan if very small for 5gal of water so I don't think it would be noticeable. But I just let mine drain into another container and have one of those clamps that hooks onto your siphon tube. Works really well. Just see the beer coming down the hose and push the clamp to close it, move it, press the clamp in a different area and it opens and off you go.

Another trick is the orange car boy caps. I guess you put your racking can in one whole in the cap and there is another whole that you blow air into and it pushes the beer up into the racking cane and gets the siphon started. I have never done this, is it sanitary? I assume you are slowing pushing in air, which is pushing down on the blanket of CO2 so maybe it is sanitary?

 

[KYB]

I boil the water first, I am not sure it that is understood. Then fill the tube and let er rip.

You do not need to use your mouth. Contamination would definately be an issue.

Why do people use water. Just suck on the tube. Sanitize the tube first and it will be fine. If you are really worried, spread some sanitizing solution on your lips. The only batch I have ever had infected was from the "airlock" being a piece of tupperware and blowing off being exposed in a cellar for days. Other than that, nothing, and I have used the simple siphon technique for 75 batches of beer.

 

[RM-MN]

Why do people use water. Just suck on the tube. Sanitize the tube first and it will be fine. If you are really worried, spread some sanitizing solution on your lips. The only batch I have ever had infected was from the "airlock" being a piece of tupperware and blowing off being exposed in a cellar for days. Other than that, nothing, and I have used the simple siphon technique for 75 batches of beer.

What do you suggest for sanitizing solution on your lips? I think perhaps beer would work but the alcohol content might be a little low so you might have to use a little more of it to get properly sanitized.

 

[jrconner384]

I've been home brewing for a little over two years, now, and an auto-siphon has always been part of my kit. Last fall, I had to replace my original siphon because the valve at the bottom of the tube popped out and I couldn't get it back in. I just racked a batch to secondary on Monday and the same thing happened again before I even managed to get any beer moved.

This time around, I tried harder to get the valve back in to place and I actually managed it, to my surprise. Unfortunately, the valve wouldn't stay mounted anymore so it was impossible to start a siphon.

Auto-siphons are cheap, sure, but you apparently get what you pay for.

I've looked around a bit for how to rack from a bucket without an auto-siphon and this thread has been the most helpful. Manually starting a siphon with water, sanitized water, a turkey baster, your mouth, etc. seems like the best thing to do; obviously use sanitized means before unsanitary means but it's good to know what can be done in a pinch.

If you're looking to rack out of a carboy, this thread has a great set of steps with pictures. The poster mentions preferring sucking on the cap to start the siphon is better than blowing but blowing is considered safe enough if you do it gently so as to not disturb the CO2 blanket.

Try not to drool in to the cap or hose

Cheers!