starting a siphon

[tbulger]

i suck at racking (pun intended) is there any way to start a siphon with a turkey bastor?

 

[Pabst Blue Robot]

I suppose, but the bulb might not create enough vacuum though. I just use my mouth.

 

[tbulger]

actually while im at the racking process does any one else have trouble connecting the hose to the racking cane and the spigot on the bottling bucket? its a pita for me and i feel like i may break my bottling spigot.

 

[Pabst Blue Robot]

I've never used the spigot to rack before, the yeast builds up in there anyway. Just put the cane into the bucket (attach the hose first so you don't stir up the yeast, warm water helps) and attach the other end of the hose to the cane inserted through the carboy cap. Suck in on the other side of the carboy cap and wah-lah, instant siphon. I use the reverse method when going from the carboy to the keg/bottle. (blow in the other side) You will need a second racking cane for this but it's cheap insurance.

 

[ajf]

The easiest way to start a siphon is with an auto-siphon. One of the few cheap gadgets that really works.

To attach the hose to the cane, soak the hose in hot water for a few minutes to make it pliable. It then goes on much more easily.

-a.

 

[Mike B]

Or just fill the tube and cane with water, and use that to start your siphon . . .

 

[Lord Sterrock Hammerson 8]

Or just fill the tube and cane with water, and use that to start your siphon . . .

Works great.

 

[Terrence]

My brother and I had a really, really, frustrating experience with racking today. Racking from the Ale Pail to the carboy was cake. Today we tried to rack from the carboy to a bucket with a spigot for bottling, and the siphon kept dying. The cane was too long and at too steep of an angle to keep a siphon. We had to tip the carboy over to get a siphon, so we pretty much wasted two weeks of clarifying in the carboy. The yeast was sloshing all over the place. We got our beer in bottles without wasting too much, but it was a real pita!

What were we doing wrong here? Did we need a longer hose or something?

 

[Pumbaa]

Or just fill the tube and cane with water, and use that to start your siphon . . .

thats what I do

 

[Kadmium]

I use my mouth to suck on the siphon to start it, but somthing the LHBS guy taught me was..

I connect the tubing to the racking cane, and put the cane into my carboy / bucket. I ALSO have a larger diameter piece of tubing about 2 inches long attatched to the other end of the tubing that you suck on. Suck on this bit of tubing and when it starts to head down the tube towards your mouth, just pluck the bit you are sucking right off! that way your mouth never touches the actual siphon tubing, but more like an insulator! works extremely easy, costs about 20 cents, and almost garuntees that you will never get an infection from sucking on the siphon

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

i suck at racking (pun intended) is there any way to start a siphon with a turkey bastor?

two options. Using a carboy? You can buy a carboy cap, the kind with two openings on it, and blow in one end to start the siphon, basically, adding positive pressure to the "other end", to make the siphon go. Those cost about a buck fifty. The other option is to buy a siphon pump. Seriously. They're less than ten bucks. I started brewing "on the cheap" like most people, but the auto-siphon is nice enough it actually inspired a new brew-rule for me- I will not deal with a pain in the arse if a solution can be had for less than $10. There just comes a point that you're a fool for not taking the easy solution. No offense intended, but for less than $10 can you really justify not having one?