Starting a siphon

[bfgcdub]

So I'm getting ready to bottle soon and it just dawned on me that I'm not sure what to start the siphon with. I don't have an auto siphon.
I plan on submerging the hose in starsan and siphoning some starsan through the hose to sanitize it. But once this is done, what do I do? Should I leave the hose primed with starsan to transfer the beer to my bottling bucket? Should I prime the hose with water? Should I just submerge the hose in the beer and prime with the beer (worried about infection if I do it this way)?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Evan_L]

You had it, leave it full of starsan to prime it and start the siphon for you...obviously not letting it run into your bottling bucket until the beer starts flowing.

 

[Evan_L]

I would also recommend putting the priming sugar solution into the bucket first and racking on top of it. Definitely spring for an autosiphon, they are so worth it!

 

[flars]

The book "The Joy of Homebrewing" has a section on how siphons work the most efficiently.

 

[woozy]

Prime the hose with sanitizing solution.

I wish I could find the video that explained this, but this is what I do:

I recommend practicing a few times (with water) before bottling day.

*Getting started. Getting the siphon full of liquid.*
Fill a pot (about a 2 gallon pasta pot or something similar to it) with a gallon or two of sanitizing solution. Take off the racking cane bottom (the piece that prevents trub) and put it in the pot. Sanitize the outside of the racking cane and place it in the pot. (Don't worry about the inside yet). Place the tubing into the pot. Roll up your sleaves and stick your hands in the pot and coil the tubing releasing all the air bubbles as you do so. Keeping the tubing under water (well "under solution" sounds wierd so I'll just say "under water" from now on) attach the racking cane, without the anti-trub tip, to the tubing. You know have the racking cane attached to the tubing, the tubing is full of solution and so is the last inch or two of the racking cane and tubing and end of the racking cane is under water but the foot of the racking cane is probably sticking up out of the solution. Do get the image? Good.

*Getting the fermenter, the bottling bucket, and spill-off pot in place*
Place your fermenter next to the pot of solution with the tubing and cane. Get a second pot or a bowl and put it on the floor. Get your (sanitized) bottling bucket and put it on the floor.

*Getting the siphon going one way (the opposite way)*
Take your tubing that is under water and pinch the end closed and keep it under water with one hand. With your other hand take the racking cane and hold it over the pot. Unpinch the closed end of the tubing. A siphon will start and solution will flow from the end of the tubing, through the tubing, and out the base of the racking cane into the pot on the floor. Note: 1) This is the *opposite* direction than the beer is going to go. 2) Because this is sanitizing solution, the inside of your racking cane has now been sanitized!


*stop. Get the siphon going the right way and siphon out the beer*
Pinch closed the the tubing. The suction with the pinched closed tubing keeps the tubing and the can full of solution. Keep the tubing pinched closed. Attach the anti-trub tip to the cane. Place the cane into the fermenter. Keep the tubing pinched closed. Take the pinched end of the tubing and place it over the pot on the floor. Unpinch. A siphon will flow from the ferment, through the racking cane, out the tubing and into the pot on the floor. At first the flow will be all sanitizing solution but in an instant it will switch to beer. When the beer comes out of the tube, pinch it closed, place the tube over the bottling bucket, unpinch it, and let the beer flow. Tada.

A pinched hose clamp may help.

----
There you go. I apologize for the verbosity but I wanted to make this perfectly clear. It's hard to visualize and seems involved but once you do it and see it, each step becomes obvious and clear in it's purpose.

Good luck.

 

[Evan_L]

Oh yeah, and it's beer now, not wort, so oxygenation is no bueno! Make sure the tip of the siphon reaches the bottom of the bottling bucket so there is no splashing!

 

[ImNoExpert]

I always started just using my mouth and never had an issue. You could also use vodka to "sanitize" your mouth first. That was before I got the auto siphon. Auto siphon is SO much easier and done in one shot. I suggest the clip that can be bought to hold it to the bucket/carboy. Very easy to hold the tube with one hand and start the siphon with the other.

 

[Evan_L]

Started with your mouth....

 

[ScottG58]

I start the siphon with the bottom half of a ball point pen that has been sanitized. Sanitize the pen part. Put the tapered end in the tubing. Start the siphon by suction on the large end. Remove the pen part when the liquid gets close to the pen part.

 

[bfgcdub]

Prime the hose with sanitizing solution.

I wish I could find the video that explained this, but this is what I do:

I recommend practicing a few times (with water) before bottling day.

*Getting started. Getting the siphon full of liquid.*
Fill a pot (about a 2 gallon pasta pot or something similar to it) with a gallon or two of sanitizing solution. Take off the racking cane bottom (the piece that prevents trub) and put it in the pot. Sanitize the outside of the racking cane and place it in the pot. (Don't worry about the inside yet). Place the tubing into the pot. Roll up your sleaves and stick your hands in the pot and coil the tubing releasing all the air bubbles as you do so. Keeping the tubing under water (well "under solution" sounds wierd so I'll just say "under water" from now on) attach the racking cane, without the anti-trub tip, to the tubing. You know have the racking cane attached to the tubing, the tubing is full of solution and so is the last inch or two of the racking cane and tubing and end of the racking cane is under water but the foot of the racking cane is probably sticking up out of the solution. Do get the image? Good.

*Getting the fermenter, the bottling bucket, and spill-off pot in place*
Place your fermenter next to the pot of solution with the tubing and cane. Get a second pot or a bowl and put it on the floor. Get your (sanitized) bottling bucket and put it on the floor.

*Getting the siphon going one way (the opposite way)*
Take your tubing that is under water and pinch the end closed and keep it under water with one hand. With your other hand take the racking cane and hold it over the pot. Unpinch the closed end of the tubing. A siphon will start and solution will flow from the end of the tubing, through the tubing, and out the base of the racking cane into the pot on the floor. Note: 1) This is the *opposite* direction than the beer is going to go. 2) Because this is sanitizing solution, the inside of your racking cane has now been sanitized!

*stop. Get the siphon going the right way and siphon out the beer*
Pinch closed the the tubing. The suction with the pinched closed tubing keeps the tubing and the can full of solution. Keep the tubing pinched closed. Attach the anti-trub tip to the cane. Place the cane into the fermenter. Keep the tubing pinched closed. Take the pinched end of the tubing and place it over the pot on the floor. Unpinch. A siphon will flow from the ferment, through the racking cane, out the tubing and into the pot on the floor. At first the flow will be all sanitizing solution but in an instant it will switch to beer. When the beer comes out of the tube, pinch it closed, place the tube over the bottling bucket, unpinch it, and let the beer flow. Tada.

A pinched hose clamp may help.

----
There you go. I apologize for the verbosity but I wanted to make this perfectly clear. It's hard to visualize and seems involved but once you do it and see it, each step becomes obvious and clear in it's purpose.

Good luck.

Your directions were perfect. I followed them to the letter and it worked flawlessly (after a little practice). Thank you and the other posters for your assistance. Now the hard part... Waiting