Syphon or tap?

[NickW]

Hi all.

I've started to ferment in youngs buckets instead of the carboys as the carboys didn't fit into my brew fridge.

They have a tap on, is it preferable to sanitise the tap with starsan... attach some sanitised tubing and open up the tap to transfer into my bottling bucket? Or should I still be syphoning?

 

[markmark]

Fermenters with taps are great
As you say, sanitise the tap and your tube....hook them up and away you go. You have to tilt the fermenter gently towards the end of transfer to get the last few litres out, but that's no biggie.
Make sure your tube reaches to the bottom of whatever you are transferring to, this will minimise splashing and oxidation.

 

[NickW]

Thanks, I thought it'd be fine but was just a little worried about air blipping up through the tap into the beer therefore causing oxidization.

All good then :thumb:

 

[Runwell-Steve]

I use a tap on my fermenters.

Make sure you remove the tap between each batch and give it, and the hole in the bucket a good clean.

 

[NickW]

I use a tap on my fermenters.

Make sure you remove the tap between each batch and give it, and the hole in the bucket a good clean.

Will do I did last time, just need to make a habbit of it as I sometimes forget :whistle:

 

[kwazulu]

I was nervous about the trub getting into my bottles because the tap is at the bottom of the FV, but now I am beginning to regret my decision to go tapless. anyone know how far from the bottom of the FV the tap should be installed? might have to retrofit one.

 

[boozy_shoes]

I was nervous about the trub getting into my bottles because the tap is at the bottom of the FV, but now I am beginning to regret my decision to go tapless. anyone know how far from the bottom of the FV the tap should be installed? might have to retrofit one.

Just enough for the end of the tap not to be touching the floor / surface the FV is on. I've found the best way to fit a tap is roughly mark out with ohp or dry wipe marker where the tap thread needs to go, drill as big with as you've got then use a rat tail file to slowly widen the hole out and get a snug fit.

 

[rpt]

I have two identical FVs, both with a tap. I use the tap to take hydrometer samples during fermentation. I also use the tap with the little bottler when using an FV as a bottling bucket. But I always use my auto syphon to transfer between vessels. I can't think of a really good reason not to use the tap with some hose although I think the dead space will be less with the syphon even though it has a sediment trap.