Syphon or Tap

[JFB]

What do you folk use to empty your FV's? and why?

I have two large FV's with taps and a small glass carboy and small plastic FV without. Which shock horror I syphon using the suck method
I was thinking of getting an auto syphon for all and doing away with taps(bust a lid on one FV last week).
Any thoughts?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Since reading the "Don't suck the syphon to get it started" post in the do and don't thread i started using a short length of sypon tube with a syphon tap on the end to connect it temporarily to the main syphon tube, i use this to start the syphon then remove it as the wine starts to flow down the main tube.


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[dweb]

Up until yesterday I`ve been using an auto syphon but just before I began to empty my fv into my cornie,I broke the end of the syphon,so had to suck to get it started.To be honest,I don`t think I`ll get a new 1 as it`s a bit of a pita.I might just add a tap to the fv and drain it through that from now on.

 

[JFB]

Since reading the "Don't suck the syphon to get it started" post in the do and don't thread i started using a short length of sypon tube with a syphon tap on the end to connect it temporarily to the main syphon tube, i use this to start the syphon then remove it as the wine starts to flow down the main tube.


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That would seem a good cheap option:thumb:

 

[JFB]

Up until yesterday I`ve been using an auto syphon but just before I began to empty my fv into my cornie,I broke the end of the syphon,so had to suck to get it started.To be honest,I don`t think I`ll get a new 1 as it`s a bit of a pita.I might just add a tap to the fv and drain it through that from now on.

It is quick and easy with the tap.I was just thinking a tap looks a good place for beasties to grow? And i keep bating about the idea of using glass carboys like the yanks instead of the plastic.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I forgot to add I do sanitise the short tube and Syphon tap just in case the flow is faster than my reactions. :lol:

 

[DoctorMick]

I prefer taps, I find it easier to take samples and to transfer to a bottling bucket (via a length of tubing). I used to use a syphon before I got a main FV with a tap and never really liked syphoning.

 

[yeastinfection]

i use the tap for samples, but a syphon with a spring loaded stop to bottle with.

 

[Leon103]

I use a sypthon but it does my head in, I have a clip to hold it in place but I think my problem is my tube is coiled so curls up in the fv so I struggle to get to the bottom. May invest in a new fv for bottling and have a tap on it.

 

[photek1000]

After another ****ty session with my auto syphon today I'm going to just use a tap from now on.

Never keeps a constant syphon or gets to the end if the wort without filling full of air, so tap and tube from now on for me.

 

[Covrich]

I see a lot of people on here complain about the auto syphons.. Seems a lot of you have trouble with them

Mine works brilliantly but maybe I am lucky to have a reliable one..

 

[cheapbrew]

I see a lot of people on here complain about the auto syphons.. Seems a lot of you have trouble with them

Mine works brilliantly but maybe I am lucky to have a reliable one..

+1
I bought a second one after breaking my first one's inner tube section and it works just as good too.

 

[Dutto]

Never used an "auto syphon" and only use a tap on the Bottling Bucket because I use it to control the Bottling Wand.

After many years of sucking on the syphon tubing with no protection, I now practice "safe syphoning" by inserting a tap in the line and adding a short length of tubing that I use to start the syphon off and put to one side after the beer arrives.

With regard to a couple of comments:

1. "The syphon fills with air." Only if the end comes out of the liquid after the syphon has been started. However, if the transfer is made before the primary fermentation is sufficiently far advanced, the chances are that the syphoning effect will pull CO2 out of suspension in the liquid and cause the syphon to stall. This probably means that you are syphoning the beer off too early.

2. "The syphon tube coils and won't stay on the bottom." I use one of these ...

http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-syphon-pack/invt/0022573

... with the rigid length of tube clipped to the side of the FV with one of these ...

http://www.homebrewcentregy.com/red-bucket-clip-for-syphons-and-tube

Enjoy! :thumb:

 

[BeerCat]

Excellent idea Chippy!

 

[JFB]

Never used an "auto syphon" and only use a tap on the Bottling Bucket because I use it to control the Bottling Wand.

After many years of sucking on the syphon tubing with no protection, I now practice "safe syphoning" by inserting a tap in the line and adding a short length of tubing that I use to start the syphon off and put to one side after the beer arrives.

With regard to a couple of comments:

1. "The syphon fills with air." Only if the end comes out of the liquid after the syphon has been started. However, if the transfer is made before the primary fermentation is sufficiently far advanced, the chances are that the syphoning effect will pull CO2 out of suspension in the liquid and cause the syphon to stall. This probably means that you are syphoning the beer off too early.

2. "The syphon tube coils and won't stay on the bottom." I use one of these ...

http://www.wilko.com/homebrew-accessories+equipment/wilko-syphon-pack/invt/0022573

... with the rigid length of tube clipped to the side of the FV with one of these ...

http://www.homebrewcentregy.com/red-bucket-clip-for-syphons-and-tube

Enjoy! :thumb:

I'm going to give this a go. Already have a clip so just the rigid thingy to buy.
Syphoning seems a bit marmite so i'm not forking out 18 quid to find out its not for me.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

STAINLESS STEEL RACKING CANE WITH UNIVERSAL BUCKET CLIP

This curved stainless steel racking cane is 70cm in length and includes a steel gauze tip which helps to reduce the transfer of sediment.
It is fitted with a Universal Bucket Clip to secure the cane to the side of a bucket or carboy.

It works best with 5⁄16 ID syphon tubing.

https://www.home-brew-hopshop.co.uk...g-cane-with-universal-bucket-clip-p-2234.html

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[photek1000]

the syphoning effect will pull CO2 out of suspension in the liquid and cause the syphon to stall. This probably means that you are syphoning the beer off too early.

Going back to this one, is there a way to tell before syphoning as my Auto Syphon does suffer sometimes from this.

For example my current brew had been at the same FG for three days before I racked it off into the barrel but as it got to about 2/3 into the transfer it starts being more bubble than fluid in the tube, the syphon end is and had been fully submerged the whole time.

So, can you tell or is it just a case of leaving it for a few more days beyond hitting the target gravity?

 

[Dutto]

Going back to this one, is there a way to tell before syphoning as my Auto Syphon does suffer sometimes from this.

For example my current brew had been at the same FG for three days before I racked it off into the barrel but as it got to about 2/3 into the transfer it starts being more bubble than fluid in the tube, the syphon end is and had been fully submerged the whole time.

So, can you tell or is it just a case of leaving it for a few more days beyond hitting the target gravity?

Although a less active fermentation will reduce the amount of free CO2 in the beer, any CO2 held in suspension at ordinary atmospheric pressure will come out of suspension on the "lift" side of the syphon tube and get carried along with the beer; so there will always be some free CO2 in the beer moving from the FV.

However, I have discovered that the slower the syphoning, the greater the residence time in the tube and the greater the chance that sufficient CO2 will come out of suspension to cause the tube to "gas up" and break the syphon.

So, after sucking the beer up to the valve and dropping the end of the syphon tube to establish the syphon effect, I now immediately remove the valve from the end of the tube in order to let the beer start to flow immediately and more freely.

Since doing this I haven't had any problems. :thumb:

But as I almost never rack beer from an FV until after at least two weeks fermentation maybe this isn't surprising. :lol: :lol:

 

[Dutto]

STAINLESS STEEL RACKING CANE WITH UNIVERSAL BUCKET CLIP

This curved stainless steel racking cane is 70cm in length and includes a steel gauze tip which helps to reduce the transfer of sediment.
It is fitted with a Universal Bucket Clip to secure the cane to the side of a bucket or carboy.

It works best with 5⁄16 ID syphon tubing.

https://www.home-brew-hopshop.co.uk...g-cane-with-universal-bucket-clip-p-2234.html

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Looks to be a great bit of kit! :thumb:

At the moment I use a length of rigid plastic tubing but I also have this bit of kit sat doing nothing at the moment!

I just hope I can straighten it out better than I bent it! :lol: :lol:

 

[MagnusTS]

Interesting thread, thanks folks.

I've never got my auto-syphon to work properly. The pump priming takes a lot more than a few gentle pumps to start the flow, and I also get bubbles in the flow tube which sometimes stalls the syphon. I don't think it's CO2 coming out of solution as I usually leave my brew in the FV for about 3 weeks. I thought it might be a slightly leaky connection at one of the joints at the top of the syphon. But taping the joints on the syphon doesn't seemed to have helped.

Anyway, I get a much more reliable flow with a really cheap syphon I got from Amazon. It's just a rigid plastic racking cane with a sediment trap on one end, and a length of silicone tubing on the other. I just fill it with tap water to start the flow, then syphon a bit of StarSan through it to sterilise, before i dunk it into the beer. But the tube is very narrow and it takes ages to syphon 5 gallons.

So I have finally given in and have bought a tap for my FV. As soon as I have syphoned out the current brew I'll be drilling a hole and fitting the tap. Then all I'll have to worry about is leakage during fermentation and possible infection from a badly cleaned tap. :-?

This is a good video on how to start a standard racking cane syphon without sucking, if you are going down that path.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6wnVFsGdv0[/ame]