Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

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Date: 03 Jun 2006 20:09:32
From: nickstrachan
Subject: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:

1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk

2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks

So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?

Date: 03 Jun 2006 20:22:04
From: nickstrachan
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Steve wrote:
> But, unless you have DREADFUL tap water, I really don't believe #2.
>
> Steve

Well I've read that tap water has more dissolved O2 than boiled wort,
I've also read that one should be extrememly careful not to splash or
aerate the beer after fermentation is complete so my thought was if im
to be so careful with a little splashing then one would not use aerated
tap water to prime a siphon....But maybe the author of the book was a
little gung ho?

Date: 04 Jun 2006 19:06:31
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On 3 Jun 2006 20:22:04 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote:
> Well I've read that tap water has more dissolved O2 than boiled wort,
> I've also read that one should be extrememly careful not to splash or
> aerate the beer after fermentation is complete so my thought was if im
> to be so careful with a little splashing then one would not use aerated
> tap water to prime a siphon....But maybe the author of the book was a
> little gung ho?

I'd call it over paranoid, but "gung ho" works too. What book was it?

John.

Date: 05 Jun 2006 17:31:30
From: Derric
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

>> But, unless you have DREADFUL tap water, I really don't believe #2.
>
> Well I've read that tap water has more dissolved O2 than boiled wort,
> I've also read that one should be extrememly careful not to splash or
> aerate the beer after fermentation is complete so my thought was if im
> to be so careful with a little splashing then one would not use aerated
> tap water to prime a siphon....But maybe the author of the book was a
> little gung ho?

What you say is correct. However, I've always used tap water and never
had a problem.

Note that when bottling, you've added new food for the yeast (priming
sugar) and so a little oxygen won't hurt and will actually help them grow.
((Ever wondered why the last bottle with a lot of airspace always
carbonates faster than the other fuller ones? - I think it's the oxygen.))

Plus, there is so little water in a siphon hose that it can't matter
much anyway (pour one out into a glass and see).

Derric

Date: 04 Jun 2006 03:14:00
From: Steve
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Well Nick, I +++LOVE+++ my Auto Syphons and wouldn't be without them.

But, unless you have DREADFUL tap water, I really don't believe #2.

Steve

On 3 Jun 2006 20:09:32 -0700, "nickstrachan" <nickajstrachan@aol.com >
wrote:

>I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>
>1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>
>2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>
>So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
>a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?

Date:
From:
Subject:

Date: 04 Jun 2006 07:23:10
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

nickstrachan <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote:

> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements
> are true:
>
> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk

low-to-medium risk

> 2.) tap water priming Siphon = higher oxidation among other risks

Not true

> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way
> to prime a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get
> the auto siphon?

Auto-siphons are terrific - except I find them difficult to
keep clean.

Dick

Date: 03 Jun 2006 22:16:13
From: Bob
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Date: 04 Jun 2006 17:45:11
From: JS
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On Sat, 3 Jun 2006 22:16:13 -0700, "Bob" <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote:

>"nickstrachan" <nickajstrachan@aol.com> wrote in message news:1149390572.344373.61600@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>>
>> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>>
>> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>>
>> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
>> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?
>>
>
>How about using a piece of sanitized tubing which inserts into the
>siphon tube. Suck on it to start the siphon, then remove it before allowing
>the beer to reach the end.
Exactly. The tube part of a turkey baster works well for this.

--
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Date: 04 Jun 2006 21:50:50
From: bregent
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

In article <PdqdnfB_W4kr8R_ZnZ2dnUVZ_vGdnZ2d@comcast.com >, Bob says...
>
>"nickstrachan" <nickajstrachan@aol.com> wrote in message
>news:1149390572.344373.61600@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>>
>> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>>
>> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>>
>> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
>> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?
>>
>
>How about using a piece of sanitized tubing which inserts into the
>siphon tube. Suck on it to start the siphon, then remove it before allowing
>the beer to reach the end.

Yup, I find this method easier than an Autosiphon to use, and MUCH easier to
clean.

Date: 04 Jun 2006 18:13:02
From: Mark R
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

"nickstrachan" <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote in message
news:1149390572.344373.61600@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>
> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>
> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>
> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?
>

I know many love their auto siphons but I've never had a problem starting my
siphon. I sanitize the wand and tubing by soaking in Iodophor Before I
remove the tubing from the sanitizer solution I close the clamp on the end
of the tubing locking sanitizer inside the tubing then attach it to the wand
and use the weight of the sanitizer to start my prime when I open the stop
clamp. As soon as wort hits the clamp I clamp it back off and toss the
sanitizer. Now my siphon is completely full of wort. Never failed.

Mark R

Date: 04 Jun 2006 14:44:03
From: nickstrachan
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On 4 Jun 2006 14:04:41 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> >> On 3 Jun 2006 20:22:04 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com> wrote:
> >> > Well I've read that tap water has more dissolved O2 than boiled wort,
> >> > I've also read that one should be extrememly careful not to splash or
> >> > aerate the beer after fermentation is complete so my thought was if im
> >> > to be so careful with a little splashing then one would not use aerated
> >> > tap water to prime a siphon....But maybe the author of the book was a
> >> > little gung ho?
> >>
> >> I'd call it over paranoid, but "gung ho" works too. What book was it?
> >>
> >>
> >> John.
> >
> > DAve Miller's How to Brew
>
> It might be that you're just reading too much into it. Yes, technically
> tap water has more oxygen in it. Also true is that you want to avoid
> aeration of the beer after fermentation has started. However, the amount
> of aeration you'll get from priming your siphon with tap water is
> insignificant. I highly doubt it would make any difference. Did Dave
> Miller actually say not to prime with tap water, or are you just drawing
> that inference from other things he said?
>
> If you're really worried about it you can always run off the first little
> bit of the siphon into a seperate container, basically until you start to
> get beer coming out instead of water. Once you see beer then you move
> the siphon over to your main vessel.
>
>
> John.

Well its not that im worried, just after reading a few books it seems
to me each has his own opinion on how much to worry about certian
things...So im more confused than anything...My main goal is to isolate
the problem so i can once again continue to enjoy my brews Making them
= fun and drinking them has become not fun so you can understand my
dilemma. I need to find out what aspect of my brewing / sanitation
procedure has led me astray....*sips store bought porter in digust at
having paid for it*

Date: 05 Jun 2006 15:14:51
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On 4 Jun 2006 14:44:03 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote:
> Well its not that im worried, just after reading a few books it seems
> to me each has his own opinion on how much to worry about certian
> things...So im more confused than anything...

Every author has their own list of things that they tend to be paranoid
about. IMO, my advice is to decide for yourself which things actually
seem to make a difference in your beer and which ones are just an author
perpetuating a myth. That takes time/experience though.

> My main goal is to isolate
> the problem so i can once again continue to enjoy my brews Making them
>= fun and drinking them has become not fun so you can understand my
> dilemma. I need to find out what aspect of my brewing / sanitation
> procedure has led me astray....*sips store bought porter in digust at
> having paid for it*

It might be beneficial to diagnose your problem rather than discuss the
merits of solutions without knowing what you're trying to solve. What is
the problem that you are having with your homebrew?

John.

Date: 04 Jun 2006 14:04:41
From: nickstrachan
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
> On 3 Jun 2006 20:22:04 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com> wrote:
> > Well I've read that tap water has more dissolved O2 than boiled wort,
> > I've also read that one should be extrememly careful not to splash or
> > aerate the beer after fermentation is complete so my thought was if im
> > to be so careful with a little splashing then one would not use aerated
> > tap water to prime a siphon....But maybe the author of the book was a
> > little gung ho?
>
> I'd call it over paranoid, but "gung ho" works too. What book was it?
>
>
> John.

DAve Miller's How to Brew

Date: 04 Jun 2006 21:35:16
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On 4 Jun 2006 14:04:41 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote:
>
> John 'Shaggy' Kolesar wrote:
>> On 3 Jun 2006 20:22:04 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com> wrote:
>> > Well I've read that tap water has more dissolved O2 than boiled wort,
>> > I've also read that one should be extrememly careful not to splash or
>> > aerate the beer after fermentation is complete so my thought was if im
>> > to be so careful with a little splashing then one would not use aerated
>> > tap water to prime a siphon....But maybe the author of the book was a
>> > little gung ho?
>>
>> I'd call it over paranoid, but "gung ho" works too. What book was it?
>>
>>
>> John.
>
> DAve Miller's How to Brew

It might be that you're just reading too much into it. Yes, technically
tap water has more oxygen in it. Also true is that you want to avoid
aeration of the beer after fermentation has started. However, the amount
of aeration you'll get from priming your siphon with tap water is
insignificant. I highly doubt it would make any difference. Did Dave
Miller actually say not to prime with tap water, or are you just drawing
that inference from other things he said?

If you're really worried about it you can always run off the first little
bit of the siphon into a seperate container, basically until you start to
get beer coming out instead of water. Once you see beer then you move
the siphon over to your main vessel.

John.

Date: 04 Jun 2006 19:05:39
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On 3 Jun 2006 20:09:32 -0700, <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote:
> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>
> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk

I don't know about high, but yes there is a risk. I wouldn't do it.

> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks

Completely false. Priming a siphon with tap water works perfectly fine, I
did it for many years before I got lazy and bought an auto siphon.

> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?

If you want to just prime it with tap water, go ahead. It will not hurt
anything. On the other hand, auto siphons are convenient and make it a
bit easier. IMO, your choice.

John.

Date: 05 Jun 2006 09:52:05
From: John Krehbiel
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

>
> DAve Miller's How to Brew

My personal opinion is that Dave Miller's book is very good on many
things, and over the top on sanitation paranoia.

I sanitize my racking cane and siphon hose, run it full of tap water,
stick the racking cane in the beer, and run the water into a small
container. No problems so far. (knocks on wooden head)

Date: 05 Jun 2006 16:39:36
From: John Bleichert
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

nickstrachan <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote:
> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>
> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>
> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>
> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?
>

I put the cane and tubing together in a bus tub (available at any
restaurant supply store) filled with water and no-rinse
sanitzier.. The cane fills easily with the liquid. The tubing I coil
up and let the fluid push the water out of te top. I then assemble the
two pieces under the water, and voila a primed syphon. Hold the cane
vertically and put my finger over the tubing, keeping everything
primed, and just head to the fermenter.

No mouth priming (eeeyuck), no tap water priming, no auto
siphon. Works like a charm every time. It's so easy and works so well
I gave away my bottling bucket (and it's accursed valve) and just
bottle with the siphon now.

$0.02

--------------------------------------------
John Bleichert - syborg@earthlink.net
The heat from below can burn your eyes out!

Date: 05 Jun 2006 06:34:47
From: HAL 9000
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

I have an autosiphon that I use mainly to pull samples for gravity readings.
For that you just dip it and it picks up enough beer to sample.

But for siphoning, I sanitize tubing for racking. I drain the tubing.
Then I put the racking cane into the carboy. Then I feed the tubing into
the carboy such that it fills with beer. Sometimes the tube will hit bottom
and stir the trub slightly, but it's no big deal. Then I put my clean and
sanitary thumb over the end of the tube and pull it out of the beer. I end
up with tubing more than 3/4 full of beer. I raise what will be the
downhill end of the tubing to move the beer up to the end that will be
attached to the cane. Attach it to the cane and drop the other end into the
secondary or the keg and let the siphon run. It's a little complicated to
explain but it's quick and simple and the beer is never exposed to anything
except the sanitized tubing and racking cane. And I don't have to keep an
autosiphon clean and sanitary.

"nickstrachan" <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote in message
news:1149390572.344373.61600@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>
> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>
> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>
> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?
>

Date: 14 Jun 2006 03:36:35
From: Artarius
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

I know a guy that takes a big swig of 100 proof vodka, swishes it round,
gulps and then mouthes the siphon.
He trumbles ...100 proof.... 100 percent clean. -eheh

"nickstrachan" <nickajstrachan@aol.com > wrote in message
news:1149390572.344373.61600@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> I'm under the impression that these two folllowing statements are true:
>
> 1.) mouth priming Siphon = high sanitation and infection risk
>
> 2.) tap water priming Siphon= higher oxidation among other risks
>
> So other than pre boiling priming water is there a better way to prime
> a siphon or should i just spend the ten bucks and get the auto siphon?
>

Date: 14 Jun 2006 05:32:48
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Siphoning is going to be the death of me. I have my original
hydrometer, but I have run through three auto-siphons. One
sprung a leak and the other two just never cleaned well. The
last time I went to siphon I used a CO2 tank to push it out.

Dick

Date: 14 Jun 2006 08:26:38
From: Dan Listermann
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

"Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net > wrote in message
news:128v7s0jfmnug92@corp.supernews.com...
> Siphoning is going to be the death of me. I have my original
> hydrometer, but I have run through three auto-siphons. One
> sprung a leak and the other two just never cleaned well. The
> last time I went to siphon I used a CO2 tank to push it out.

I assemble the siphon hose to my racking cane and fill the assembly with
water from the tap. I kink the end of the hose over to seal it and insert
the racking cane into my beer / wine. I then lower the hose to a level
below the containers surface and the siphon starts. I usually divert the
first flow of mostly water into a jar and then put the hose into the
receiving vessel. Works every time and very clean.

Dan

Date: 14 Jun 2006 13:17:14
From: John Bleichert
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Dan Listermann <dan@listermann.com > wrote:
>
> "Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net> wrote in message
> news:128v7s0jfmnug92@corp.supernews.com...
>> Siphoning is going to be the death of me. I have my original
>> hydrometer, but I have run through three auto-siphons. One
>> sprung a leak and the other two just never cleaned well. The
>> last time I went to siphon I used a CO2 tank to push it out.
>
> I assemble the siphon hose to my racking cane and fill the assembly with
> water from the tap. I kink the end of the hose over to seal it and insert
> the racking cane into my beer / wine. I then lower the hose to a level
> below the containers surface and the siphon starts. I usually divert the
> first flow of mostly water into a jar and then put the hose into the
> receiving vessel. Works every time and very clean.
>
> Dan
>
>

I agree. Siphoning is very easy, ya just need to get the knack of it.

-----------------------------------------------
John Bleichert syborg@earthlink.net
The heat from below can burn your eyes out!!

Date: 14 Jun 2006 18:05:49
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Dan Listermann <dan@listermann.com > wrote:
>"Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net> wrote:

>> Siphoning is going to be the death of me. I have my original
>> hydrometer, but I have run through three auto-siphons. One
>> sprung a leak and the other two just never cleaned well. The
>> last time I went to siphon I used a CO2 tank to push it out.

> I assemble the siphon hose to my racking cane and fill the assembly with
> water from the tap. I kink the end of the hose over to seal it and insert
> the racking cane into my beer / wine. I then lower the hose to a level
> below the containers surface and the siphon starts. I usually divert the
> first flow of mostly water into a jar and then put the hose into the
> receiving vessel. Works every time and very clean.

And there are days that works for me and days it stops shortly
after the water clears out.

Date: 14 Jun 2006 15:18:20
From: Dan Listermann
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

"Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net > wrote in message
news:1290jvtcj27hef@corp.supernews.com...
> Dan Listermann <dan@listermann.com> wrote:
>>"Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net> wrote:
>
>>> Siphoning is going to be the death of me. I have my original
>>> hydrometer, but I have run through three auto-siphons. One
>>> sprung a leak and the other two just never cleaned well. The
>>> last time I went to siphon I used a CO2 tank to push it out.
>
>> I assemble the siphon hose to my racking cane and fill the assembly with
>> water from the tap. I kink the end of the hose over to seal it and
>> insert
>> the racking cane into my beer / wine. I then lower the hose to a level
>> below the containers surface and the siphon starts. I usually divert the
>> first flow of mostly water into a jar and then put the hose into the
>> receiving vessel. Works every time and very clean.
>
> And there are days that works for me and days it stops shortly
> after the water clears out.

Are you filling up the attached racking cane as well? The only this method
has failed me is when the hose came off the cane.

Dan

Date: 14 Jun 2006 21:56:27
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Dan Listermann <dan@listermann.com > wrote:
> "Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net> wrote:
>> Dan Listermann <dan@listermann.com> wrote:
>>> "Dick Adams" <rdadams@smart.net> wrote:

>>>> Siphoning is going to be the death of me. I have my original
>>>> hydrometer, but I have run through three auto-siphons. One
>>>> sprung a leak and the other two just never cleaned well. The
>>>> last time I went to siphon I used a CO2 tank to push it out.

>>> I assemble the siphon hose to my racking cane and fill the assembly with
>>> water from the tap. I kink the end of the hose over to seal it and insert
>>> the racking cane into my beer / wine. I then lower the hose to a level
>>> below the containers surface and the siphon starts. I usually divert the
>>> first flow of mostly water into a jar and then put the hose into the
>>> receiving vessel. Works every time and very clean.

>> And there are days that works for me and days it stops shortly
>> after the water clears out.

> Are you filling up the attached racking cane as well? The only
> this method has failed me is when the hose came off the cane.

Yes!

This past weekend I was racking a 6-gallon carboy with siphon cap
on it. Blowing worked until I stopped. So I attached a line from
my CO2 manifold and kept the pressure on it. Some days it works.
Some days I wonder.

Dick

Date: 15 Jun 2006 14:53:14
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 21:56:27 -0000, <rdadams@smart.net > wrote:
> This past weekend I was racking a 6-gallon carboy with siphon cap
> on it. Blowing worked until I stopped. So I attached a line from
> my CO2 manifold and kept the pressure on it. Some days it works.
> Some days I wonder.

IMO, be very careful doing this and make sure that nothing clogs while
you're pushing CO2 into the carboy. It doesn't take much pressure to
make a carboy explode. They were not designed to hold any pressure.

If you can't keep a siphon going by itself, then you're doing something
wrong. The principle is fairly simple, but many people have trouble
figuring out how to do it. Don't feel bad. ;)

Basically the output end of the siphon has to be lower than the level of
liquid on the input carboy (if you siphon from one carboy to another that is
sitting right next to it, the siphon will stop when they are both half full,
IE when the liquid levels are the same). I always put the carboy I'm racking
out of on a counter and the carboy I'm wracking in to on the floor. The
bigger the height difference, the faster the siphon will flow.

Make sure that you are not getting any air leaking into the hose since
that will stop a siphon as well. It's relatively common to have a leak where
the siphon tubing attaches to the racking cane. I always use a hose clamp
there and it really helps.

Also, make sure that the end of your racking cane in the carboy you are
racking out of does not get clogged (hop cones, left over fruit, etc).
While that doesn't really have anything to do with the principle of a siphon,
it will stop the flow.

Siphoning is one of those things that is really simple when you figure it
out, but is for some reason fairly difficult to explain in writing.

John.

Date: 14 Jun 2006 16:19:52
From:
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

It seems to me that all of the ways I know to start a siphon manually
involve a lot of touching parts of the hose that will end up in wort.
I was never too keen on that (though when I've done it I've never had a
problem). Then should something go wrong, restarting a siphon gets
pretty messy...

Autosiphons eliminate both of these problems. The downside is that
they are harder to clean. I tear mine apart and clean all the tubes
and gaskets and what-not every time, and I still don't feel 100%
confident about it. The little space under the gasket where it
connects to the cane seems like a trap for food for nasties.
Fortunately, the break pretty easily, so they don't hang around too
long.

I only go through about 1 per year, but somehow the peace of mind
afforded in regarding them as disposable is comforting.

-Nick

Date: 15 Jun 2006 14:56:24
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On 14 Jun 2006 16:19:52 -0700, <naramsey@umich.edu > wrote:
> Autosiphons eliminate both of these problems. The downside is that
> they are harder to clean. I tear mine apart and clean all the tubes
> and gaskets and what-not every time, and I still don't feel 100%
> confident about it. The little space under the gasket where it
> connects to the cane seems like a trap for food for nasties.
> Fortunately, the break pretty easily, so they don't hang around too
> long.

I start by filling the vessel I'm going to rack into (secondary, keg, etc)
with cleaning solution. After it's done soaking I use the autosiphon to
drain it. Same thing with the sanitizing solution. It's a two birds with
one stone kind of thing.

John.

Date: 15 Jun 2006 08:54:21
From: Dick Adams
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

<naramsey@umich.edu > wrote:
> It seems to me that all of the ways I know to start a siphon manually
> involve a lot of touching parts of the hose that will end up in wort.
> I was never too keen on that (though when I've done it I've never had a
> problem). Then should something go wrong, restarting a siphon gets
> pretty messy...
>
> Autosiphons eliminate both of these problems. The downside is that
> they are harder to clean. I tear mine apart and clean all the tubes
> and gaskets and what-not every time, and I still don't feel 100%
> confident about it. The little space under the gasket where it
> connects to the cane seems like a trap for food for nasties.
> Fortunately, the break pretty easily, so they don't hang around too
> long.

Damn right they do! LoL

> I only go through about 1 per year, but somehow the peace of
> mind afforded in regarding them as disposable is comforting.

I'm at about 1-1/ per year. But they do work!

Dick

Date: 15 Jun 2006 17:27:14
From: Bob
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

<naramsey@umich.edu > wrote in message news:1150327192.346906.232600@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> It seems to me that all of the ways I know to start a siphon manually
> involve a lot of touching parts of the hose that will end up in wort.
> I was never too keen on that (though when I've done it I've never had a
> problem). Then should something go wrong, restarting a siphon gets
> pretty messy...
>
> Autosiphons eliminate both of these problems. The downside is that
> they are harder to clean. I tear mine apart and clean all the tubes
> and gaskets and what-not every time, and I still don't feel 100%
> confident about it. The little space under the gasket where it
> connects to the cane seems like a trap for food for nasties.
> Fortunately, the break pretty easily, so they don't hang around too
> long.
>
> I only go through about 1 per year, but somehow the peace of mind
> afforded in regarding them as disposable is comforting.

It seems to me a short piece of hose or tubing that can be sanitized and slipped
into or over the siphon hose is a lot simpler and more dependable. Suck on it to
start the siphon, pull it off the siphon hose, and away you go. The autosiphon
seems like just an expensive gadget to do a simple job. Am I missing something?

Bob

Date: 19 Jun 2006 14:58:09
From: John 'Shaggy' Kolesar
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:27:14 -0700, <bobnospam@gmail.com > wrote:
> The autosiphon seems like just an expensive gadget to do a simple job. Am I
> missing something?

I thought the exact same thing until I tried one. Starting a siphon without
one is not very difficult, but the AS is very convenient. Think of it as
making a simple job even simpler. You can certainly live without it though.

John.

Date: 16 Jun 2006 09:48:59
From: Dr. Nick
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

> When I do a suck-start of a siphon, I stick one end of the hose in a
> bucket of sanitizer, and suck the sanitizer up until it almost fills
> the hose completely. Then I submerge the sucked-on end into the bucket
> to completely fill the hose with sanitizer, and let it sit for a few
> minutes.
>
> Now the siphon hose is primed, so I stick it in the fermenter (or
> whatever) while holding a sanitized finger over the end of the hose.
> Then I let go and allow the sanitizer to drain from the hose into some
> convenient container, and now the siphon is started.

I dunno, will the little bits of saliva really get removed and the hose
under them get sanatized in a few minutes? Can you really sanatize a
finger?

Probably. But I just feel better knowing that after a thorough
clearing and sanatizing, nothing on my autosiphon that touches wort or
beer will be touched by *anything* beforehand. I know folks turn out
great beer with your method time after time. I think I'm just looking
for peace of mind on the cleaing front.

But what if your siphon fails for some reason (something clogs it to
the point it stops, or maybe a little air gets in)? Then you have to
tear it apart and do all that jazz again, no?

> Recently I've been using an autosiphon, and I haven't found any real
> difficulty in cleaning it. After I siphon I just take it apart and
> blast away at it with cold water. No infections yet. (Of course I
> sanitize it before using it...)

Well, I thought I was cleaining mine well for a long time. And then
one day a ran a toothpick around the little crevice under the gasket.
Found some nasty black stuff. I alerted a friend of mine to check, and
he found the same.

I think the design would be vastly improved if the made that gasket
totally removable (and ergo replacable) so that it could be cleaned
under. 100% stainless would be a nice touch too.

Another annoying thing that I've seen on a couple of these things is a
manufacturing defect on the foot of the cane (the think around which
the gasket goes) whereby the plastic at the junction between the foot
and the cane has a little bubble which has broken open. Basically some
nice little bacteria digs. But at least it's on top of the foot.

I really like the autosiphon, but I'd like to think the design is still
in its infancy.

-Nick

Date: 19 Jun 2006 10:30:13
From: Gerard Eberlein
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

I've found another really nice use for an auto siphon. When I'm transferring
my cooled wort from my boil pot to the ferm bucket my girlfriend holds a
wire strainer under the hose and instead of just letting the wort flow I
keep pumping the siphon. The wort comes out with a nice force and blows
through the strainer causing major aeration. I'm sure this will cause more
wear and tear on the siphon thus shortening the life but I will see in time.
For now it beats whipping the wort with a paddle.

Gerard

Date: 16 Jun 2006 09:20:36
From: Scott L
Subject: Re: Auto Siphon? worth the minimal investment?

Bob wrote:
> It seems to me a short piece of hose or tubing that can be sanitized and slipped
> into or over the siphon hose is a lot simpler and more dependable. Suck on it to
> start the siphon, pull it off the siphon hose, and away you go. The autosiphon
> seems like just an expensive gadget to do a simple job. Am I missing something?

When I do a suck-start of a siphon, I stick one end of the hose in a
bucket of sanitizer, and suck the sanitizer up until it almost fills
the hose completely. Then I submerge the sucked-on end into the bucket
to completely fill the hose with sanitizer, and let it sit for a few
minutes.

Now the siphon hose is primed, so I stick it in the fermenter (or
whatever) while holding a sanitized finger over the end of the hose.
Then I let go and allow the sanitizer to drain from the hose into some
convenient container, and now the siphon is started.

Recently I've been using an autosiphon, and I haven't found any real
difficulty in cleaning it. After I siphon I just take it apart and
blast away at it with cold water. No infections yet. (Of course I
sanitize it before using it...)

Scott