1. Home
  2. Winemaking Craft Forum
  3. Siphon vacuum pump - SS variable tanks?

Siphon vacuum pump - SS variable tanks?

> An alternate type of pump is to run your siphon wand down into your source > carboy as you would when siphoning. Then put a rubber bung with two holes > in the target carboy. Place the target carboy where you want it to be > regardless of whether it is higher or lower than the original (within > reason, > 5 or 10 feet, not 1 story to another). Now run a plastic wand or tube that > fits well down through one of the holes in the bung down several inches (at > least 8 or 10 inches below the bung) leaving one inch sticking out the tope > to connect a hose to, Connect a siphoned hose from the top of this tube to > the siphoned wand in the original carboy. Then put a tight fitting short > tube > in the second hole of the bung, again leaving one inch sticking out the top. > This tube should only go to the bottom of the bung. It should not extend > down in to the carboy. Now run a hose from this tube to any air pump. The > hoses should be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the vacuum you > pull. You should not pull much vacuum. > > The target carboy with the bung should now be a sealed unit. It is > connected on one side to a pump that will draw air out of it to create a > vacuum and on the other side to an open wine source from which it will draw > wine to fill that vacuum. Wine never passed through the pump, only the > tubing. Vacuum can lift liquid 32 feet. You do not need to draw that much

This post (I believe from Tom S) was lost in an earlier thread. Wondering if I can do this with SS tanks. If I understand this correctly, the original carboy (tank in my situation) has only a single hole bung, correct?

I have the need to rack between 150 L variable capacity stainless tanks. Wondering if I can replace the plastic airlock with the marble with a bung and do this. Thoughts?

Also wondering if the stainless tanks can deal with the pressure. Anyone try this with SS tanks before?

Any recommendation on a vacuum pump? thx, dan

Reply to
Daniel Tortorici
Loading thread data ...

That was not I.

Stainless tanks are OK with pressure (within reason), but DO NOT APPLY VACUUM TO A STAINLESS TANK! The sucker will collapse.

Forget about vacuum racking. Go buy a pump.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

Hi Dan

I haven't tried this method yet. However, I have one of my tanks fitted with a # 11 bung and a regular three bubble air lock and it works just fine. As far as the SS tank withstanding implosion my guess is that it would do as well as glass. Tom suggests that you don't want to pull too much of a vacuum.

Here's a link for some inexpensive vacuum pumps:

formatting link
05022011341245&catname=&byKeyword=yes&search=vacuum%20pump

Regards

Frank

Reply to
Frank Mirigliano

Hi Tom

I thank you. My tank thanks you. But why will glass stand up to the vacuum better than SS tank?

Regards

Frank

Reply to
Frank Mirigliano

It's not a good idea to apply vacuum to a carboy either. I know that lots of folks do so, without problems, but I wouldn't recommend it - mostly because of safety issues.

As I said before, if gravity racking isn't an option, go buy a pump.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

I have a SuperJet that I have used as a transfer pump before. Perhaps my technique is lacking but I thought it worked up the wine a bit too much. Also, as a one person operation it was difficult to manage the input tube and output effectively. Any suggestions on 'pumping technique'?

thx, dan

Reply to
Daniel Tortorici

Sounds like you got too much air in the inlet. Be sure the fittings are all airtight and that you don't suck air while pumping. The impeller action will tend to degas the wine during pumping, causing the outlet stream to look frothy, but that's CO2 from the wine if you don't have any leaks or bad shaft seals in the pump. Try pumping water to check that.

Tom S

Reply to
Tom S

Not sure where I read it but there was a posting about using any old vacuum cleaner to siphon wine. The technique was much as you described. I took a regular rubber bung (with one hole for air lock) and drilled a small second hole on the side. I pushed a piece of siphoning tube through the air lock hole (enough so that it would reach the bottom of my carbouy) and placed the other end of the siphoning tube into the wine to be siphoned. I made an "adapter" for the vacuum cleaner hose with an empty plastic film canister (from 35 mm film) by drilling a hole in the bottom and then inserting a piece of siphon tube. Attach the adapter to the vacuum, push the other end of the siphon tube through the second hole in the air lock bung and away you go.

You are not creating a huge pressure difference with this type of set up so it doesn't cause much agitation of the wine. The plastic siphoning tubes your pressure safety values. They will collapse before your SS tanks implode.

Reply to
Atrebla

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.