siphoning during bottling

Keep that $2.50 spring-loaded filler -- simple and wonderful.

Cap the carboy with one of those two-holed caps that a racking cane fits perfectly through.

Insert racking cane through first hole.

Place spring-filler in first bottle, and press and hold while blowing through the second hole. Siphon pressure should now be established.

The spring-loaded filler maintains the vacuum for the entire bottling process.

-- WB

Fill tube with water (dunk in a clean basin or bucket). Keeping bottle filler closed, place tube in carboy. Use bottle filler to empty the water in the tube until the wine comes through; now fill your bottles.

I too start it with my mouth..... I just don't let anyone see me do it. :-) I figure, what the heck.... It's got alcohol to kill the germs.

RTL

I think most of us use our mouth to start the siphon. As stated, it has alcohol. My siphon has a clip that can turn on and off the flow. I draw the wine into the tube with my mouth without having the bottling wand on. Then I clip the tube so the wine stays in and I attach the bottling wand. When I first put it in a bottle it will blow the little air that is left out.

Really, especially when bottling, there is nothing unsanitary about using your mouth. You are drawing air, not blowing, so nothing gets in the tube. Then you are attaching the wand so the part of the tube that your mouth touches the outside of does not go in the bottle. But then I use my mouth when racking and it does go in the bottle so that is not much of an argument! ;o)

Ray