I recently bought myself a pump to use for my winemaking and brewing. It's mainly because I'm lazy and I'm sick of doing the siphoning thing. ;-) You can also use filters in it, and while I don't know if I'll use that option, I'm curious about when you should do it. Is it a safe bet to think that I probably wouldn't want to use any filters when moving from primary to secondary? I know that there's some necessary fermentation that still takes place in the secondary, and I was worried that I might filter out some of the yeast if I use one this early in the process.
Recently bought a pump
Mar 06, 2008
4 Replies
You are correct about needing to keep the yeast cells when transferring from primary to secondary fermentation. Filtering them out at that time will likely cause the fermentation to stick.
Joe:
I don't know anything about your pump and it's optional filter. However, with some filter setups, if you are filtering wine that is not fairly clear, the filter medium will clog up and cause problems.
Steve
Hi Joe and Steve,
I bought the same pump several years ago. Works well in tranferring carboy to carboy. Be careful not to let any seeds in or it will jam up and not work. You can buy a rebuild kit for about $20. There is a pump company in Seattle that sells them. I did, plus I bought a second pump. I also bought a "pre-filter" from MoreWinemaking for $24.95 that I will be using this year, again for racking my red. It is Fil26. Seems large enough to trap seeds, etc. and appears easy to clean as needed. I make a half ton of Syrah yearly, plus some couple hundred of whites.
Best of luck with your pump.
Sincerely,
Tacoma Joe
Joe,
What pump did you buy? I'm considering doing the same. The darn 15 gallon demijohns get heavy.
Andie Z
Join the Discussion
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Didn't find your answer?
Ask the community — no account required