bottling nightmare

dad_of_jon · Jan 14, 2017

I'd not had a really bad bottling day since I started this hb lark, but my turn finally came....

I made up the brewfferm cherry extract to go into my wheat beer, priming solution and all... and the auto syphon failed. Spent an hour trying to get the plastic valve back to where it should go, and the clips snapped off. Just prior to that while purging my BB with co2 got my little finger stuck on the cartridge (freezer burn) :doh:

had to decant from fv to bb using a jug :doh:

not sure the priming solution was mixed up fully although reasonably hopeful. The cherry extract left a reside in the bb tap that I can't get at. So lost a tap and an auto syphon. :doh:

tip for next time: add cherry extract to bottle via a syringe!

Poochops · Jan 14, 2017

nightmare! Some days it just feels like every thing is conspiring against us, hope that finger is ok? Could you strip the tap down at all or boil it in a pan and work it clean?
Meanwhile, I'm intrigued about this cherry extract, is that from their Kriek kit or something sold separately?

aamcle · Jan 15, 2017

To save future pain might I suggest that you get rid of the auto syphon they'er heart breakers just use a plain tube with one of those small valves near the outlet. Plain vanilla is a never fail option and if your worried about starting the syphon get a 100ml syringe from ebay, I have one it's easy to sanitise then just jab it into the tube and suck.

aamcle

MyQul · Jan 15, 2017

I've never used an auto syphon Using a regular syphon is simplicity itself. Just fill the syphon up with star san then close the valve on the little insert tap. Then put your racking cane in the FV. Open the valve tap (making sure the syphon and valve are below the level of the FV of course) the star san will drain out and drag the beer along with it, starting your syphon. Easy peasy.

Ouch! Hope your finger is OK

terrym · Jan 15, 2017

aamcle said:
To save future pain might I suggest that you get rid of the auto syphon they'er heart breakers just use a plain tube with one of those small valves near the outlet.

I tried the valve that came with the tube just once. It restricted the flow and was fiddly to open/close when you needed a quick action. So I ditched it and now put up with a bit of mess when going from bottle to bottle.

Cwrw666 · Jan 15, 2017

Just get an FV with a tap. I've always bottled from the tap (without any sanitising precautions either) and never had any infection issues. I've got 2 FVs fitted with taps - one with a wide bore tap so I just fill a jug from it and top up bottles with a funnel, the other with a narrow bore tap that fits straight into the bottle. I used to use a little bottler thing with this but had fun times with the valve jamming open and occasionally the whole valve thing would drop off into the bottle I was filling. So now I just use the tap straight into the bottle - it's quicker as well as problem free.

Also got a 2 gallon FV without a tap for wine making - I don't bother with a syphon on this either, but after the initial crazy fermentation I decant into a demijohn by pouring it and leaving the sludge behind. It's as efficient as using a syphon, and again, much quicker.

dad_of_jon · Jan 17, 2017

MyQul said:
I've never used an auto syphon Using a regular syphon is simplicity itself. Just fill the syphon up with star san then close the valve on the little insert tap. Then put your racking cane in the FV. Open the valve tap (making sure the syphon and valve are below the level of the FV of course) the star san will drain out and drag the beer along with it, starting your syphon. Easy peasy.

Ouch! Hope your finger is OK

a bit of it turned white which was scary but all's well now. :whistle:

bottling nightmare

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bottling nightmare

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