How to Syphon?

[Nick_593]

Hello everyone,

Simple question: How do people syphon their beer from a fermenting bucket?
Is it okay to suck on one end of the pipe? So far I've been avoiding this method as I have been concerned about contaminating the beer. The problem I'm getting however, is that it is very difficult to syphon the rest of the beer once the level gets low.
Same question for syphoning from Demijohns for Elderflower wine I'm making?

Thanks,

Nick

 

[nobyipa]

If yor gunna suck your syphon sterilise your hands and suck through you fist.
or put a t junction in your syphon tube and suck down that one.
I usually prime the syphon with water prior to bottling with the tap shut you then can usually get away without sucking then.

 

[rpt]

I have an auto syphon now but previously after sucking I dipped the end of the tube into a Starsan solution to be sure it was clean. You need to either squeeze the tube or have a tap on the end to do this.

 

[marksa222]

I syphon using a cheap wilko one which has a tap at one end. The tap snugly fits inside the tubing but a pull will dislodge it. I suck the open tap and then remove it when the flow starts, put the tube in the bottling bucket/keg and no part of it has touched your mouth then. I will be investing in an auto syphon though. Seems to give alot more control.

 

[Moley]

I just dry my lips across the back of my hand and then suck the pipe, never lost a brew or a bottle yet.

 

[LeithR]

Ditto Moley's comment. You can take cleanliness and sterilization too far!!

 

[Pakman]

I used to place a sheet of clean loo paper over the end of the syphon hose to suck without contaminating the tube until ............... my missus bought me a turkey baster. Brilliant tool for starting a syphon. Squeeze the bulb, apply baster to end of pipe and release bulb. No messing :thumb:
Graham

 

[m0zzwigan]

I went for the super cheap free option and cut a length of hose pipe of from my back garden haha! sterilized it and it works just fine!

 

[phettebs]

Auto-siphon here.

 

[morethanworts]

FV-Big tube-tap1-small tube-tap2-tiny tube. Cleanliness and the possibility to pause things if you need to.

 

[fbsf]

I'm with Moley on this one. Never had a problem yet.

Suppose you could always rinse with an alcohol-based mouthwash if you were nervous about it.

 

[Moley]

Suppose you could always rinse with an alcohol-based mouthwash if you were nervous about it.

I suppose in the last couple of years I will usually have had a gobful of Videne solution just slightly prior to racking or bottling, as I usually dunk my racking cane in a bottle of the stuff, fit a small tap, suck the solution through the tube until it starts to enter my mouth, close the tap, spit, and leave the tube full of solution while I sort out whatever I am using it for.

 

[zgoda]

Never had any problem from using just my mouth, unsterilized. Just sanitize the pipe properly before use and keep clean after.

 

[jonnymorris]

I just give the tubing a suck. I even spat out the beer into the bottling bucket once as a reflex action and didn't have an issue.

 

[Megaross]

Autosyphon now.

But I used to just suck on the end, the chance of infection is negligible.
I too have accidentally spat brew out into a bucket and had no problems.

 

[Duncs]

I just give the tubing a suck. I even spat out the beer into the bottling bucket once as a reflex action and didn't have an issue.

Autosyphon now.

But I used to just suck on the end, the chance of infection is negligible.
I too have accidentally spat brew out into a bucket and had no problems.

Were these included in the beer swap? :rofl:

 

[StrangeBrew]

I use a jiggle syphon but to be sure replaced the tube with known food safe tubing.

Two or three 'jiggles' to start it and away it goes...

:

 

[winelight]

I got this idea from this forum.

Fill the syphon tube with water.

That's it, really. Then there's no need to suck or auto-syphon or anything.

I put my thumb over the bottom end while I put the racking cane into the FV. Then put the bottom end into a jug and release my The water flows out and then the beer, obviously I then put tube into bottle (or whatever you are syphoning into).

Years ago, I used to suck, and it never caused problems.