siphon

stoker · Post by **stoker** » Sat May 13, 2006 6:37 am

how do you guys siphon?
do you simply take a hose and suck on it?
for washes and spirits
or do you have better methodes

'cause right now, I have a finished 65l sugar wash in a jug, impossible to lift

Bujapat · Post by **Bujapat** » Sat May 13, 2006 8:19 am

Like you said : I suck on the hose!

But I know some setups exist with a sort of little pump : you press a few times and it starts the syphon.

The Chemist · Post by **The Chemist** » Sat May 13, 2006 9:22 am

If you're siphoning into the still for immediate distillation, go ahead and suck the tube. If you're not distilling, say making beer or transferring wash to another vessel for any reason, just fill your siphon tube with hot water, hold both ends, and quickly stick one end in the juice. Then, holding the other end lower than the liquid level, you'll start an easy, clean siphon.

Don Ventura · Post by **Don Ventura** » Sat May 13, 2006 9:34 am

I usually place the full vessel above the empty one a bit; like, the beer on a chair and the empty on the ground.
Fill my siphon full of regular water from the garden hose (doesn't need to be hot) and hold both ends close.
Quickly open and place the racking cane/siphon end in the beer, then place the other side into the empty vessel and let go of the closed end.
Gravity does the rest. Sure you add a little bit of water to your beer but it shouldn't hurt; unless you have 20' of siphone tube

Just make sure you don't stick the tube all the way to bottom of the beer. I'm sure you know that; but just in case.

I'm sure the pressure difference btw the hot water and the beer may help a bit in aiding the suction but I have never needed to use it. This is the same method I have always used to drain my Hot tub.

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DAMN HOT TUBS!!!

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Sat May 13, 2006 9:54 am

The water in a hose trick is what I have used. one of the auto syphon starters is pretty cool too...I have tried that, but its a pain to clean. Speaking of clean, the hot water is about sanitation, isn't it? I usually put my hose with a little water in it coiled up in the microwave for a few seconds... enough to get steam happening...and wee beasties not happening...

course thats only if sanitation really counts... I've also tried wrapping a steel scrubbie around the inlet hose end and secured it with rubber bands to syphon off of a grain mash. works pretty good for keeping the grain outta yer boiler.

Big J · Post by **Big J** » Sat May 13, 2006 10:07 am

There's also some products out there that are siphon starters. See this one for example:
http://www.grapestompers.com/product_de ... al_index=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Not bad for $10 but never used it myself. I just use the sucking method. I suppose if I was more worried about hygiene/not adding a little water to my product I would pick one up.

Cheers,
J

stoker · Post by **stoker** » Sun May 14, 2006 12:54 am

ok ty
I think I'll suck on it, and let it drip in a bucket and pour the bucket in my boiler

pothead · Post by **pothead** » Sun May 14, 2006 4:23 am

I've used the one from grapestompers. But what I use now is a hand-held siphon pump that I got from Harbor Freight Tools for $9.00USD.
It works great.

The Chemist · Post by **The Chemist** » Mon May 15, 2006 6:33 am

Yep, the hot water was just for sanitation, which doesn't matter if your proceeding right to distillation.