28 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

those things are pretty sweet. are they easy to clean?

[Kremer]

those things are pretty sweet. are they easy to clean?

Very easy, just like a bucket. The lid opening is about 6" dia, I just get in there with my homemade PBW and a sponge after giving them a rinse and shake with hot water. The faucet is similar to the better bottle or a bottling bucket, where there's just a hole in the lexan and it secures through with a washer and nut on the back, weldless bulkhead style.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

so that was a disaster, the racking cane is too long for the kettle and after trying 4-5 times + a lot of swearing I couldn't keep a starter going. the SOB clogged up so I ended up just dumping. I don't know if I'll be attempting that again.

[Big Nake]

so that was a disaster, the racking cane is too long for the kettle and after trying 4-5 times + a lot of swearing I couldn't keep a starter going. the SOB clogged up so I ended up just dumping. I don't know if I'll be attempting that again.

Do you have a clip on your racking cane? After letting my wort settle for 15-20 mins after chilling, I get my cane & tubing ready, place it 10-12 inches below the surface of the wort (and a few inches above the Schputzâ„¢ level), clip the cane to the side of the pot and go. As the level goes down, I watch the bottom of the cane to keep the flow going. Sometimes I tip the brewpot a little to get a little more wort without break material. I could see it being a problem if your cane didn't have a clip on it.Mine looks like this...

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Do you have a clip on your racking cane? After letting my wort settle for 15-20 mins after chilling, I get my cane & tubing ready, place it 10-12 inches below the surface of the wort (and a few inches above the Schputzâ„¢ level), clip the cane to the side of the pot and go. As the level goes down, I watch the bottom of the cane to keep the flow going. Sometimes I tip the brewpot a little to get a little more wort without break material. I could see it being a problem if your cane didn't have a clip on it.Mine looks like this...

I've got the same one in red - it flops to the side really easily. The clogging was the major issue, I had the cane a few inches off the bottom I think...

[Big Nake]

When I rack from my kettle to the fermenter, I use the auto siphon. I tried using a good old-fashioned SS racking cane but it got to be a pain in ass and switched back to the auto siphon. Basically I just hold the auto siphon a few inched above -what Ken calls "Shputz"- a rack ONLY the clearest wort into my fermenter. I use Whirlfloc in the boil and after I chill down to pitching temps, I let the shputz settle to the bottom for maybe 15-20 mins and start my siphon. I do use a racking clip but just to clip my racking tubing to the top of my fermenter, that way the hose won't slip out while I rack....its happened before...wasn't very happy!

Yep, exactly what I do... Whirfloc, IC chill, more chilling in icebath for 15-20 mins, rack to primary. Works like a charm except maybe the last ½ - 1 gallon has a little bit of Schputz™ in it. Btw, I'll have to charge you a fee for using my trademarked name.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

When I rack from my kettle to the fermenter, I use the auto siphon. I tried using a good old-fashioned SS racking cane but it got to be a pain in ass and switched back to the auto siphon. Basically I just hold the auto siphon a few inched above -what Ken calls "Shputz"- and rack ONLY the clearest wort into my fermenter. I use Whirlfloc in the boil and after I chill down to pitching temps, I let the shputz settle to the bottom for maybe 15-20 mins and start my siphon. I do use a racking clip but just to clip my racking tubing to the top of my fermenter, that way the hose won't slip out while I rack....its happened before...wasn't very happy!

Yep, exactly what I do... Whirfloc, IC chill, more chilling in icebath for 15-20 mins, rack to primary. Works like a charm except maybe the last ½ - 1 gallon has a little bit of Schputz™ in it. Btw, I'll have to charge you a fee for using my trademarked name.

So neither of you guys use a cane? you just use the tubing?

[MakeMeHoppy]

I use the autosiphon and it works great. I start it about 6 inches from the bottom of the kettle and as it empties it gently slides down. The end cap settles on the trub but the intake is about 3/4 inch above that and does a great job of pulling minimal trub in. Anything that does get in is so small it would never cause a clog.NOTE: The same thing happens when racking the carboy to the keg. As long as I cold crash I get almost zero yeast in the keg.