# vacuum rig don't laugh



## tonyt (Aug 28, 2010)

The full 6 gallon carboys are more than the 4 pound limit imposed on me by my Neurologist, my back goes out easily. So I scoured the web for some of the vacuum equipment y'all use. Long story short I remembered the mini vac that Mr. Oreck gave free with the last upright my wife bought. So I hooked it up as follows pictured left to right.

1 Mini Vac
2 mini vac hose fit snugly into an air lock
4 air lock into hose
5 hose into Orange Top
6 Bottling cane w/o tip through other side of Orange Top with a few inches above Orange Top and most of cane hanging into glass receiving carboy
7 Hose from bottling cane to racking siphon
8 racking siphon inside sending primary or carboy

I tested it with a couple gallons of water and it did fine, it took about 5 minutes to transfer two gallons. I do not know the psi of the vacuum, it is about 10 years old. I will do my best to clean the vacuum hose but don't think I really need to worry about that. I will aim exhaust away from wine. I may get a longer cane or hose for the receiving carboy so it will not splash for later rackings. I will let it splash for early rackings. 

Please try to shoot any holes in this that you can before I proceed to racking my Nero d'Avola in a few days. And what do y'all think about using this getup for degassing? And again please don't laugh.


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## Runningwolf (Aug 28, 2010)

Dude, you're my hero to look up to! Awesome job using the tools available to you. Nothing to laugh at. I guarantee you when Wade see's this he'll tell you the same thing. Lets think about this, "bad back vs silly looking contraption". YOU WIN!!!!!!


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## AlFulchino (Aug 28, 2010)

good for you!


do you have to be concerned about any electricity and liquid issues vis a vis shock?


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## grapeman (Aug 28, 2010)

It may seem like overkill, but an overflow device is necessary to prevent any liquid from entering the vacuum. Once in a while, you will get near the top of the carboy and all of a sudden suck some wine into the overflow hose. Without an overflow container to catch it, it will end up in the vacuum and probably ruin it. Take another small carboy with another orange cap and fittings and attach the two together. That way if liquid gets by the filling carboy, the second one will trap it before entering the vacuum. 


Other than that, it should work great.


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## tonyt (Aug 28, 2010)

appleman said:


> It may seem like overkill, but an overflow device is necessary to prevent any liquid from enering the vacuum. Once in a while, you will get near the top of the carboy and all of a sudden suck some wine into the overflow hose. Without an overflow container to catch it, it will end up in the vacuum and probably ruin it. Take another small carboy with another orange cap and fittings and attach the two together. That way if liquid gets by the filling carboy, the second one will trap it before entering the vacuum.
> 
> 
> Other than that, it should work great.



Thanks, I'm the king of overkill. I only have one gallon jugs extra. Are there connectors that would work for one gallon? From George hopefully.


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## tonyt (Aug 28, 2010)

Al Fulchino said:


> good for you!
> 
> 
> do you have to be concerned about any electricity and liquid issues vis a vis shock?



Great point. I can plug in the vacuum several feet away into a GFI outlet by the sink.


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## ibglowin (Aug 28, 2010)

A+ for ingenuity MacGruber!





Just be very careful about accidentally sucking over any liquid!


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## Wade E (Aug 28, 2010)

I would definitely do as appleman has said as it does happen especially when first racking a gassy wine and you get to the very end with a full carboy and hit that spot where no more wine is in the sacrificing carboy which sucks air into the receiving carboy and this can sometimes make the receiving carboy a little volatile thus creating foam which will go right into that vacuum hose. I would create a 1 gallon jug if you have no other means like maybe even a mason jar with 2 fittings maybe screwed in to a lid with nuts on the inside. If no fittings exist and you want to get the stuff from George you can get the 1 gallon jug and a solid bung for it and freeze the bung for a few days and then pull it out and immediately drill 2 opposing holes for fittings that you could connect fittings to such as 2 small pcs. of a cut off racking cane. Other then that good for you as I know exactly what you mean about the bad back as I too have 2 bulged discs which one of them is also perforated and both degenerative. This most likely would not have enough vacuum to degas your wine or even filter but his part here is the worst part for your back. Does it have enough power to rack from the floor up to your counter?


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## Waldo (Aug 28, 2010)

Can do the overflow setup or perhaps just find a small wet/dry vac and then not worry about it


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## tonyt (Aug 28, 2010)

Wade said:


> I would definitely do as appleman has said as it does happen especially when first racking a gassy wine and you get to the very end with a full carboy and hit that spot where no more wine is in the sacrificing carboy which sucks air into the receiving carboy and this can sometimes make the receiving carboy a little volatile thus creating foam which will go right into that vacuum hose. I would create a 1 gallon jug if you have no other means like maybe even a mason jar with 2 fittings maybe screwed in to a lid with nuts on the inside. If no fittings exist and you want to get the stuff from George you can get the 1 gallon jug and a solid bung for it and freeze the bung for a few days and then pull it out and immediately drill 2 opposing holes for fittings that you could connect fittings to such as 2 small pcs. of a cut off racking cane. Other then that good for you as I know exactly what you mean about the bad back as I too have 2 bulged discs which one of them is also perforated and both degenerative. This most likely would not have enough vacuum to degas your wine or even filter but his part here is the worst part for your back. Does it have enough power to rack from the floor up to your counter?



Thanks, I will check floor to counter racking tomorrow. Want will that mean if it can? And am putting a bung in the freezer as soon as I press "post reply"


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## tonyt (Aug 28, 2010)

Wade, btw, my Doc told me not to worry too much about the bulging disks, in time Arthritis will set in and the disks will stop slipping out. Now that's something to look forward to! lol


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## Wade E (Aug 28, 2010)

Good lord!


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## tonyt (Aug 29, 2010)

Wade said:


> Does it have enough power to rack from the floor up to your counter?



No, almost but not quite. It will reach to within a couple inches. Does that mean it is likely not strong enough to degass?


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## Rocky_Top (Aug 29, 2010)

I use this 5hp vacuum in my shop. I was going to run a small hose to my wine room ( my wifes music room ) to see how well it would work and never did. My router table has 1'x 4' door on it.Iclosed the door with the vac running,the doorslamed and splintered 






d


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## tonyt (Aug 29, 2010)

I only want to transfer the wine from one carboy to the other, I don't want to suck the entire 6 gallon glass carboy through the hose and into the other carboy!


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## Rocky_Top (Aug 29, 2010)

Ha Ha Ha



I was not really sure it would work at all. It is all about psi or what ever vacuum is. I was thinking about getting a small 1 gal shop wet vac for $20 when I found a good deal on ebay for a vacuum pump. some of the wet vacs arequitestrong


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## Wade E (Aug 29, 2010)

Geeze Rocky Top, You could probably rack my wine to your house with that
dust collector. That is just for your home shop! I have the Delta dust 
collector.


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## Wade E (Aug 29, 2010)

ttortorice, I highly doubt that system has enough power to degas a wine but at least you have the ability to not have to deal with lifting a heavy carboy.


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## tonyt (Aug 29, 2010)

Thanks all. I racked tonight and was real careful not to get any bubbles through to the vacuum. Actually there was very little foaming at all so it was not at all an issue. I have a solid bung on order to make into a one gallon overflow container. the bung I had with a hole already drilled did not have enough room to drill another hole. I don't mind degassing with my power drill, actually enjoy it. Degassing with the drill gives me a chance to overdo. Topped up with a bottle and a half of commercial Nero d'Avola and now topping me up with the last half bottle. Salute!


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## Rocky_Top (Aug 30, 2010)

ttortorice , Ithink you have the best top off technique
Hey Wade, I need more info on how I can rack your wine into my carboy.



I had a delta. It woked OK. Every time a chunk of wood from the router got in it it bent the impeller plate. I ended up welding the tops of the blades together . Then i found this one on criagslist for $300.--- "home shop???" More of a Home part time business.


I make flute stands part time. The stand locks in the open position. 
http://home.comcast.net/~cilley2/bassx.html


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## tonyt (Oct 17, 2010)

Well, I hooked my Oreck vacuum rig up again today, bottling day for the Rosso D'Avola. I was concerned if the rig would be strong enough to pump the juice from floor up to counter height into a primary so I could gravity feed down into bottles. Hooray . . . it worked. Perhaps I should send a link to this post to Mr. Oreck. Link to tasting notes. http://forum.finevinewines.com//forum_posts.asp?TID=10025&amp;PN=22


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## Runningwolf (Oct 17, 2010)

I am looking at the time you posted, I think you were drinking! LOL really it's pretty cool!


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## AlFulchino (Oct 17, 2010)

you should pass that on to Oreck!


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## Wade E (Oct 17, 2010)

It really doesnt take much vacuum at all to rack wine, something like 5". Degassing is another story though which takes around 15" - 20". Rocky, nice flute stands!!!!!!


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## Randoneur (Oct 17, 2010)

I'm laughing - at myself, why did't I think of that


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## tonyt (Oct 17, 2010)

randoneur said:


> I'm laughing - at myself, why did't I think of that



Necessity is the mother of invention. Can't lift the 6 gallon full carboys. Lifting 50+ pounds almost guarantees spending a couple days flat on my back.


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## rrawhide (Oct 22, 2010)

great looking flute stand - nice work from one woodworker to another.


rrawhide


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## BillK (Oct 25, 2010)

Just getting input on this type of setup with a filter as well.

I have been using the Vinbrite Filter Kit.



This gravity type filter takes forever to filter a batch!


Think it would work ok with the vacuum?


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## Wade E (Oct 25, 2010)

If you are talking about the Oreck style vacuum then I think that would be pushing it hard. if your talking about a vacuum aspirator then it will work just fine.


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## tonyt (Oct 26, 2010)

There is a thread out there somewhere where y'all talk about and show pictures of the aspirator used for bottling and filtering. Perhaps someone can find it, I looked but couldn't find it. May have been on the other forum?


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## Wade E (Oct 26, 2010)

Here is a link to the one I use and how to use it.
http://forum.finevinewines.com//forum_posts.asp?TID=7431


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