# My tips on racking with Auto-Siphon



## masta (Jan 15, 2007)

I know many folks have issues with racking and I can tell you it takes time and experience to get good at it. While racking three batches this morning before bottling I grabbed the camera so I could share my technique and maybe it will help someone else. 


These three batches I racked have been sitting for about 8-10 weeks (one with extra oak cubes) since the last racking and don't have an abundance of lees at the bottom. When you have more than a 3/8 of an inch of lees you must take extra caution when getting near the bottom.


I always use my auto-siphon when racking and the beauty of this tool is you can start a siphon with a few quick strokes and it comes in different sizes and all include a sediment tip. Trust me....this one piece of equipment is worth every cent you pay for it!


You can find all the auto-siphons here: http://www.finevinewines.com/Home-Wine-Making-Equipment-Siphons-Tubing.asp


After you start the siphon and the volume starts to drop I slowly drop the auto-siphon into the carboy and stop when it is roughly 3/4 of the way to the bottom. At this point I attach my spring clamp to the body of the auto siphon to hold it in place so I can do other things like check the forum on my laptop.







I am using my 3/8 inch auto-siphon since I broke the 1/2 inch one.








The spring loaded clamp can be found at most hardware stores.










The reason i don't put it all the way to the bottom in the beginning is thatit is tough to keep it still with a full carboy and learned this after disturbing a few batches when getting ready to rack and bottle.






When the volume drops close the tip of the auto-siphon (masta get off the forum and pay attention!)



it is time to very slowly guide it to the bottom and off to the side closest to you.Now that the volume is lower it usually stays put by itself.


The clamp also doubles as a carboy wedge to help get all the liquid.












With the carboy tipped just let the siphon complete by itself and you get most of the liquid and leave the lees behind where it belongs.














Now we are done and you have a carboy almost full of perfectly clear wine and enough to fill 30+ bottles.













*Edited by: masta *


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## jsmahoney (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks masta, it always helps to see the way its done with pictures! Great job!


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## Wade E (Jan 15, 2007)

Okay I dont have one. Who likes them and who doesnt?


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## ScubaDon (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks,
I am racking again tonight. This is a big help. I don't have a spring loaded clip but i have a large potatoe chip bag clip and I am going to try it.
Don


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## Waldo (Jan 15, 2007)

I'm with Masta..I believe the auto siphon is a "gotta have". I love the idea with the clamp masta. Thanks for sharing it.


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## smurfe (Jan 15, 2007)

I love it to. I really don't have many probs if there is little sediment. It is the racking when there is a lot of sediment. So then you inadvertently suck up sediment so after it sits again, you still have a layer of sediment. I have the sediment tip on both of mine. The last 2 batches I racked have a layer of sediment in them that looks like I have never racked it and I left a ton of sediment behind during the last racking. I just stink at it. I do like the clamp though. Gonna pick one of those up!


Smurfe


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2007)

I have one and it works great. I really don't use it that much, due to my limited space I don't feel that I can properly sanitize it. I like to dip all my stuff in sanitizer and I have no where to do that. Any suggestions? How does everyone else sanitize theirs? It works great and I would love to start using it again. 


When I first got it I made the rookie mistake of sticking it into an almost full carboy andmade a huge mess as the wine spilled out of the neck...oops I then realized I needed to pull out the plunger as I pushed it in.


I would also recommend getting a longer hose.*Edited by: Steve *


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## PolishWineP (Jan 15, 2007)

Love the auto siphon! And I love the clamp idea!




Sanitizing is rather awkward, but it's not that bad. There are several options.
1. Spray it down with sanitizer from a spray bottle.
2. Put it together, including the hose, andpump sanitizer through it, with the discharge end of the hose going back into the same container from which you are drawing your solution.
3. Spray what you can and then use a designated wine only turkey baster to run it through the hose and insides of the tubes.


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## masta (Jan 15, 2007)

Oh I have never shoved the siphon into a full carboy and flowed it over the top....only bout a dozen times!






To sanitize I siphon a least a 1/2 gal of solution fromone carboy to another or directly from my gallon jug to a carboy.Then I just rinse the outside including the hose with a small amount of solution over the sink.


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## sangwitch (Jan 15, 2007)

I didn't know there was any other way besides the auto-siphon!


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## NorthernWinos (Jan 15, 2007)

We haven't had much luck using the Auto-Siphon, but am willing to try it again...real soon.

We use the orange cap, put the racking cane through the middle hole/tube, and blow in the tube to the side....Oh...of course we sanitize our breath with a 'like kind wine'...










It works every time....our racking cane has a black tip on the bottom that keeps it above most sediment...


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## ScubaDon (Jan 15, 2007)

Just finished racking my wine and putting the finishing touches to it. Should be ready to bottle in 7to 10 days. Thanks for all the great help. 


P.S. the potatoe chip clip worked perfect to hole the cane. I didn't get a drop of lees in the move. I did place the lees in a jug with a ballon on it (didn't have an airlock). We will see if I get a little more wine from them.


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## jobe05 (Jan 15, 2007)

I have a love -hate relationship with my auto siphon. I love the idea that I don't have to try the old fashion method of siphoning, over and over again. I hate the idea I never get any more wine by sucking on the hose to hard. I hate the idea I can't put it in the carboy without it over flowing, and I hate the idea that the moment I need to raise the racking cane to plung it down to start the siphon, that the upward motion has just pulled the hose out of the receiving carboy, and the first half bottle or so end up on the floor. Other than that, it looks impressive just hanging there waiting to be used.


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## jsmahoney (Jan 15, 2007)

I'm with Jobe05, it gets very disgusting with the overflow and when the hose comes out of the receiving carboy. 
As far as sanitizing, I siphon the sanitizer through the tube, and i have a large long Tupperware that I put sanitizer in that I can lay all my equipment in and let soak.


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## Wade E (Jan 15, 2007)

This thing is not making my list so far.


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## smurfe (Jan 15, 2007)

I sanitize mine by taking it apart and sticking it in a bucket of sanitizer. I let it soak and then I turn the pieces over. I then spray it down with a spray bottle of sanitizer. I then reassemble and siphon sanitizer through it and the hose back into the bucket. 


In regards to the wine spilling when sticking the siphon in the carboy, I place the tip just into the wine and draw the siphon up. As I draw it, it sucks up some wine while lowering the level in the carboy. After a couple strokes of the siphon I can drop it in further. I rarely spill anymore. I do agree with the statement about a longer hose. I use 6 ft of hose now and don't have my hose flying out of the bottling bucket anymore. Thats where my messes always came from.


Smurfe


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## geocorn (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks for the pictures. You did a great job, as usual. Shows why I keep him around.


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## Coaster (Jan 16, 2007)

I too went with a longer hose, think I am up to 7 feet now. Kinda a pain to pull out and clean but a whole lot less of a pain than explaining to my wife that the wine stains on the carpet of our bedroom add "character". 


I had a really hard time using this at first because I didn't get a good seal between the hose and the siphon. First I used some ribbon to tie it off but thought I might crack the cane, next (from a suggestion off this board) I used a bread tie. That worked much better as I could tighten it down but it was too small. I then moved to some thin coated wire I had in the garage. My brother uses a size smaller hose and managed to stretch the end of it so his is a tight fit and works like a charm (except for the occasional overflow we all experience).


I am pretty careful these days (well, compared to when I first tried this) but I go ahead and get some lees if I am racking for the first time. I know I will be racking at least once more and with the anti-sediment tip I can't get every drop. So, during first racking (with a bunch of gross lees) I rack from the 3/4 position and when it gets down to the bottom, I slide down just below the surface until I hit bottom. I do take a few lees but am not aggressive about stirring them up. The next time I rack, I also start at the 3/4 position and slide down until I hit bottom but usually at this pointthe lees are below where the tip will stop the siphon. I hope that makes sense.


I try to minimize the lees I rack each time but not to the extent I forgo some wine as long as I know I am going to rack again. I do this to minimize the topping up that I have to do after every racking (since the auto siphon always leaves some wine behind). I also know that I will always rack one more time until I rack into the primary for bottling. When I rack just before bottling I stop above the lees (if any) and then bottle that separately for "muddy bottom" bottles.*Edited by: Coaster *


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## Fly boy (Jan 16, 2007)

I use the auto siphon and put the other end of the hose on the big end of the orange multi cap. It is the perfect size and no more losing the hose out of the carboy when siphoning. Works really good!


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## grapeman (Jan 16, 2007)

Good tip Fly boy. Wade, the auto siphon is worth the cost. Once you get a couple simple procedures down, it's a piece of cake and saves a lot of hastle getting the siphon started.


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## maize (Jan 16, 2007)

I love the auto-siphon as well. If you pull the plunger out as you lower it, there is very little displacement and I usually get half way down before pumping. I do like the clamp trick, but I have found that it is very rare that I suck up sediment when resting it on the bottom - after I get the siphon started. To that point, I usually have let things settle for at least 3 weeks at any one stage. I noticed when racking 2 weeks after stabilizing that the sediment did not seem as firmly packed down and the remnant after racking seemed more juicey - had to pour that into a wine bottle to settle out!
Great tutorial.


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## Joanie (Jan 16, 2007)

The auto siphon is great!

Another remedy for the other end coming out of the receiving carboy...set it on a higher surface until the siphoning is underway. Then you can move it to the floor to finish.


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## PolishWineP (Jan 16, 2007)

Bert found us some little clips to use on the hose to keep it from leaking air. Bert, where did you get those?


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## bmorosco (Jan 17, 2007)

That is great idea....


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## Cracked Cork (Jan 24, 2007)

I have already busted 2 autosiphons, cracked the canes at the bend
putting tubing on and off, they seem much weaker than regular canes to
me, but still going to use them and be extra carefull putting hose onto
the canes from now one. I have some of those orange clamps 10 feet from
my racking bench and never even thought of clamping one of them on!
Great idea. Crackedcork


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## daveb50 (Jan 24, 2007)

Cracked Cork said:


> I have already busted 2 autosiphons, cracked the canes at the bend putting tubing on and off, they seem much weaker than regular canes to me, but still going to use them and be extra carefull putting hose onto the canes from now one. I have some of those orange clamps 10 feet from my racking bench and never even thought of clamping one of them on! Great idea. Crackedcork




Run some hot tap water over the end of the hose before installing and removing it, works for me.
Dave


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## Mack (Feb 9, 2007)

Masta, thanks for the pictures on racking. I used to have a similiar 
system until I discovered the Crownridge Winery pump. I've used it now
for five or six wines and find it to be fast and easy.It fits into the carbow aswell
as the bucket. The cost is around $ 36.bucks plus shipping.Check it out at www.crownridgewinery.com. Thanks.


Mack*Edited by: Mack *


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## Mike777 (Apr 2, 2007)

Absolutely not! I get about a glass a siphoning. Nothings grtting in the way of that!


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## Wade E (Apr 2, 2007)

That pump looks pretty cool Mack!


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## jobe05 (Apr 2, 2007)

Smurf tried one of these over a year ago. 


See what he had to say: http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1176


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## Wade E (Apr 2, 2007)

If you look at Macks post they now have a extender tip for carboys.


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## joeswine (Nov 16, 2007)

have you ever made sparkling wine,if so whats the proper method of ,keg to bottle,what to use?


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## joeswine (Jan 15, 2008)

auto siphons are excellent tools of the trade 1/2 inch is the way ,I know how you feel when you break one and I have ,from bottle to bottle ok,but from bucket on the floor to a 15 gallon or 6 gallon bottle on a rack and faced with eleven or so I get out the big guns and use my electric food grade pump in seconds its done and no backbraking lifting,pump up to 20 feet straight up ,lessons learned when friends don't show and there you are! all by your lonesome,and theirs volumes to do


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## joeswine (Jan 15, 2008)

WADE bought a beer gun the only way to fly when bottling sparkly,stainless steel barralwith stopper,triger for shooting co2 for a few seconds then a trigger for the carbonnated wine,only tried it to make selzer ,good tool next sunday muisati,slitely back sweeten turned into spaminiti,,should be just fine


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## Jack on Rainy (Jan 16, 2008)

Steve said:


> I have one and it works great. I really don't use it that much, due to my limited space I don't feel that I can properly sanitize it. I like to dip all my stuff in sanitizer and I have no where to do that. Any suggestions? How does everyone else sanitize theirs? It works great and I would love to start using it again.
> 
> 
> When I first got it I made the rookie mistake of sticking it into an almost full carboy andmade a huge mess as the wine spilled out of the neck...oops I then realized I needed to pull out the plunger as I pushed it in.
> ...




Steve, In addition to PWP's ideas on sanitizing, you might also consider a piece of 2" or 3"plastic sewer pipe long enough to contain your long pieces and with a cap on one end. Pour your sanitzing solution in and you can soak your siphon or whatever else you want.


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## grapeman (Jan 16, 2008)

Jack on Rainy said:


> Steve, In addition to PWP's ideas on sanitizing, you might also consider a piece of 2" or 3"plastic sewer pipe long enough to contain your long pieces and with a cap on one end. Pour your sanitzing solution in and you can soak your siphon or whatever else you want.






Just make sure it is a new and unused piece of sewer pipe!






But seriously. Great tip. I'm going to have to make one of those!


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## joeswine (Jan 17, 2008)

I have two of these,the statement that the switch in a little weak is correct,both mine failed after a short period of use I end up taking off the switch plate and used a quarter as a switch,in my case their a good idea but short on value,I don't use them anymore the auto siphons and my electric pump are the right way to go for the long term for me,I would not recommend them to anyone



MACK this item is not on my wish list:*Edited by: joeswine *


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