# how do you use a racking cane?



## Jags (Jan 8, 2007)

When I first opened my kit and saw the racking cane I guessed that you pushed it through the bung stopper to a depth above the lees with the J portion out the top to attach the hose too. But now I'm reading about people breaking the end off in their carboys so it sounds like the J end goes in the lees? Seems like this would be a real juggling act to get the siphon started, put the tube in the carboy all while trying not to stir up the lees and keep the J end pointing up? Is there a trick to this other than buying an auto siphon or pump?


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## smurfe (Jan 8, 2007)

Jags said:


> When I first opened my kit and saw the racking cane I guessed that you pushed it through the bung stopper to a depth above the lees with the J portion out the top to attach the hose too. But now I'm reading about people breaking the end off in their carboys so it sounds like the J end goes in the lees? Seems like this would be a real juggling act to get the siphon started, put the tube in the carboy all while trying not to stir up the lees and keep the J end pointing up? Is there a trick to this other than buying an auto siphon or pump?



Your first impression is correct. The straight end goes into the carboy and the curved end is where the hose attach's to.

Smurfe


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## FentonCellars (Jan 8, 2007)

I wondered what the heck that was! I just stuck a sanitized clear tubing from the supplier into the primary and had the wife hold the tubing in place so we got as much wine (less lees) as possible. Can you buy any sort of filter add-on that will attach to the glass racking cane to keep out the lees?


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## smurfe (Jan 8, 2007)

You can buy filters, but none that I know that go on a racking cane that will filter the Lees. Some put a piece of mesh like from a piece of pantie hose to keep large solids out like fruit chunks or oak chips but this will not filter the Lees. You really need a filter apparatus for that.

Smurfe


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## Caplan (Jan 8, 2007)

The best way to use a racking cane (with no auto syphon/pump and No sucking) is to fill it with campden solution and hold the fluid inside it. when you put the cane in your wine carboy and start to syphon you can watch for the wine to travel down the tube (and the campden solution can be released in a cup etc at the side of the carboy) before stopping it and putting the syphon in the carboy.


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## Caplan (Jan 8, 2007)

Also don't push the cane through the bung hole - take the bung out and rack. Always ensure the racking cane end is in the middle of the wine as you rack (It stops both surface foam and lees from being sucked into your wine). When you get 3/4's of the way down you can also very gently 'tilt' the carboy and get more wine out (you need to properly support the carboy underneath though and with no risk of it tipping over for safety reasons!)


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## thunder2000 (Jan 8, 2007)

For what its worth I have a wine making book that shows the cane going down inside the carboy with the bent end first. It is supose to be designed to where you can lean your bottle sideways and the bent part on the cane will get closer to the side of the bottle. It only works on the larger carboys. On gallons it wont fit. They break because of the bind.


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## thunder2000 (Jan 8, 2007)

As to how I rack. Once you have you syphon hooked up. Get above your carboy making sure you have a line lock hooked up to your hose. Start to draw wine into hose. When you get the wine about four inches from the end if you dont want to try it . Engage the lock or just put your thumb over the end of hose. Now make sure what you are going to put wine into is below carboy. Lower hose down to opening and remove thumb. Easy right.


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