# Christmas wine making toys



## Wade E (Dec 26, 2008)

I received Bellissima bottles for Christmas but bought my self vacuum pump which I will use for filtering, degassing and racking my wine so that I dont have to pick up any more full carboys as I have a bad back and almost dropped a full carboy last Saturday and my back is still killing me. Ive been meaning to do this for a few years as I bulged 2 lower discs a few years back and havent been the same since and every time I rack wine from my bench down to the floor and pick it up it typically hurts some but have never dropped any but this was almost very different as I kind of dropped it and fell on it, luckily there is linoleum and the carboy didnt break as I would have landed on a bunch of broken glass. Anyone with a bad back should consider this as you can rack from 1 vessel to another, even rack up hill or to another room and you can degas your wine in about 1 minute.


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## TheTooth (Dec 27, 2008)

Congrats! That all sounds great. I'd like to do that sometime in the future.

This XMas, I got beer brewing toys. Kettle thermometer and wort chilling equipment, as well as a pump to help move wort/beer around without so much heavy lifting... especially when I make 10 gallon batches.


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## Benjo's Mom (Dec 27, 2008)

I love the idea of a self vacuum pump. I have a bad back as well and have difficulty lifting large primaries and carboys. I do not make large amounts (5-10 gal.) and would only need only something basic and simple. Any recommendations, and what can I expect to pay? Easiest is best for me.


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## Wade E (Dec 27, 2008)

I payed $115 for what is called a aspirator pump on ebay. It doesnt have to be brand new as the wine only touches the hoses and those can be replaced with regular racking hoses. I bought this to save my back and while getting out of my car from getting back from the wine making supply store today I ended up laying on my wet driveway for 1 1/2 hours. Turned wrong and my discs pinched my sciatic nerve which imobilized me. My leg went numb and I was in so much pain that I started sweating despite the temp outside oy 34* and almost passed out. I tried many times to man up and get up but the pain was worse then when I actually bulged my 2 discs to begin with. I have never had a pinched nerve to this level and dont wish it upon my worst enemy. I jusy got back from the ambulance ride and hospital about an hour ago and am pretty druged up right now. I believe this is the easiest and cheapest way to do this as a Buon Vino mini jet doeasnt work to well if you put a filter in between it and most of the time wont start a siphon. This tool will also degass your wine which a mini jet will not do and this costs far less.


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## TheTooth (Dec 28, 2008)

Wow, Wade. Sorry to hear about your back. I hope you're feeling better now.

Thanks for the pump info as well.


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## Wray (Dec 31, 2008)

*bad back*

sorry to hear about your back.If your leg went numb from your injury ,it was most likely your L4-5,or L5-S1 nerve root.You may well have problems with the siatiac nerve but it does not usually cause numbness. Just a suggestion,but you may want tofind a pain management clinic instead of an ER.
Wray




,


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## Wade E (Dec 31, 2008)

Thanks everyone, Wray, you are right as I bulged 2 discs 3 years ago and they are pinching my nerve. As for the other day, I had to go to the hospital only because I could not move at all without breaking into a cold sweat and almost passing out from pain for real. I have to get a MRI now and then Physical thereapy.


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## Wray (Dec 31, 2008)

*rx back*

The MRI is agood place to start.They have to rule out a couple of unplesant mabeys before treatment can begin.(they are improbable,but possible)Sounds like they may know what they are doing.Good luck,and if I can be of assist. just let me know.I try to check in every day or so.
Wray


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## Wade E (Dec 31, 2008)

Are you in the medical field as you knew exactly what was wrong? Do you believe in Chiropractors? Im a little weary of them but have never been to 1! Hopefully you dont know this from you being in this position!!!!!!!!


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## Wray (Dec 31, 2008)

*Crna*

I am a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist(CRNA).I work in a pain management clinic.I do not know of anyone who has gotten long term relief from a serious injury from chiropratic care,but again I am biased by my experiences and training.Yes ,sorry to say I have been in your position.I was lucky in that I knew to get defenitive treatment right away.A couple of epidural steroid injections (by a friend of mine) and I was better.In my experience,the sooner you get whet you need the better it works.Since my injury,not working out is no longer an option.Yoga helps for me.Hope this helps.
Wray


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## Wade E (Dec 31, 2008)

So you are sayingthat you work out alot or is that a misprint? My wife has been getting those injections as she had her neck injured from a patient where she works. She works with the mentally impaired and some of them are abbusive.


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## Wray (Dec 31, 2008)

*not so much*

I do yoga and light weights,but only to strenghten my core muscles.You would be amazed at what 15-20 min a day will do. Its really not that hard.Is the wife seeing a pain management specalist or just someone doing pain treatment as a sideline?It can make a difference.
Wray


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## Wade E (Dec 31, 2008)

She has been doing some physical thereapy if thats what you mean other then the epidural shots.


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## Wray (Jan 1, 2009)

*better soon*

The wife and I are beginning to ring in the new year with a toast (or three).best wishes for the new year to all.


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## Wade E (Jan 1, 2009)

All ready on my 4th, we have been drinking my 3 year old sparkling riesling which was my first sparkling wine and was an adventure!


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## Wray (Jan 1, 2009)

*aspirator pump*

how do you use an aspirator pump to de-gass a wine?congrats. on having the patients to allow a wine to age 3 yrs.I get to curious to see what is going on.


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## Wade E (Jan 1, 2009)

It is a vacuum pump. So all you have to do is turn the regulator down insert the hose with a fitting into the bung and turn it on and then slowly turn up the regulator. My pump has a max. vacuum of 22"hg which is actually perfect for degassing a wine. Click on the link below to see some of the ways to use it. I do not have that unit as Im not crazy about those as they actually spew oil out of the exhaust and you need to add and change oil in those units . Mine is an oil free unit as they are made for hospital and people that have respiratory problems. I got mine on Ebay for $115.
http://valleyvintner.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=WE-60-5500&Category_Code=VP


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## Wray (Jan 1, 2009)

*vac pumps*

thanks for the great link!Who wudda thunk it?The good news is that I now have some more gadgets to buy and play with.
Wray


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## Wade E (Jan 1, 2009)

You can never have enough paraphenalia!


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## Wade E (Jan 1, 2009)

Okay today i racked my Peach Ice Wine using the vacuum pump ansd it went extremely well. Ignore the clock on the wall as once I got it all set up my dauhgter called down saying that the door to the crawl spce in the attic had pened and all our cats were cruising around in our attic! But anyway it took a toatl of 5 minutes to rack this wine nd could have probably done it in 1/2 the time but I wanted to get a good feal for what was going on here. I did most of this racking at 5"hg but know that I can take that up to around 12" as thevacuum is being pulled through the carboy not being drawn down on the carboy. Here are some pics!


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## twissty (Jan 5, 2009)

Wade, your setup got me thinking. I bet a shop-vac could replace the vacuum pump as a suction source in a setup like that. I've got a small $40 wet/dry vac that does a very good job of sucking up water on the garage floor, so I would guess that it could power a setup like yours. If nothing else, i bet that with a few fittings i could use it for degassing. 

Time to experiment!


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## wingnutooa (Jan 5, 2009)

wade: cheater!...

i think i'm going to check harbor freight and see if they've got one of those.

and also i'll give you a list of what my Girly.....







.....got me for christmas. since thats basically why i'm even here at all 

i didnt even think to ask for it but i guess i'd been talking about it since we met. 

she bought me:

7 or 8 gallon primary
6 gallon carboy
bung/airlock
bottle brush and carboy brush
hydrometer and thermometer
racking tubes and hoses
joys of home winemaking by Terry Garey.

since, i have gotten supplies i needed to start my first batch

misc. ingredients
nylon mesh bags
couple solid bungs for carboy storage
long stainless steel spoon

and my sister bought me a portuguese floor corker.....and put it in a victoria's secret bag.....

i grabbed a couple old bottles and my girlfriend has two decorative wine glasses filled with old corks. found some that weren't tore up and that thing works slick!!!!

i love it! i pulled the cork out with her Metranoke VIP Rabbit i got her for christmas just so i could put it back in a couple times.

we also got a Haier electric corkscrew. it works well but it tears the cork up quite a bit because of the way its designed to work. good for people with arthritis though. 1 button to pull the cork, no pulling tugging or pushing. then when its free you just push the other button and the cork unscrews itself.


hope everyone else had a great christmas and new year. i know i did.


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## Wade E (Jan 5, 2009)

You have quite the Fox there and she sure can shop too! Twissty, that vacuum you have will probably rack a wine as it doesnt take much vacuum to do that, not sure about degassing though as it requires much more vacuum for that and if it does becareful that you dont go too far, you should put a gauge on it as more then 25: may implode a carboy!


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