Brake bleeder degas question

[jayhkr]

So I bought a harbor freight brake bleeder tonight as I was tired of splashing wine out with the whip. I want to know at what point do you call it "degased"? I got the bleeder to 25" with very little CO2 coming up. How far do you take it, as I feel you could go on forever to get every last CO2 bubble out.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

You are probably good - but what is the temperature of the wine ?

The temperature plays a big part in degassing - typically around 72-75 degrees is best

 

[NorCal]

My vacuum pulls to 20 inches hg. The last time I degassed a carboy of skeeter, I vacuum transferred between carboys 3 or 4 times and it did the trick.

 

[jayhkr]

You are probably good - but what is the temperature of the wine ?

The temperature plays a big part in degassing - typically around 72-75 degrees is best

Temp reads right about 73-74*. I warmed them up prior to trying the bleeder out.

 

[jayhkr]

My vacuum pulls to 20 inches hg. The last time I degassed a carboy of skeeter, I vacuum transferred between carboys 3 or 4 times and it did the trick.

I do plan sometime in the near-ish future to purchase the all-in-one pump. But this is what I could afford at the moment.

 

[jgmann67]

Try gently agitating your wine to see if you release any CO2. If there's Co2 left, you'll get a fizzy head and your vacuum will drop.

Just looked at your pic. Is that a 1 gallon? Probably not an issue, but next time, you'll want to leave a bit more headspace for the fizz.

 

[TonyR]

I just don't understand, if you put your wine in a carboy with an air lock for 3 or 4 months and then rack it a few times over the next month you will not have any of these problems and more important your wine will taste MUCH MUCH better.

 

[Boatboy24]

My thinking when using the brake bleeder is if I can keep it over 20 and have it remain steady for 15-20 minutes, then it is degassed.

 

[JimmyT]

My thinking when using the brake bleeder is if I can keep it over 20 and have it remain steady for 15-20 minutes, then it is degassed.

When I used the brake bleeder and finally worked it up to 25 I'd leave it on and pump it up every hour or so. Then I'd leave it on overnight. It usually stayed above 20 overnight. Never had any issues once I hit that point.

 

[jayhkr]

Try gently agitating your wine to see if you release any CO2. If there's Co2 left, you'll get a fizzy head and your vacuum will drop.

Just looked at your pic. Is that a 1 gallon? Probably not an issue, but next time, you'll want to leave a bit more headspace for the fizz.

I'm going to run the process again today just to be sure everything is out, so I will gently agitate then. Yes, they are 1 gallon CB's. I did have to be careful at the beginning, but once I reached about 22" I could just pump almost indefinitely without any issue. Fortunately my bleeder kit came with a cup that acted as a "catch" when I did get some foam in the line.

I just don't understand, if you put your wine in a carboy with an air lock for 3 or 4 months and then rack it a few times over the next month you will not have any of these problems and more important your wine will taste MUCH MUCH better.

And I'm sure one day I'll get there, however being "green" to this hobby there is no waiting! LOL But as soon as I get a collection of bottles that I can enjoy throughout a years time I will bulk age more.

My thinking when using the brake bleeder is if I can keep it over 20 and have it remain steady for 15-20 minutes, then it is degassed.

Sounds good, I appreciate the info!

 

[DoctorCAD]

If you had any gas in that wine, you would have ruined your brake bleeder. You need to remove some wine, re-suck it, and then shake it a bit. If all you get are similar bubbles, it is done.

Oh, and I have had gassey wine after 6 months and multiple rackings, so it is NOT automatic. Since I now vacuum rack, no worries!

 

[Turock]

6 months is never enough time in bulk aging and yes, you will still have CO2 at that point. That's why 1 year of bulk aging is better.

 

[CarlD]

How you test the co2 dissolved in wine ? Everytime i try to degas wine , i dont have any co2 after 8-10 month of bulk aging

 

[jgmann67]

How you test the co2 dissolved in wine ? Everytime i try to degas wine , i dont have any co2 after 8-10 month of bulk aging

Hardly a scientific way to do it, but I'd poof it: fill a bottle 3/4 full, thumb over the opening... Shake vigorously for a couple seconds. Then take your thumb off. If it "poofs" much more than water would, you got gas.

 

[bkisel]

You'll develop a knack for degassing. Same idea but I use a vacuvin. Most times I'm pump degassing over the course of 2-3 days. Probably pump it 8-10 times a day with 50 or so pumps each time. I consider I'm done when the pumping becomes more difficult and I'm mostly just pulling out big bubbles not the little ones that cause the foaming at the start of degassing.

If you have wine up into the neck of the carboy you need to begin very slowly because of all the initial foaming.