Degassing issue

[Elmer]

So I am on day 3 of degassing.
I took someone's advice and cut a plastic hanger, attached to a drill and put it in the carboy to whip.
It was brought to my attention that the vortex I create could potentially bring O2 into the wine.
so I then took someone's advice and used the stopper in conjunction with the whip. (the hanger went through the stopper hole. the stopper plugs the hole while I whip).

The issue I had was the plastic hanger began shredding when it rotated in the stopper, leaving me my shreds of plastic in my wine.

I have since removed the stopped and just use the drill hovering over the open carboy.

My questions:

do I need to plug the carboy opening when I whip?
Will the plastic sink to the bottom over time.
is there another way to whip this, without buying a $14 whip or pump?

 

[vacuumpumpman]

So I am on day 3 of degassing.
I took someone's advice and cut a plastic hanger, attached to a drill and put it in the carboy to whip.
It was brought to my attention that the vortex I create could potentially bring O2 into the wine.
so I then took someone's advice and used the stopper in conjunction with the whip. (the hanger went through the stopper hole. the stopper plugs the hole while I whip).

The issue I had was the plastic hanger began shredding when it rotated in the stopper, leaving me my shreds of plastic in my wine.

I have since removed the stopped and just use the drill hovering over the open carboy.

My questions:

do I need to plug the carboy opening when I whip?
Will the plastic sink to the bottom over time.
is there another way to whip this, without buying a $14 whip or pump?

No you do not have to plug the carboy while degassing with a whip or similar.
I would proudly filter to get all the plastic out - as I would think it would float due to the densitity.

If you dont want to spend the money - time will help as well as temperature also

 

[TonyP]

Plugging is of no consequence whatsoever, except to avoid spillage. It's not possible to create a vacuum like that, anyway. However, the advice on the vortex is very important. What you need to do is not create one, which can be done by varying your drill speed.

The plastic may sink, but that's not the issue. My suggestion is to get the plastic out, if necessary, by racking.

One option is to cut the handle on a stirring spoon and using the reverse end with the drill. It does seem to me, though, that after 3 days you're either done or not doing it right. Make certain the wine is over 70F.

 

[Elmer]

. It does seem to me, though, that after 3 days you're either done or not doing it right. Make certain the wine is over 70F.

I was told to degas for 5 days.
I am on day 3 and still getting bubbles.
I usually use the drill for 10 minutes, alternating forward & reverse and alternating back and forth motion and side to side!

Is this wrong?

 

[winedegasser]

If you dont want to spend the money - time will help as well as temperature also

Yes natural degassing works too. See this post:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/natural-degassing-37107/

Leave it at 70F for 6 months to 12 months and Co2 will be gone.

 

[Elmer]

Yes natural degassing works too. See this post:
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/natural-degassing-37107/

Leave it at 70F for 6 months to 12 months and Co2 will be gone.

I don't have anywhere I can get 70. My house itself is set to 68.
During the winter my basement is 62, in the summer it is 66.
I try to keep it wrapped in a blanket with a fan blowing on it in the summer.

I will degass 1 more day and be done!

 

[winedegasser]

I don't have anywhere I can get 70. My house itself is set to 68.
During the winter my basement is 62, in the summer it is 66.
I try to keep it wrapped in a blanket with a fan blowing on it in the summer.

I will degass 1 more day and be done!

65 should be OK. Just will probably take longer. Co2 dissolved in the wine will eventually escape, its just a matter of time.

Good luck.

 

[kahaas56]

when degassing naturally for argument sake say 6 months to a year, at what point do you add your stabilizing and fining agents plus when do you top off?

 

[TonyP]

A few quick points from your posts. First, there's no minimum, maximum, or recommended days to degas. Some wines degas naturally, while others take several days. You need to test the wine and continue until you're satisfied.

Wine will degas far more easily when it's warm - 70+F. Once or twice I've put a carboy in large bin and added hot (not boiling) water to get the carboy temperature up. Raising the temperature for a few hours prior to stirring is all that's needed to help you degas easily.

 

[Tess]

I put the brew belt back on mine to warm it up some. I degassed for what seemed like for ever and still needs more. I think it was because it was to cold!!

 

[Wade E]

You should sulfite and stabilize your wine as soon as its done fermenting! Not doing so will most likely result in an oxized wine or worse a bacteria infection.

 

[saramc]

when degassing naturally for argument sake say 6 months to a year, at what point do you add your stabilizing and fining agents plus when do you top off?

If you do not test for free SO2, most people tend to add k-meta every 90 days. I do not usually use fining agents, but you do want wine to be degassed before fining; you may find that after six months of bulk aging which would include 3 rackings at the most that the wine is naturally clear. You top off any time it is necessary during the aging process.