Degassing pressure

[collitchboy]

I know there are several threads about vacuum degassing here but I have not seen my question addressed. I have read several threads that say for vacuum degassing you eventually get the pressure up to around 20" or some with some going as high as 28". What happens if you only go to 10"? Does it still degas or not at all or not very well? Would you leave that overnight?

Thanks!

 

[Wade E]

I would not recommend going to 28' of vacuum as you are then really pushing the limits of a carboy and asking for trouble!! At 10" you will end up with quite a bit of gas as most doesnt start coming out until you get to about 15". I stop when I can achieve 18-20 for a few minutes withouit sucking anything up into the hose. At that point I havent had any gas in my wines. If you went as far as 28 you will most luikely be degassing too much and actually leave your wine too flabby, You actually do want minute amounts of gas in your wine!!!!!!

 

[beaubo]

I'm a bit confused. How do you know when enough is enough when degassing using a vac pump? If you can get it to 18" how long should you keep it there; is it time or something visual?

 

[PCharles]

I'm a bit confused. How do you know when enough is enough when degassing using a vac pump? If you can get it to 18" how long should you keep it there; is it time or something visual?

beaubo, I usually operate my vacume pump at 24 inches of mercury. I continue as long as gas continues to come out of solution. 10 lb's seems a bit lot to get the full desired effect, but it's worth a try if that's the best you can do. I'll often go back several times of a period of days.

Oddly, I don't see the CO2 problems that I experianced with kits with wines that I've made directly from fruit, including apple, scuppernong, Cab Sauv.

Best of luck with your degassing.

 

[AlFulchino]

please make sure you have gotten the wine temp up into the low seventies when you wish to degas as the gas will come out easier....cooler temps make it harder for the gas to come out and you could later find some trapped gas pushing a cork when the wine is sitting on a kitchen rack in the summer time

 

[edv]

I simply use a 'house' rule here.
Keep pumping (and periodically giving the carboy a gentle shake) until the thing holds about 20"Hg for about 5 minutes without dropping. Sometimes it take up to 20 minutes of pumping with a hand-powered vacuum pump, so it's a good workout!