DIY pumps for filtering/racking

[Ajmassa]

I'm hesitant to flood this forum with question after question, but I'm in the thick of it right now I need to lean on you guys for advice.
I found that filtering through my new plate filter without a pump is not very ideal. Siphoning and gravity have worked great for me over the years for racking, but that is no longer doing the trick. Ive researched all kinds of different pumps and they can get pretty pricey. I've also seen a couple different homemade pump/vacuum systems that are relatively inexpensive. I consider myself a very handy person (I am a carpenter by trade) and even with the step-by-step turorials, making a pump or vacuum seems like a very big hassle. Or is using a CO2 system better?
Maybe before next years California juice is in I will find time for making one with the portable car tire air compressor I have. (Or just buy one for $200 and not tell the wife) But until then I'm using this "Auto Siphon Tube" I purchased. It has a siphoning cane inside of a larger tube which allows siphoning without needing to suck the end of the tube. And I am able to "pump" the siphon now as needed without any disconnections.
Anybody out there know of a pump/vacuum that is easy to use, inexpensive, or some kind of home-made system that I am unaware of? Or is CO2 the way to go if I go in the "homemade" direction? I am Filtering through a simple plate filter system, the octagon one that has 2 filter disc pads inside.

 

[Johnd]

I'm hesitant to flood this forum with question after question, but I'm in the thick of it right now I need to lean on you guys for advice.
I found that filtering through my new plate filter without a pump is not very ideal. Siphoning and gravity have worked great for me over the years for racking, but that is no longer doing the trick. Ive researched all kinds of different pumps and they can get pretty pricey. I've also seen a couple different homemade pump/vacuum systems that are relatively inexpensive. I consider myself a very handy person (I am a carpenter by trade) and even with the step-by-step turorials, making a pump or vacuum seems like a very big hassle. Or is using a CO2 system better?
Maybe before next years California juice is in I will find time for making one with the portable car tire air compressor I have. (Or just buy one for $200 and not tell the wife) But until then I'm using this "Auto Siphon Tube" I purchased. It has a siphoning cane inside of a larger tube which allows siphoning without needing to suck the end of the tube. And I am able to "pump" the siphon now as needed without any disconnections.
Anybody out there know of a pump/vacuum that is easy to use, inexpensive, or some kind of home-made system that I am unaware of? Or is CO2 the way to go if I go in the "homemade" direction? I am Filtering through a simple plate filter system, the octagon one that has 2 filter disc pads inside.

If you feel that you must filter, the simplest and least expensive pump of the type you are looking for can be found at a boat supply store. Look for the little pumps that run on 12 volts and are used to circulate water for bait well. They are made to handle caustic liquids (saltwater) and will move your wine with enough pressure to filter.

The best option is to get a real wine filter with a pump, or the AIO using Steve's filter system.

 

[Mismost]

AJ...I was in the same boat...did the compressor hack, works...bought a big vacuum pump that works great as it spews oil fumes all over the house...in the end, I got the AIO and it was just right and does everything I need it to in small compact package that is easy to clean up after.

Should have gone that way from the start.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

@ Ajmassa5983
Where are you located ?

If I can be any assistance please PM me

 

[Johny99]

I use a small water pump surplus from an RV. It runs on ac, but D.C. Would be simpler. For the ac, I just tried a variable speed controller made for fans. The combo seems to work great. For D.C., there are lots of D.C. Speed controls you can use.

The pump alone pushes enough through my filter and over supplies my three spout bottler. Hopefully, with the speed controller I won't oversupply next time I bottle.