Is this the correct brake bleeder to buy?

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tcb54

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Is this what I should be getting if I want to purchase a brake bleeder to de-gass wine?





http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?item=PAR_DS-310207




Is there anything else that I need to purchase?


FInally, should it be used only after stabilizing, or when?


Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.


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I've tried both the mity-vac and the cheaper brass powerfist brand. The mity-vac maintains better a better vac and does it with less pumps. HOWEVER, I have gone through 2 plastic handles on mine. Get the metal version if you can afford it.
 
I have not used the brake bleeder yet tcb but as to when you want to degass, it is after you have added your stabilizing chemicals and prior to adding your clarifier. If not degassed, the wine will not clear properly. Edited by: Waldo
 
I use one just like that, that is metal and it works great. Have taken it apart and cleaned and oiled it and it still works great. Make sure it's metal!!!
 
I haven't had a single gassy wine since I started racking back into the 8-gallonprimary and using a drill mounted stirrer for about 15 minutes. I had a bent plastic wine whip that broke at the chuck that I still use occasionally but I primarily use a plastic paint stirrer (less than $2 at the home improvement store) now. And, no, I haven't experienced oxidation problems either.


By racking to the primary, I put the stirrer through a 1" hole drilled in the lid originally intended for an air lock and put the lid back on the primary. I sit in a chair beside the primary and allow the drill to run wide open and there's never even a splash, thanks to the lid.
 
RuleG, are you creating a whirlpool(vortex) in there. It really is no good. You are introducing more air than should be and you probably could cut the time in half if you were agitating it more. You may not notice the oxidation now but if you are aging any of this wine you are cutting its shelf life down by doing this.
 
Wade, I'm not sure that it is that serious. CO2 is about 2.5x as heavy as air, and if the wine is very gassy the CO2 coming off the wine will displace the air out the top hole, leaving a blanket of CO2 in the primary. Most of what is subsequently sucked into the wine is CO2, which reduces efficiency but is ultimately harmless. I think.
 
Peter, when a wine is being stirred without reversing is it really discipating much gas?
 
wade said:
RuleG, are you creating a whirlpool(vortex) in there. It really is no good. You are introducing more air than should be and you probably could cut the time in half if you were agitating it more. You may not notice the oxidation now but if you are aging any of this wine you are cutting its shelf life down by doing this.

Wade, I've been degassing this way for a little over a year. When I first began making kits I made only WE kits and found them to invariably be gassy due to my failure to properly degass them according to WE instructions. I then started making RJS and Cellar Craft kits. These manufacturers, unlike WE, recommend racking into a clean primary for degassing (WE recommends stirring the lees back into the wine and degassing in the secondary). As you know, WE recommends using a drill mounted wine whip in their instructions. I combined the wine whip with degassing in the primary and have not a hint of gas in my wines ever since. I do now, however, bulk age on the average of 3-6 months prior to bottling.

As for creating the whirlpool - yes, the tendency for a drill mounted stirrer is to create the whirlpool. The whirlpool wants to form in a clockwise manner so I occasionally move the stirrer in a counter-clockwise direction that disrupts the whirlpool. This method of degassing results in a cap of very fine bubbles (foam?) that dissipates fairly quickly.

I have a several different wines that are over a year old. Some country wines are even older than two years old and some are very gassy. I have some kit wines that are over a year old and seem to be aging well with no hint of either gas or oxidation. My intent is to have wines that are at their peak and ready to consume at a year. There are reports of some of the bigger WE kits not being ready for 2-4 years. I don't plan to make those kits. If I find my method is harming my wines, I'll certainly change my ways but right now it seems to work well without a lot of effort.
 
I've gotquestions that some might considerstupid questions:


How can you tell if your wine still contains gas? What is this definitive test for this?
 
tcb54 said:
How can you tell if your wine still contains gas? What is this definitive test for this?


Gassy wines will produce a "pop" when you pull the cork. The degree of "pop" depends upon how gassy the wine is. Aditionally, when you remove the cork (or crown cap) you'll see very fine bubbles come up the sides of the bottle. Finally, and worst of all, gassy wines produce a "bite" on the tongue when you drink them.


You can remove most, if not all, of the gas in a wine by decanting for a period of time or by pouring in another container and violently shaking it. Some have recommneded using a quart beer bottle with a screw top to pour in the wine and shake it until the gas disappears.
 
I found that with the orange caps, they cannot maintain a good seal on the carboy, so I also take a steel worm gear ring and tighten it up around the cap.
 
Found my old degassing photos. This might help some folks:

20071031_184638_degassing_001.jpg


20071031_184653_degassing_002.jpg


20071031_184705_degassing_004.jpg


You can see that I use BOTH the Vac-u-vin on the large hole on top, and the mityvac through the small hole. Note the wine level as well. That is important since you removing gas through surface area. Smaller surface area (topped up to the neck) will result in less gas removed. Always have the wine to the shoulders, but not too much above it. This will remove the most gas from the wine via pressure differentials.
 
Great pics! I just use the suction cup fitting and insert that right into the silicone bung, but Ive also used that exact fitting you have shown also. I find the suction fitting works much better with the bung,
 
I agree, the bungs are better for the mityvac, but this is way easier for the vac-u-vin. The main problem is, if you just have the vac-u-vin, you need something with a good seal to block the smaller hole. The little white caps they come with are not a good candidate for that. Maybe a pencil?
 
Maybe they just need to be wet. I sure got lots of suction each time I've used the white cap.
 

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