Love My New Vacuum Pump!

[smokegrub]

For years I have used a brake bleeder to degas my wines. Fortunately, my brake bleeder broke a few weeks ago and I bought what turned out to be a new Invacare pump off EBAY. I am using it to degas a pineapple wine that has to be the gassiest wine I have ever made! It has taken a long time to degas this one, but the pump has been pure joy to use. It is quiet, oil-less so there are no fumes and, best of all, no work is involved. My thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge. You have made wine-making an even more enjoyable hobby.

 

[IQwine]

what kind did you get?

 

[grapeman]

You will enjoy it even more when you rack into a carboy off the floor without having to lift it up after.

 

[smokegrub]

It is an Invacare IRC1135. It was shipped with a broken small plastic filter assembly that was attached to the pump intake. Apparently it was broken at a medical treatment facility and they didn't want to mess with getting it repaired. The pump was brand new and clearly had never been used. It was a bit of a hassle getting the threaded portion of the filter removed but once that was done I replaced it with a threaded brass nipple. It came with an unused cannister and tubing (sealed in original packaging) so after my minor pumbing was completed it was off to the races with my new "baby". This pump is easily adjustable over wide range.

 

[fivebk]

I love using my pump. With as bad a back as I have it's been a lifesaver ( or backsaver )

BOB

 

[vscottcolorado]

They are amazing! I too had back issues. Had surgery 1 1/2 yrs ago. Started buying Better Bottles. Just traded my last 2, 5 & 6, for a 5 & 6 glass. Don't know what I would do with out it!!!! Appleman, maybe you could do a post about the benefits on having 2 of them so I could print it out and submit it to the Finance committee, (my wife).

I could sell this idea. She hates it when I email pages from the forum to her, especially if it has your name or Wade's, it's always $$$$$.

 

[Boyd]

Don't tell her. Wives love suprises.

 

[Wade E]

Yep, Rich has them cause he has tons of wine and maybe he has a bad back but I have never heard him say so but Im sue he probably would if he didnt have this pump or 1 period. I have a bad back and this thing saves me big time, even just when bottling as the time is so dramatically reduced from being bent over with the wand and stuff. It used to take me about 45 1hour to bottle a 6 gallon batch and now its about 15 minutes and they are in a box standing waiting for a few days toay down to rest! The degassing is just another added benefit thrown into the mix!

 

[smokegrub]

Wade, do you have post elsewhere that describes how you use the pump to bottle?

 

[Wade E]

I use the pump in conjunction with the Boun Vino auto bottle filler. I keep the pump set at around 5" of vacuum and the adjustment screw almost all the way backed out and while a bottle is filling Im corking the previous. I get the previous bottle corked at turn back around just in time to switch to the next bottle so you can really bang them out.

 

[smokegrub]

Thanks.

 

[ibglowin]

Only in this forum could the words "love" and "vacuum pump" be used in the same sentence and it not be totally creepy.......

 

[fivebk]

Good one!!!!

 

[Wade E]

Only in this forum could the words "love" and "vacuum pump" be used in the same sentence and it not be totally creepy.......

Im betting there is some other type of "forum" where someone could probably love a vacuum pump!

 

[Joanie]

Ohhh! My eyes! My eyes!!!

I used my vacuum pump to bottle my Synergy II today. It was less than error free but it worked. I didn't dare try and cork as I filled. That would have been waaay too much pressure! =)

I thought you all might enjoy knowing that I ended up with an almost full "specimen" canister of wine that looked an awful lot like pee. It filled a wine bottle and I have a glass worth left over. My canister is brand new so I could drink out of it but that seems wrong on so many levels. I think I will transfer the wine to a glass.

 

[vscottcolorado]

Adjusting the shut off for the overflow has been my biggest headache. I just sanitize my canister and go for it. Joan I also have not mastered the art of corking while the next is filling. I just bottle fill then cork.

 

[Joanie]

Scott, do you get a lot of bubbling, sputtering, and burping in the overflow hose? Mine was going crazy!

 

[grapeman]

Hey they advertise some of those things on infomercials every day. They turn old men into teenagers again! WOW, can't argue with a product like that. Imagine what they could charge for them and what they could do if they were hooked up to our vacuum aspirators! Endless possibilities.

 

[Wade E]

If you have the pump set at a low pressure like 5" it gives me plenty of time to cork that bottle and turn back around, grab another bottle to put in the line up and right around there its shutting off.

 

[Joanie]

Mine's still not shutting off all the way. I have that screw all the way out and pressure at 5". I will keep trying it.