RJ Spagnols OCP

[Wade E]

You bought the same 1 as me. cool! How much did you get him down to?

 

[admiral]

$115 after a little back and forth.

I thought it looked like the one you bought. Now to puzzle out the rigging. Waiting on a collection bottle and hydrophobic filter. Then some tubing. First pump action will be to degas my pinot noir. That seems straight forward. (Right?) Second will be to rack off secondary my savignon blanc. I will need a tutorial for that. Then filter at some point in the future.

 

[Wade E]

You can use racking hose for tubing. I used two orange carboy caps. Will post picture, take a look at the setup as it worked well. For the donating carboy cap I cut the smaller end cap off which is the one that is on an angle and widened it out just a tad to receive a racking cane. I chose this because it is on an angle and I always tilt my carboys to 1 side when clearing so that all the sediment goes to 1 side and then I gently tilt the other way and rack off the shallow end to get more wine and less sediment. You just leave the white tip off that cap when racking.

 

[gaudet]

You will need either an orange cap for transferring
</span>http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=14604

Or this stopper for degassing: http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetA.asp?PartNumber=5151

The orange cap will work well for transferring from carboy to carboy or from primary to carboy. You will just need to rig your racking canes and tubing in line. You will need a suction canister for that vacuum pump, preferably one with a protective filter to keep fluid from entering your pump. And a hydrophobic filter to go on the fitting that connects to the suction canister.

As Wade's pic shows, you just hook them in series pulling the fluid from one carboy to the next.

 

[admiral]

I have purchased a collection bottle with automatic shut off valve. I have purchased the hydrophobic filter. In this photo, I have circled the hydophobic filter. Where is the other filter you noted?

 

[Wade E]

There is another filter built in to the cap of the overflow canister if that is what you are referring to. If you are referring to a filter to filter the wine then I havent bought it yet but Walmart has the housing for $27.99 and 5 micron filters for it for $7.99 a twin pack.

 

[Wade E]

Just remember to start off low when degassing as all the sudden it will come up fast right around 12-15", keep your hand on the vacuum regulator dial and be ready to turn it down fast.

 

[gaudet]

Admiral, that hydrophobic filter is your pumps last line of defense. The center part of the canister should have an overflow valve. Its either a basic float valve or if it gets wet (hydrophobic as well) it occludes the flow to the vacuum so that no fluid gets past it and destroys the pump.

Wade, you can run two lines off those canisters at one time if you are that ambitious. I'm trying to get my hands on some y splitters at work. I haven't seen them yet. We use them to run multiple chest tube canisters (you don't want to know)

I have purchased a collection bottle with automatic shut off valve. I have purchased the hydrophobic filter. In this photo, I have circled the hydophobic filter. Where is the other filter you noted?

 

[admiral]

Wade, I looked on WalMarts site and couldn't find the canister and filter you are talking about. It is a good price. I found something like it on the site by Valley Vinter. Did you find it online or did you go to the store?

 

[Wade E]

They dont show it online. I just went these yeatreday to get the filters only because I need them for my house water, not spending the money for my wine setup now. For now if I need to filter I have the Vinbrite gravity.

 

[grapeman]

You can use racking hose for tubing. I used two orange carboy caps. Will post picture, take a look at the setup as it worked well. For the donating carboy cap I cut the smaller end cap off which is the one that is on an angle and widened it out just a tad to receive a racking cane. I chose this because it is on an angle and I always tilt my carboys to 1 side when clearing so that all the sediment goes to 1 side and then I gently tilt the other way and rack off the shallow end to get more wine and less sediment. You just leave the white tip off that cap when racking.

One thing to note with Wade's setup is that 2 orange caps aren't necessary, but works well the way Wade did it. The carboy farthest from the pump does not need to be pressureized with a vaccuum to work. You can just use a racking cane held slightly off the bottom with either a racking cane clip or even a wood clamp. The orange cap is nice because it keeps the cane in place and the bugs out while racking- but if you don't have 2 yet, you can get by with one.


gaudet- As far as a Y connector to split it, a simple brass T works just as well.

 

[admiral]

Thanks appleman. I see what you mean.

 

[Wade E]

Rich is right but I like it that way mainly to keep the cane out of the sediment as thats the one that is inserted on the side hole which shoots the racking cane off on a perfect angle. Notice I dont have the little white cap on that carboy cap.

 

[gaudet]

Yeah and its kind of hard to find an orange cap for your primary fermenter as well

You can just stick your racking cane in there and voila!!!!!

As far as the brass t, I can get the plastic connectors from work when I can find them

 

[grapeman]

The point is that this is a very versatile setup and you can do whatever works to get the job done. I really do like Wade's way, and I use the second one myself when I rack out of a carboy.


I use the brass fittings because I can get them locally and the plastic ones actually cost me more here!

 

[gaudet]

The point is that this is a very versatile setup and you can do whatever works to get the job done. I really do like Wade's way, and I use the second one myself when I rack out of a carboy.


I use the brass fittings because I can get them locally and the plastic ones actually cost me more here!

Totally agree with you there. It has a bunch of different ways you can set it up. I don't think I would split it beyond two tubes cause that might just cause your motor to burn up trying to hold suction on more than two devices/carboys.

 

[Wade E]

Mine never even got warm.

 

[admiral]

Really good stuff guys. Thanks for the discussion. Wade, I like the idea of the orange cap for the cane. I felt like I left too much wine behindwhen I racked myPinot Noir. I don't want to do that again.

 

[Wade E]

Someone here taught me that and now Im just passing it on!

 

[admiral]

I racked, stabilized, added F-pack, and degassed yesterday. From initial fermentation to racking was 11 days. Initial SG 1.120 Final SG .996 Am I correct that that is an ABV of 16.5%? (Without F-Pack) I degassed using my new pump (its first foray into action!

) All went well. Lots of bubbles initially, slowed down over 20 minutes, but never really stopped. I will degass again before bottling (in 8 months!) Pictures to follow.


OCP degassing

CO2 getting gone!