Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
@ibglowin: do you have a recommendation to replace a 4" piece of PVC with 'a gajillion' holes in it? I've got to admit, its highly effective.
Separating skins for transfer?
- Thread starter Ajmassa
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And you can walk into just about any Home Depot or Lowes, probably Menards, if you prefer and pick those up any time you want to, no need to even wait for prime shipping.
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I just bought a couple of 10 gallon brutes to match my 32 gallons from U-line. They were a couple of bucks less than HomeDepot pricing but they do charge a little bit of shipping.
Mike
Mike
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
And it looks like HD has the same pricing as Amazon.
Ajmassa
just a guy
I'm ok with the PVC since it's not in contact for too long and it seems ok judging from earlier posts in this thread. I also saw many standard brutes only rated NSF 2 and 21 as well.
But I'm pretty sure 100% of the time when a can is NSF certified or compliant it is ALWAYS marked on it. This can has none. Along with that wonderful "USDA Condemned No Para Consumo Humano". So it's a question mark to even be bare minimum food safe, and arguable at that.
I bought my 32gal from Depot but since I have time I was being picky. I wanted a light color with smooth sides. I know it doesn't matter, but it's just what I wanted.
Spent a good portion of the workday researching trashcans, NSF guidelines, and grades of food safe plastics. smh. I'm wishing upon that star Mike posted yesterday for an extra 8 hours a day to devote to this hobby that keeps pulling me in deeper and deeper.
@Ajmassa5983 Is there a reason you want the bigger Brutes (32 or 44) gallon instead of an easier to handle 20G that makes enough wine in the end to fill a 6G carboy with about a gallon extra for topping off down the road? I may have missed it if it was mentioned in another post. I was curious.
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Ajmassa
just a guy
You bet there is! I'm dusting off the old demijohns that have been empty for a couple years for an all grape batch. Planning 252 lbs of grapes to have 54L finished product.
Wanted to fill the demi and whatever leftover for topping. Rounding up slightly, I've found whatever volume of wine I plan on yielding is very close to the volume the skins take up. So for ~15 gal wine=15 gal skins. My 32 is a little tight and bumping up to 44 gal.
So for the life of me I can't figure out why anyone needs this contraption! LOL
I am a firm believer in the KISS method and I just don't see where you need this for any reason. I use a 2 gallon bucket (food grade Midwest Supplies or similar). Scoop out a gallon or so of the cap out of a 20G Brute which has 10G of must, and then dump it in a gallon at a time right into the top of the press. The press has no paint strainer bag, nothing but wooden slats. Scoop a gallon, dump, rinse, repeat until you can pick up the Brute by hand and then dump the rest into the Press. Let it drain into the catch pan and then into your waiting bucket. I use a 6 gallon (food grade) bucket that a Mosti Mondial AJ kit came in with a nice snap-on lid. I get almost 6 gallons of free run. Then a gallon of press run that goes into separate gallon glass jug.
If a few skins or a few seeds get through the slats, no worries. This is step one in the clearing process. Those will float to the top and you can scoop them out in the next day easily with a spoon or similar. Once the 6 gallon bucket is full I use a racking cane to transfer that into a carboy via gravity feed. Sometimes the cane can get plugged with skins but if it does pull it out whack it against the side to clean and restart the flow.
I can do an entire press and transfer from Brute to carboy in 30-40 mins all by myself. I use the Harbor Freight dollies to move the Brutes and full carboys around from the winery to the outside patio and then back into the winery.
This simple set up works quite well for me. YMMV
I am a firm believer in the KISS method and I just don't see where you need this for any reason. I use a 2 gallon bucket (food grade Midwest Supplies or similar). Scoop out a gallon or so of the cap out of a 20G Brute which has 10G of must, and then dump it in a gallon at a time right into the top of the press. The press has no paint strainer bag, nothing but wooden slats. Scoop a gallon, dump, rinse, repeat until you can pick up the Brute by hand and then dump the rest into the Press. Let it drain into the catch pan and then into your waiting bucket. I use a 6 gallon (food grade) bucket that a Mosti Mondial AJ kit came in with a nice snap-on lid. I get almost 6 gallons of free run. Then a gallon of press run that goes into separate gallon glass jug.
If a few skins or a few seeds get through the slats, no worries. This is step one in the clearing process. Those will float to the top and you can scoop them out in the next day easily with a spoon or similar. Once the 6 gallon bucket is full I use a racking cane to transfer that into a carboy via gravity feed. Sometimes the cane can get plugged with skins but if it does pull it out whack it against the side to clean and restart the flow.
I can do an entire press and transfer from Brute to carboy in 30-40 mins all by myself. I use the Harbor Freight dollies to move the Brutes and full carboys around from the winery to the outside patio and then back into the winery.
This simple set up works quite well for me. YMMV
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Ajmassa
just a guy
If you read my original 2 posts starting this thread I was asking 2 specific questions.
The first was essentially describing the same system that you do, and asking if that is ok.
The 2nd was asking if there was some other system I was unaware of to be able to pump without picking up solids.
I was originally inclined to put everything through the press and let the free run pass through because that was how my family did it years ago. But I've also learned that many of their practices are huge no-no's and I had many bad habits.
That is how this whole thread started.
Also, thank you for unknowingly answering my original question 70 posts ago.
The first was essentially describing the same system that you do, and asking if that is ok.
The 2nd was asking if there was some other system I was unaware of to be able to pump without picking up solids.
I was originally inclined to put everything through the press and let the free run pass through because that was how my family did it years ago. But I've also learned that many of their practices are huge no-no's and I had many bad habits.
That is how this whole thread started.
Also, thank you for unknowingly answering my original question 70 posts ago.
I pretty much do the same, everything goes into the press with no bags except for the bunch of seeds on the bottom (some do get transferred but scooped out later). When done I let it sit for a day or so, and then one final racking so I can start MLF.
Sorry I know I was late to the party on this thread. Somehow I missed it...... 
As for old timer no no's they mostly didn't use sulfites, control headspace, oxidation, look at pH's, TA things back then they really couldn't do as the tools were out of reach or didn't exist even.
As for old timer no no's they mostly didn't use sulfites, control headspace, oxidation, look at pH's, TA things back then they really couldn't do as the tools were out of reach or didn't exist even.
Ajmassa
just a guy
Sorry I know I was late to the party on this thread. Somehow I missed it......
As for old timer no no's they mostly didn't use sulfites, control headspace, oxidation, look at pH's, TA things back then they really couldn't do as the tools were out of reach or didn't exist even.
I didn't think you would have seen it- this thread was from back in May.
You couldn't be more correct about old style.
Only differences in how we pressed were:
-didn't separate the free run
-didn't siphon to glass~just poured through an old metal funnel w/ a built in screen and cheesecloth
I still like the pvc pipe strainer idea too tho. It's very clever. And good to have options. My dad just saw it and asked what it was. He was pretty impressed at the idea. Mainly because he thinks the vacuum pump is cool as hell and likes using it now.
Thanks for all your posts and help today. Much appreciated
Boatboy24
No longer a newbie, but still clueless.
Aj,
I did as you for my first couple presses. Everything went through the press.
Now, I use the PVC 'filter'. It slips right through the cap and I can begin pulling the free run out by vacuum. When that starts getting close to done, then its time to start scooping the cap into the press. Pressing goes pretty quickly - probably on the same schedule as @ibglowin . Using this method, I get 3 lugs into my press fairly easily. Couldn't do 4, but 3 is not an issue. Not faster, probably not better - just different. For me, it's a little less sloppy. YMMV
I did as you for my first couple presses. Everything went through the press.
Now, I use the PVC 'filter'. It slips right through the cap and I can begin pulling the free run out by vacuum. When that starts getting close to done, then its time to start scooping the cap into the press. Pressing goes pretty quickly - probably on the same schedule as @ibglowin . Using this method, I get 3 lugs into my press fairly easily. Couldn't do 4, but 3 is not an issue. Not faster, probably not better - just different. For me, it's a little less sloppy. YMMV
I have some left over pvc pipe (made two last season) if anyone wants a strainer for themselves.
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