Unique Carboy question

[ibglowin]

If you let the lees pack down for ~3 days then drain slowly they will drain out first and then your left with just the clean wine. Sometimes it plugs (oak sawdust) or it will open a channel and the wine will start draining out through the channel. If that happens I just stop and close the valve. I then get a 4ft piece of the small 1/4" tubing (like what comes with the VinBrite filter) and then I snake that into the top and siphon off the top carefully.

I back fill the headspace with Argon and place the cap on snuggly. This is one of my best "short term" uses for inert gas in the winery!

Mike I also have one of these and have not used it. Honestly...does it work?
The reason I ask is when I put water in mine a very small pin point stream came out that would surly plug up. Also when I rack large tanks from the bottom that have sediment, a small portion of the sediment by the valve comes out first then a funnel type effect happens allowing the wine to come through without disturbing the rest of the sediment.
What is your experience with this? I remember us talking about it several years ago and thats what made me buy this when I saw it at a give away price.

 

[jswordy]

There is a piece of laboratory apparatus called a separator flask. They come in various sizes. They are fairly pricey if you buy them new, but you might be able to find one on eBay.

See this:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/v-vessel.html

I put mine into Mason jars, let it settle and top off with it or drink it, one.