Racking from IBC Tote

[winters...@gmail.com]

Has anyone found or made a racking cane for IBC's?  If so, how/where...picture?  I was thinking about attaching SS tubing to my vinyl hose which goes to the pump...need to rig it so it stays off the bottom (lees); hose along floats and moves in the cider without something on the end to weight it down, as well as causes more susceptibility to contamination in my opinion than would a racking can that was, say 48" long.  Thoughts?

[john....@btinternet.com]

Hi, 

    To stop the lees being picked up put a small u-bend on the end that goes into the container, thus syphoning from above the lees.

   John H

----Original message----
From : winters...@gmail.com
Date : 29/08/2015 - 22:07 (GMTST)
To : cider-w...@googlegroups.com
Subject : [Cider Workshop] Racking from IBC Tote

Has anyone found or made a racking cane for IBC's?  If so, how/where...picture?  I was thinking about attaching SS tubing to my vinyl hose which goes to the pump...need to rig it so it stays off the bottom (lees); hose along floats and moves in the cider without something on the end to weight it down, as well as causes more susceptibility to contamination in my opinion than would a racking can that was, say 48" long.  Thoughts?

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[Wes Cherry]

I made one out of a 1" triclover elbow welded to a 60" long 1" stainless tube (48" would be sufficient)

The wand is held off the lees using a quick clamp shaft collar.  

http://www.mcmaster.com/#6168K31

This makes for easy adjustment of the wand height

The shaft collar is mounted to a cam lock coupler via a bushing

http://www.mcmaster.com/#91105K71

That mates to male cam locks permanently mounted to the lid of each ibc

http://www.mcmaster.com/#91105K82

The male camlocks are nice because standard barrel bungs seat well into them.

http://www.boswellcompany.com/bungtools/ferm-rite-fermentation-bungs/

I also use these fittings to connect blow off hoses for vigorous ferments.

-'//es Cherry

Dragon's Head Cider

Vashon Island, Wa US

www.dragonsheadcider.com

On Aug 29, 2015, at 2:07 PM, winters...@gmail.com wrote:

Has anyone found or made a racking cane for IBC's?  If so, how/where...picture?  I was thinking about attaching SS tubing to my vinyl hose which goes to the pump...need to rig it so it stays off the bottom (lees); hose along floats and moves in the cider without something on the end to weight it down, as well as causes more susceptibility to contamination in my opinion than would a racking can that was, say 48" long.  Thoughts?

[winters...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the info guys!  I really appreciate it.

[Michael Thierfelder]

Wes, I've been following you for a while on Youtube and on here and have to say you are a mad scientist sir!  I'm inspired by the ingenuity and resourcefulness to find solutions to the problems of being a small cider maker, and of course that you share your work with links!  Thank you.

I'll be making the pasteurization bath with electric instant water heater, and I'll definitely get this racking cane going too.  I thought about your inline CO2 injection system but haven't started it yet.

Keep up the good work, would love to see the laboratory some time!

[Wes Cherry]

Thanks.  :)

I come originally from the software world.   I have experienced corporate culture where everything is a trade secret and also the Open Source software movement where source code and ideas are freely exchanged.   The Open Source approach is so much more gratifying, interesting, collaborative and furthers the state of the art far more than the old secretive model.

An update:  don’t get the plastic quick release shaft collar, spring for the stainless one.  It turns out the tungsten carbide bearings (or the races) in the plastic one rust.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#6172k31/=zu5tli

Another cheaper approach would be to use a screw-set shaft collar

http://www.mcmaster.com/#6435k38/=zu5u9n

I also stopped using the CO2 spray carbonator because to get it to work properly requires very cold cider.    It turns out that requires quite a lot of cooling power if you are bottling at any reasonable rate.   Since I needed to buy a large compressor, I just decided to go the glycol + brite tank route.

-Wes

[Brodie Thomas]

What youtube videos are you talking about? I would love to check these out. I have always found all of your info extremely helpful! Thank-you! 

[Wes Cherry]

It’s just an old video describing my spray carb setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghX26PFNa_U

-Wes

[Tom Dunn]

[Headelf]

Two methods

1. cut the 48 inch straight SS pipe on an angle -45deg+. Fairly easy but will suck in some immediate lees. 

2. Take 3-4 lengths of SS 1/8 -1/4 rod and weld to the end of the intake to provide "legs" the length being the clearance you desire e.g. 1/2 inch. This will provide clearance no matter which way it leans. If you are ambitious you can weld a knurled set screw so you can adjust your "legs". This will allow you to rack closer on subsequent transfers with less volume loss. 

Either way I would recommend welding a handle at the top, either on the straight piece or better after the curve (90 deg) elbow on the 48 inch straight.  The curve allows better hose management and the handle give you better control. 

Slainte Mhath

Tom Frey

Adirondack Cider Co 

[Martin campling]

On Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 10:07:41 PM UTC+1, winters...@gmail.com wrote:

Has anyone found or made a racking cane for IBC's?  If so, how/where...picture?  I was thinking about attaching SS tubing to my vinyl hose which goes to the pump...need to rig it so it stays off the bottom (lees); hose along floats and moves in the cider without something on the end to weight it down, as well as causes more susceptibility to contamination in my opinion than would a racking can that was, say 48" long.  Thoughts?

 

This is an old, old thread about how to rack cider from an IBC but I thought I'd add to it, having just used my latest "invention" (picture attached). 

Just basic plumbing bits but I found it very good because: 

a) being flat at the bottom it was very stable; 

b) the ends can be swiveled so that if you are doing a first racking where there may be a deep layer of yeast the two inlets can be turned fully upwards whereas, in later rackings with a lower level of yeast, they can be swiveled downwards in order to extract more of the cider.

This is probably only of interest to us smaller-scale cider-makers. I have to rack between all sorts of fermenters: 1x1000L; 1x640L, 3x220L, 4-6x33L - it worked for me.

The main pipe is 22mm but my local store only had a 15mm T-pipe so the rest is based around that size pipe.

Cheers,

   Martin

[Vince Wakefield]

I bought some 19mm ok ss tube and made a nylon plug for the bottom this has a 6mm dia ass rod set in it to keep it off the bottom, some side holes in the tube and it works fine.

 

Not sure about your use of copper tube in your contraption.

 

 

Cheers

Vince

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[Martin campling]

Not sure about your use of copper tube in your contraption.

 

I know copper is frowned upon but the contact time with the cider is so short that there won't be any noticeable effect.