Is this Wrong, or what?

[fenderbass]

I got a friend into homebrewing over the weekend. We went to the local HB supply store, and the guy sold him 1 plastic carboy, 1 - 6 gal plastic bucket, a racking cane, a bung, a bottling wand and plastic tubing and two air locks. Two?? No pump fpr the racing cane, insisted on the plastic carboy instead of an 8 gal plastic fermenting bucket, and he told him to put the spiggot back, that he wouldn't need it. How the hell is he supposed to get suction for racking the wort to the bottling bucket, and how th hell is he supposed to bottle?? Is it just me, or is this guy at the HB store an amateure?
I tried to lead him in the right direction, but the HB store owner looked like he was getting pissed, so I backed off. Now I wish I hadn't....

 

[HawksBrewer]

Nothing wrong w/ having two airlocks since he has two fermentation vessels. I would just go back and buy a bottling bucket and an auto-siphon, those seem to be two things that he messed up. Plastic carboys work great too, although I'll leave that for it's own thread.

 

[Homercidal]

That's not the kit I would have sold him, but to each their own. He probably has his own (difficult to use) set up and thinks everyone should brew that way.

Go get the autosiphon and a bottling bucket with a spigot. They are worth the price of admission.

 

[fenderbass]

That's not the kit I would have sold him, but to each their own. He probably has his own (difficult to use) set up and thinks everyone should brew that way.

Go get the autosiphon and a bottling bucket with a spigot. They are worth the price of admission.

That's what I told him. I just found it odd that he sold him a bottling wand, tube and racking cane, but no siphon.
But yeah, to each his own. Everyone thinks their way is right.

 

[sirmeowsalot]

I completely agree with getting an auto siphon but a racking cane can be used as a siphon also, its just a PITA to deal with. For the bucket just get a lid for it and now your buddy has two fermenters.

 

[Yooper]

I was a winemaker for a long time before brewing, and I never heard of an autosiphon until I started participating on this forum! They aren't really "standard" for winemakers, so maybe the LHBS owner is more of a winemaker.

I siphoned the old fashioned way- with water in some tubing and a racking cane. It's doable, that's for sure. But it's not as easy or convenient. A bottling bucket also isn't required, but it sure makes bottling easier!

He really should get a bottling bucket, and an autosiphon, for convenience.

Also, two airlocks is really a minimum. Sometimes you lose one, or one cracks. You really can't have too many (I have dozens!). At $1 each, no reason to not have several.

 

[kh54s10]

There is nothing "wrong" with that kit. You siphon with the racking cane and tubing. And you can bottle with it. It is however much easier to rack with an autosiphon, and to bottle using a bottling bucket with a spigot. I attach my bottling wand directly to the spigot with a 1" piece of tubing.

 

[fenderbass]

All good points. Never thought about having a backup air lock, good idea.
I just thought that since this dude is new to homebrewing, and has never done it, the guy could have given him som equipment to make it easier for him. I know that before I got an autosiphon, I was getting pissed. But the bottling bucket was the first thing they put on the counter for me at my HB store, with the spigot attached.

 

[Homercidal]

+1 on not having too many airlocks. I always seem to buy a couple at the lhbs and I'm starting to run out of places to store them!

I keep my bottling wand assembly, spigot and all, on the bottling bucket. When it's time to bottle, I just rotate the assembly to the dowards direction, sanitize it, and I'm ready to go.

After use, I take the spigot off the bucket, take it apart and clean and sanitize it, and then put it back on the bucket for storage. It hangs on a nail in the garage until I'm ready for it again.