racking to bottling bucket question

[thejuanald]

I have a quick question about racking to bottling buckets. I have a new fermentation chamber (7cubic foot chest freezer) that is currently going through its maiden voyage, but I was wondering, when I cold crash it, how do I go about racking it to the bottling bucket from inside the fermentation chamber? The carboy really isn't much higher than ground level inside the chest freezer. Once I start the siphon, will it just continue even though the volume levels start to get close to each other?

 

[mkyl428]

You will have to take it out of the chamber and put it on a higher surface.

 

[thejuanald]

You will have to take it out of the chamber and put it on a higher surface.

I figured as much, but that kind of defeats the purpose of cold crashing, doesn't it? the yeast will be jostled up a bit. A little bit of jostling won't be bad though, I suppose.

 

[Rockn_M]

Carefully move the fermentation container to a higher surface. I usually bottle or keg by placing my bucket on top of the chest freezer.

 

[mkyl428]

I figured as much, but that kind of defeats the purpose of cold crashing, doesn't it? the yeast will be jostled up a bit. A little bit of jostling won't be bad though, I suppose.

As long as you move it carefully it's fine also anything you stir up will settle soon. I have a chest freezer I ferment in same size as your actually, & I usually don't cold crash b/c I have more than one beer going at a time in there & my beer still comes out clear, I'm sure yours will too!

 

[joshesmusica]

no, it needs to be propped up. once the liquids reach equilibrium, the siphon will stop. the reason is that the weight in the long end of the tube is what's causing the siphon to work. once the weight on each side of the tube is equal, it stops. before cold crashing it, find a way to prop it up. or carefully move your carboy to a place where it's propped higher than your bottling bucket.

 

[andy6026]

While there are down sides to using a secondary, this is one of the upshots. If you lift up the fermenter to higher ground you will inevitably stir up some of the true and hops. Racking to secondary after this disturbance and then cold crashing for another day or two will all but guarantee that none will make it into the bottles. Wether it's enough of a disturbance to warrant the extra work and risk is obviously a choice only you can make.

 

[thejuanald]

Awesome, thanks guys, I will just move it as carefully as I can, or let it sit longer in the carboy and forego the cold crash.

As long as you move it carefully it's fine also anything you stir up will settle soon. I have a chest freezer I ferment in same size as your actually, & I usually don't cold crash b/c I have more than one beer going at a time in there & my beer still comes out clear, I'm sure yours will too!

Did you have to make a collar for your chest freezer? I've been thinking about doing that to get multiple carboys in there at once.

 

[mkyl428]

No I use buckets they sit right next to each other, pretty snug, but it works

 

[thejuanald]

No I use buckets they sit right next to each other, pretty snug, but it works

Nice, I won't if I could get two in mine...