I remembered today how much I hate using an auto siphon. Can anyone recommend alternatives?
I highly recommend “The Force”… Failing that an auto siphon or a racking can is as good as it gets for a glass bottle. otherwise put a whole and spigot on it and just pour it out:)
Cheers!
Jeff
There are 5 pages of siphon discussion here:
I take the bulb off a turkey baster, sanitize, put it in the tubing and inhale. No mess.
This! It’s really the key to brewing great beer. Well, simplest way to rack without putting it in your mouth anyway
If you don’t mind my asking… Why do you hate the auto-siphon?
Yeah…plain old siphoning. It ain’t that tough…
It should be called Semi-Auto Siphon…I mean you put it in the carboy, it doesn’t start up automatically. ;D
I’ve never had an issue with the autosiphon before. The only times I dislike it is if I happen to biff it and break the siphon with no much beer left in the fermenter… Then it can be alittle hard to get going without stirring up some yeast. I pretty much use my vacuum pump for all transfers now… but still occasionally bust out the auto siphon if I’m transfering to something I can’t create a vacuum in easily.
Yep, you have to pull the trigger each time you want it to siphon. With full auto you only have to pull the trigger once and keep it depressed for continuous siphoning. 8)
My auto siphon starts sputtering with quite a bit of beer left in the fermenter. At about 1.5G I have to start tilting to keep the siphon going. Is that the problem other folks have? My auto siphon starts easy enough and gets the job done but I hate having to tip the fermenter so soon.
I tried this the other day, but I left the bulb on the baster, and used that to start the siphon, worked like a charm.
Yes leave bulb on. Squeeze before inserting into beer. Then shaboing. I use a big clip to hold the beer end while I’m starting the siphon, though an assistant brewer would work too
You guys that have problem with the autosiphon … didja graduate from kindergarten? Seriously - put a gear clamp on the hose connected to the tubing.
I NEVER had a problem figuring out how to work my autosiphon. The only problem is they break after about 12-18 months but they are so damn easy to use I just have to scratch my head at those who can’t properly use one.
Oh … uhm, no offense meant. 
I did graduate kindergarten, but got kicked out of the 3rd grade for chewing Copenhagen.
I figured out my autosiphon pretty quickly. I just think it’s a gimmick and unnecessary. On racking day all I need is hydrometer sample tube, a chunk of tubing and my turkey baster.
If gimmicks make your life that much easier than count me in. Turkey baster ideas sound good, though. But I had great luck with my auto siphon and never could figure out the complaints. Just never added up.
Keith - what’s an Autosiphon? I know how to start a siphon many different ways. Of course, I am almost as old as Denny!
Auto-siphon is a larger diameter plastic outer tube with a smaller diameter inner plastic tube.
The outer tube has a check valve at the bottom and a collar at the top.
The inner tube has a o-ring gasket on the bottom end that acts to seal the gap in diameters between the two tubes (like a piston ring).
The top of the inner tube is bent about 90-100 degrees (looks like a upside down J.
The plastic racking hose attaches to the upper bent end of the inner tube.
To start the siphon you pull the inner tube almost all the way out of the outer tube so that the o-ring stops at the upper collar of the outer ring.
You place the outer tube into the carboy and allow to rest on the bottom. The outer tube fills with liquid.
Now you push the inner tube downward. The check valve and o-ring force the liquid up inside the inner tube and out into the plastic racking hose, kinda like the exhaust stroke on a piston engine.
Once the flow is started a siphon is created and the flow continues on its own.
I have seen them at the LHBS, was busting a little on Keith. Always read about problems or breakage. Since I don’t have problems I don’t see me buying one.
I’ve had the same one for about five years. It still works as well as it ever did. I take the upper collar off, pull the inner tube out, and rinse everything well. If it’s going to be a while before I use it again I put a couple of drops of food-grade glycerin on the o-ring to keep it from drying out and cracking.