Oxygenation System

I’m new to all grain and in the process of improving the quality of my beer and reducing the duration of my brew day. Currently, I have an aquarium pump with a diffusion stone and oxygenate my wort with air for 30 minutes before I pitch. The pump is similar to this one from Northern Brewer: Oxygenation Kit 2.0

After reading Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff, I learned that I should shoot for 8-10ppm of oxygen and that pure O2 is more efficient than an aquarium pump. So I had a few questions on what I need in assembling my system:

  1. What size O2 tank is best for oxygenating?

  2. Where is the best place to get a tank? Can the tanks be purchased or rented? Which is best?

  3. What’s the best flow meter for the tank?

  4. What size diffusion stone is best for oxygenating wort? Can I use the one from my aquarium pump system?

  5. Should I use a wand or tubing to connect the tank to the stone? I have heard that the wands are difficult to sanitize.

Let me know what you all think. Thanks for your help.

Here is what I have and I love it.  I bought it off of Craigslist for $100:

The little number 1 on the left indicates the flow rate which in this setting is 1 liter of O2 per minute. This tank will last me for years and then is only $15 to exchange.

And I use the stainless tube with a stone on the end.  Wrestling with a flexible tube is not something I want to do.  I have not had an infection.  I let it sit in Starsan while I am brewing then as soon as I’m done aerating the wort, back into Starsan it goes.

If you don’t want to buy a tank, you can use the red disposable oxygen tanks which most hardware stores carry.  One of the larger red tanks will last me more than a year.

The wands really aren’t difficult to sanitize.  You can spray sanitizer down the inside of the wand, and the stone on the end can be boiled.

Thank you all for your help on this. After some thinking, I’m thinking about going with this system: http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BIG-OXYGEN-SYSTEM--P3474.aspx

Looks like I will just need to pick up a tank somewhere. What do you think? Also, I’m assuming that I should be cleaning and sanitizing both the barb and the vinyl hose that connects to the wand?

Thanks again!

I’d get some silicone tubing that can handle the pressure, then you can boil the stone and tubing together to sanitize.

With the stainless dip tube, you shouldn’t need to sanitize the vinyl hose. The dip tube is the only thing that touches the beer.

You still should be able to use this system with a disposable O2 tank. This one has lasted a year or more for me:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_91314-717-OX9_0__?productId=1112091&Ntt=oxygen&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Doxygen&facetInfo=