I have 2 spigots for my bottling bucket. After I bottle a batch I rinse the bucket with hot water and drain through the spigot. Then I swap out the spigot & gasket. After that I give the bucket a PBW soak and soak the old spigot inside it. No problems so far, and I bottle all my brews.
I could never become adept at filling a tube with water/sanitizer to start the siphon. It would always take several attempts and I would make a mess. Maybe I need to watch someone do it on YouTube or something.
I use an autosiphon. I clean it and my tubing by doing a PBW soak using a wallpaper tray, then a StarSan soak in the wallpaper tray (I know you don’t need to soak in StarSan, but it is easy to immerse it in the tray while I do other things.
I also use a 1/2" autosiphon.
I avoid sucking up yeast by first of all using he anti-sediment tip, but also, I put the racking cane tip just below the surface of the beer or wine to be racked, and keep lowering it to remain in the clearest liquid as it is being transferred. When I get around 3/4 the way down, I tilt the bucket and support one side with a support I have on hand – a thick phone book will work. This allows me to focus on following the liquid down into a corner of the bucket just above the yeast layer, so as to remain yeast free in the receiving bucket. This works well so long as the receiving vessel will hold all the liquid being racked – otherwise you get into a juggling act that can get messy if you need to move the outflow tube into a second jug or carboy when meanwhile the racking cane is close to the bottom of the bucket or carboy where the yeast is. I’ve had plenty of practice and it becomes pretty routine.
It’s not too tough really.
1 - Lower your tubing into a bucket of sanitizer ensuring that it is filling completely
2 - Attach one end to the racking cane and cover the free end with your thumb
3 - Put the racking cane into the fermenter and the tubing into a pot or pint glass
4 - Release your thumb and watch science happen right before your eyes.
5 - If steps 1-4 fail, take a swig of booze and start the siphon with your mouth. 
When I used this method I dump into a pint glass until all sanitizer was free, I then pull an additional 8oz for testing and tasting.
I only used this method when fermenting in buckets.
this is my method as well. The only difference is I place the racking cane in the fermenter first. Gently placing the tip on the bottom. I also tip the fermenter slightly so that I will get the maximum amount of clear beer out.
I’d imagine that the cane isn’t even necessary. Just hose would work. I get bubbles in the line where it goes from cane to hose. Next time I’m going to just use the hose.
I find it’s much easier to use a cane. If you get bubbles at the hose/cane junction, just pinch the hose just below where it connects to the cane. Bubbles gone!
I’ll try that thanks.
You can also just flick it hard a few times where the bubbles are as the siphon is flowing. The bubbles will come loose and flow out.
I do the same as Denny but I also I use a worm clamp to attach the hose to the cane. I tighten it down after I squeeze out the bubbles. It may be the tubing I am using, but bubbles were reforming
I assumed everyone gets bubbles. I think it’s just the physics of the cane that air gets trapped there somehow. Pinching it has always worked for me.
This is exactly how I do it as well and for the exact same reasons, simple and basic and functional
Bubbles cause oxidation?
It’s what I’ve done for 20 yrs. I like low tech (unless it needs to be more tech).
Yep
If that happens I’m going to throw a full on hissing fit
I might have one bubble at the cane hose junction, a pinch gets rid of that.
A stream of bubbles is a loose fit, or a hairline crack in the plastic cane. I have had a hairline crack in a plastic cane. A SS cane fixed that.
Not every bubble in the hose is air. If you start with a clean stream of beer, and start to develop bubbles at the junction of the racking cane and hose, or even farther down in the hose, they are probably CO2 coming out of solution due to the pressure differential going from the cane ID to the hose ID. On the other hand if you have a steady stream of bubbles forming, it could be a crack in the cane or a too loose hose. But even with a clamped hose on a good cane, you will get CO2. Not to worry.
That sounds more like what I was seeing
I have a SS racking cane. It has all the high-tech features it needs - it’s round, long, and straight. 