Overflow siphon belongs to the category of products widely used in home winemaking, brewing. With its help, raw materials are transferred to separate containers from containers in which fermentation was carried out. On sale is a large assortment of such devices for industrial and handicraft manufacturing. But how to understand what kind of characteristics of electric, automatic and manual models for overflow are most important? How to choose a siphon with a filter and a pump and avoid common mistakes of not too experienced brewers?
What is an overflow siphon
The product, called the overflow siphon, is a tubular structure that moves the brewed beer or the aged wine into the prepared container. Its main purpose is to prevent the contact of raw materials with oxygen, which can provoke an active growth of pathogenic microflora. In addition, this device helps to carry out various manipulations with the fermentation products without risking to move the yeast sediment into a clean container.
The use of overflow siphons is carried out at the stage of formation of yeast sediment, and it is not worth delaying the procedure. With significant volumes of beverage production, it is recommended to use models with an electric or hand pump. The simplest options use the principle of communicating vessels and require some effort on the part of the winemaker. In the design, regardless of the modification, there are tubular elements along which the content is transported.
Varieties and characteristics
All existing varieties of overflow siphons can be divided into the following categories.
- Hand held- for overflow by gravity with a filter to prevent sediment from entering new tanks.
- Blowing - automatic, which allows for both the removal of sediment and the overflow of liquids. The kit should include a cone-shaped nozzle for fixing in the neck. Such siphons are equipped with a telescopic tube, which allows top filling from tanks and barrels of large volumes, which cannot be turned over.
An integrated membrane creates the necessary pressure and automates the process.
- Electric - equipped with built-in pumping equipment. This equipment, connected to an electric motor powered by batteries, is immersed in a container part of the siphon and used to move liquid media. After the start-up, the equipment starts to work, distilling beer or wine into the packaging options prepared for it.
- Connected to the pump. The performance of such systems varies from 420 to 5 thousand l / h. The supported diameters of the nozzles are 10-30 mm, which allows for convenient selection of equipment for professional or private winemaking.
Secrets of a Good Choice
When choosing a convenient siphon variant for use, it is worth considering not only the environmental features, but also the volume of product production. A powerful pump for a home distillery is rarely required. But if the process of production of drinks is put on stream, it is still worth taking care of automation. Variants of lightweight and compact overflow siphons with a pump allow you to remove mash or wine material from the sediment without additional effort and cost.
The presence of a built-in filter also helps to mechanize manual labor. It guarantees thorough cleaning of raw materials from large fractions, makes it possible to immediately eliminate the possible clogging of pipes and other elements during the overflow process. Compact systems for home use look like a nozzle on a bottle. When buying, make sure that the siphon has a collapsible design. In this case, the system will be much easier to rinse after use. Materials must be safe, made from components approved for use in the food industry.
Manual or electric
In the process of transferring the management of the winemaking process into the in-line production of home-made alcohol-containing drinks, the problem of the qualitative movement of raw materials into bottles and other types of containers becomes more acute. And here, high-quality overflow equipment - compact or mobile - can significantly simplify the life of the owner of the distillation apparatus. When choosing the appropriate siphon option, it is worth giving preference to automatic or electric models. The presence of batteries and an electric motor makes it possible to provide an optimal ratio of speed and quality of moving media.
Models with manual pumps require a lot of effort when activating the system for further work, but are quite simple to use, non-volatile, convenient to use. Even in the absence of much experience, such a system will allow you to get a good result, while filtering out the sediment and large particles of raw materials.
In the next video, a quick overview of the Easy Start Medium automatic overflow siphon awaits you.
