Bottling wand sometimes won't shut off

[Joerg]

Today was Pale Ale bottling day. Yay!

Several times the bottling wand wouldn't shut off despite the wand and
tube being lower than the beer (meaning gravity was there). So beer
spilled between switching bottles. It is this one:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermenter-s-favoritestm-plastic-bottle-filler

Can some TLC make it work better or is this kind not that great?

[Bill O'Meally]

Post by Joerg
Today was Pale Ale bottling day. Yay!
Several times the bottling wand wouldn't shut off despite the wand and
tube being lower than the beer (meaning gravity was there). So beer
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermenter-s-favoritestm-plastic-bottle-filler
Can some TLC make it work better or is this kind not that great?

I've never had problems with mine. Take the tip off and jiggle with the spring.

[Joerg]

Post by Bill O'Meally

Post by Joerg
Today was Pale Ale bottling day. Yay!
Several times the bottling wand wouldn't shut off despite the wand and
tube being lower than the beer (meaning gravity was there). So beer
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermenter-s-favoritestm-plastic-bottle-filler
Can some TLC make it work better or is this kind not that great?

I've never had problems with mine. Take the tip off and jiggle with the spring.

Wow, that was a fast answer. Thanks, will do. I did not know it could be
pried apart, looked glued to me.

It is my first batch after a 35 year break. I took a couple shotglasses
worth and it tasted good even without carbonation. Can't wait. If it
works I'll go for an IPA next.

[Bill O'Meally]

Post by Joerg
Wow, that was a fast answer. Thanks, will do. I did not know it could
be pried apart, looked glued to me.
It is my first batch after a 35 year break. I took a couple shotglasses
worth and it tasted good even without carbonation. Can't wait. If it
works I'll go for an IPA next.

Ah, that could be your problem. If you've never taken it apart to
clean/sanitize it, it could have gotten gunked up.

[Ecnerwal]

In article <nme5st$d2q$***@dont-email.me>,
Bill O'Meally <***@geemail.com> wrote:
it could have gotten gunked up.

...this was it's first use, so gunk seems a bit unlikely.

Not that I'm familiar with that particular model in any detail; I got
fed up and now bottle with a peristaltic pump.

[Joerg]

Post by Bill O'Meally
it could have gotten gunked up.
...this was it's first use, so gunk seems a bit unlikely.

Yes, first use. It's a new brewing kit from Midwest Supplies. Plus
cleaned and sanitized. What I found is that this StarSan stuff is
aggressive. The racking hose now has that icky "sticky" feel on it.

After finishing I ran copious amounts of water through the wand. When
blowing through it the thing shuts off properly but when filling bottles
it sometimes didn't.

Post by Bill O'Meally
Not that I'm familiar with that particular model in any detail; I got
fed up and now bottle with a peristaltic pump.

I liked the fact that with the wand I could gradually back off when the
neck filled so it could be nicely topped off but not overflow. That way
I got the same head space on all bottles after pulling the wand. So
maybe the solution is to sanitize a 2nd wand and switch when one becomes
recalcitrant. Unfortunately Brewmeister in Folsom doesn't have any so
must be ordered.

What I noted is that the Pale Ale I just made is rather cloudy in the
bottles. Way more than what I remember from my younger days. Hopefully
some of that will settle. I was careful not to irritate the trub or even
the little bit of sediment down in the bottling bucket later. However,
taste was good. I don't know how I'll work up the patience not to touch
these carbonating bottles for another two weeks. All in a fridge
regulated to 69F with an external electronic thermostat.

That external temperature controller is really practical, meaning I can
brew even when it's 105F for weeks.

A peristaltic pump with seemless zero to full speed control via
footswitch (like on a sewing machine) would be nice but that would
become yet another project.

[Ecnerwal]

Post by Joerg
A peristaltic pump with seemless zero to full speed control via
footswitch (like on a sewing machine) would be nice but that would
become yet another project.

Even better (though mine is not set up that way, and doing so is
somewhat of a pain, though theoretically possible via computer serial
interface) is one set and calibrated to just dispense the right amount.
OTOH, I've given serious thought to a hand-cranked (could be
foot-treadle or bicycle chain) version at a fairly large diameter. As I
told you months ago, I'm prone to overcomplicating...

The cloudy should settle down/out. On the other hand, my view on chill
haze (which I'll assume is not what you see now since you would not
really be chilled yet) is that if I can't taste a problem with it, chill
haze is easily "solved" with an opaque cup. Not really a problem for 99%
of my beer, since it can't be seen though in any normal glass or bottle
;-) - I go for very, very dark beer.

[Joerg]

Post by Ecnerwal

Post by Joerg
A peristaltic pump with seemless zero to full speed control via
footswitch (like on a sewing machine) would be nice but that would
become yet another project.

Even better (though mine is not set up that way, and doing so is
somewhat of a pain, though theoretically possible via computer serial
interface) is one set and calibrated to just dispense the right amount.

Then in the middle of the game a screen pops up "Beer dispensing
terminated until further notice - an unknown error has occurred - please
contact your system administrator" :-)

But the real issue is switching bottle sizes. I use what I've got and it
is a mixed bag, 22oz, 15.2oz, 12oz, German 500ml bottles, et cetera.
Yesterday I was happily filling up Grolsch bottles when I realized
almost too late that I should also fill a few regular 12-ouncers to give
away. I don't want to give away precious Grolsch bottles because often
one does not receive the empties back. In America people are too used to
just chucking them into the recycling bin.

Post by Ecnerwal
OTOH, I've given serious thought to a hand-cranked (could be
foot-treadle or bicycle chain) version at a fairly large diameter. As I
told you months ago, I'm prone to overcomplicating...

I'll get a 2nd wand next time I order at Midwest and sanitize both in
case I need to switch mid-game.

Post by Ecnerwal
The cloudy should settle down/out. On the other hand, my view on chill
haze (which I'll assume is not what you see now since you would not
really be chilled yet) is that if I can't taste a problem with it, chill
haze is easily "solved" with an opaque cup. Not really a problem for 99%
of my beer, since it can't be seen though in any normal glass or bottle
;-) - I go for very, very dark beer.

I have to make sure the missus is also happy with the beer. She isn't
fond of dark beers like I am and also doesn't like anything much above
6%. The current Pale Ale batch measured 1.042 -> 1.012 on the hydrometer
so it should be around 4.5%. Nice for a hot summer day. Personally I
like the heavier stuff. One of the best I sampled at a not-yet-open
local brewery was "Doomday" which is very dark and clocks in at a
whopping 12.3%.

[baloonon]

Post by Joerg

Post by Bill O'Meally

Post by Joerg
Today was Pale Ale bottling day. Yay!
Can some TLC make it work better or is this kind not that great?

I've never had problems with mine. Take the tip off and jiggle with the spring.

Wow, that was a fast answer. Thanks, will do. I did not know it could
be pried apart, looked glued to me.

I can say from experience that when you take them apart and clean them,
make sure the sink drain is closed.

I lost a spring once after I had primed a bucket and had to search for a
while through the house to find a spring that would work as replacement,
which was no fun.

Also, from experience I can say that you definitely want to clean them
right after bottling and don't let them dry with beer and assorted stuff
still on them.

[Joerg]

Post by baloonon

Post by Joerg

Post by Bill O'Meally

Post by Joerg
Today was Pale Ale bottling day. Yay!
Can some TLC make it work better or is this kind not that great?

I've never had problems with mine. Take the tip off and jiggle with the spring.

Wow, that was a fast answer. Thanks, will do. I did not know it could
be pried apart, looked glued to me.

I can say from experience that when you take them apart and clean them,
make sure the sink drain is closed.
I lost a spring once after I had primed a bucket and had to search for a
while through the house to find a spring that would work as replacement,
which was no fun.

Probably leaving lots of disassembled ballpoint pens in the wake ...

Mine does not seem to have any spring. It works on gravity only. So
maybe I should get one with a spring.

Post by baloonon
Also, from experience I can say that you definitely want to clean them
right after bottling and don't let them dry with beer and assorted stuff
still on them.

Yes, I cleaned everything immediately after getting the stuff into the
fermenter and then again after bottling. I am married, so I'd even have
to :-)

[Scott Alfter]

Post by Joerg
Mine does not seem to have any spring. It works on gravity only. So
maybe I should get one with a spring.

That's the course I'd recommend. I think I had one of these once, and found
it a bit of a pain because once you have things set up, you can't put it
down until you're done. With the spring-loaded type, you can rest the
filler in a sanitized jar/bowl/glass/etc. if you need to do something else
for a bit.

_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

[Joerg]

Post by Scott Alfter

Post by Joerg
Mine does not seem to have any spring. It works on gravity only. So
maybe I should get one with a spring.

That's the course I'd recommend. I think I had one of these once, and found
it a bit of a pain because once you have things set up, you can't put it
down until you're done. With the spring-loaded type, you can rest the
filler in a sanitized jar/bowl/glass/etc. ...

Is it something like this? Looks like it has a spring in there:

https://www.amazon.com/E-C-Kraus-Plastic-Bottle-Filler/dp/B00838VPHS

I just don't know how it can be rested in a jar because it also has the
bottom pin that activates the flow. When I needed a stop to sanitize
more bottles I just hung the hose over the spigot and made sure any
drips would be caught in a plastic pot placed underneath. To the delight
of my wife the whole session was surprisingly non-messy.

Post by Scott Alfter
... if you need to do something else for a bit.

Such as taking a sip of the good stuff :-)

[Scott Alfter]

Post by Joerg

Post by Scott Alfter

Post by Joerg
Mine does not seem to have any spring. It works on gravity only. So
maybe I should get one with a spring.

That's the course I'd recommend. I think I had one of these once, and found
it a bit of a pain because once you have things set up, you can't put it
down until you're done. With the spring-loaded type, you can rest the
filler in a sanitized jar/bowl/glass/etc. ...

https://www.amazon.com/E-C-Kraus-Plastic-Bottle-Filler/dp/B00838VPHS
I just don't know how it can be rested in a jar because it also has the
bottom pin that activates the flow.

That's the type. The spring provides enough force that the weight of the
bottling wand (and attached hose) isn't sufficient to start the flow by
itself; you need to press down to begin filling. Set it down in a jar and
it'll do nothing.

_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

[Joerg]

Post by Scott Alfter

Post by Joerg

Post by Scott Alfter

Post by Joerg
Mine does not seem to have any spring. It works on gravity only. So
maybe I should get one with a spring.

That's the course I'd recommend. I think I had one of these once, and found
it a bit of a pain because once you have things set up, you can't put it
down until you're done. With the spring-loaded type, you can rest the
filler in a sanitized jar/bowl/glass/etc. ...

https://www.amazon.com/E-C-Kraus-Plastic-Bottle-Filler/dp/B00838VPHS
I just don't know how it can be rested in a jar because it also has the
bottom pin that activates the flow.

That's the type. The spring provides enough force that the weight of the
bottling wand (and attached hose) isn't sufficient to start the flow by
itself; you need to press down to begin filling. Set it down in a jar and
it'll do nothing.

Great, thanks. That would also mean that the valve closes with much more
force and thus has a lower chance of not closing at all at times like
mine did. I added it to my brewing shopping list.

Only one week left until I can pop open the first bottle.

[baloonon]

Post by Joerg
Only one week left until I can pop open the first bottle.

If you aren't doing this already, for the next batch it's not a bad idea to
fill a couple of plastic screwtop soda or sodawater bottles at bottling
time. You can tell by squeezing the plastic bottles how the carbonization
process is going. It may be that they're ready to go earlier than you
expected, and if it's going slower than expected you won't be opening any
bottles too soon.

[Joerg]

Post by baloonon

Post by Joerg
Only one week left until I can pop open the first bottle.

If you aren't doing this already, for the next batch it's not a bad idea to
fill a couple of plastic screwtop soda or sodawater bottles at bottling
time. You can tell by squeezing the plastic bottles how the carbonization
process is going. It may be that they're ready to go earlier than you
expected, and if it's going slower than expected you won't be opening any
bottles too soon.

That is a good strategy and I thought about it. However, I only have
500ml water bottles since we don't drink soda. I think they are a bit
too flimsy to withstand carbonation pressure.