Aeration pump

[JoshRunciman]

Hi all,

This may have been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything.

I want to get an aquarium pump and stone for wort aeration and would really appreciate any recommendations.

Buying from Ebay is probably the easiest for me but open to buying from a bricks and morter store. I'm in Melbourne.

Thanks

 

[Camo6]

Kegking sells em in kits. I bought all my bits separate but it would've added up to more than the KK setup. I now use O2 but keep the pump for backup. If you're good with a whisk you can get about the same PPM of O2 with some elbow grease or a drill as you could with an air pump.

 

[jaypes]

Just make sure you use a proper filter, so you dont introduce any nasties.

I usually use one of these - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/131029035416?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&lpid=94

And still have great results

 

[lael]

I wouldn't bother with the aquarium pump and airstone - I got one from kegking and had lots of clogs in the stainless airstone and never had great flow through - I don't think the standard pumps in the kit are strong enough for the tiny holes. Higher chance of infection in my mind than other simpler and cheaper methods (like paint stirrer in drill etc).

 

[JoshRunciman]

what are the chances of infection from using a paint stirrer?

edit: this seems like a hard question to answer.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll buy a paint mixer.

 

[Camo6]

My air stone from KK was blocked on first use. Thought my pump was too weak so upgraded to a bigger pump. Still blocked. Took it back to KK and swapped it - same problem. Dipped it in metho while pumping and it blew bubbles like you know who. Now, before use I give my air stone a spray with methylated spirits then a short dip in starsan.

 

[lael]

And it works fine? Do you pump air while its got metho in it? Wonder if the water gets in the holes, air pump isn't
Powerful enough to budge it, but the alcohol forces it out fine? Interesting.

 

[lael]

Do you still use it for aerating your wort? What have the results been like?

 

[Tex083]

If your in the West/central Melb Grain and Grape have a pure 02 setup on the shelf. Cant remember the price but was a good deal for a disposable 02 and a stone. The parts alone are expensive.
I have "access" to medical 02 cylinders and my ferments are going better than ever! have a read of the DO (dissolved oxygen) that sertian methods put into your wort. I remember John Palmer taking about the air pumps putting more foam into the wort making it difficult to get the right level of DO.
Also too much DO can cause off flavours so be cautious and use a timer slowly upping the 02 each brew. I use 2 mins @ 2LPM and its good. Im using a diving oxygen regulator on a medical cylinder so im happy its accurate.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/High-Performance-Regulators-for-Oxygen-Therapy-ALL-BRASS-/331157299400?pt=AU_Business_Industrial_Medical_Scientific_Equipment2&hash=item4d1a8360c8 is what I use.

 

[Camo6]

And it works fine? Do you pump air while its got metho in it? Wonder if the water gets in the holes, air pump isn't
Powerful enough to budge it, but the alcohol forces it out fine? Interesting.

I think the metho just broke down whatever oils were on the stone. I'm sure they come from China with some sort of oil residue/ protectant on them.

Do you still use it for aerating your wort? What have the results been like?

I've switched to O2 now but still use the stone. The pump is handy if I run out of O2 but I reckon I got just as much aeration as when using a CB aerating device and a paint stirrer. The pump is convenient in that I could turn it on and walk away for twenty mins.

 

[Batz]

When I did this I bought the biggest, meanest air pump I could. This is made for a bank of aquariums and has a 12mm outlet.

I don't use it these days, anyone interested in it?

Batz

 

[spog]

This was a topic sometime back,was it on this forum?
I think the upshot was it isn't worth it on a homebrew scale ?
Could have been a YouTube vid from Whitelabs ?
Cheers....spog...

 

[garyhead.design]

Yeah I mistakly bought the kk kit as well. Not much air gets through the stone.

I've already got a giant ss whisk. How long do you need to whisk for?

 

[black_labb]

The thing with air as opposed to oxygen is there is a limit to how much oxygen can dissolve and it is below what is ideal for most brews. If you are using a whisk and want ideal oxygen levels I would reccomend whisking at pitch time and again at about 12-24 hrs later. What this does is reintroduces the oxygen after the yeast has consumed the oxygen from the initial pitch. This method has traditionally been used in the yorkshire stone squares (usually they physically pump the wort as opposed to manual agitation).

Also a lower pitch temperature will increase the solubility of oxygen in the wort

 

[Camo6]

Yeah I mistakly bought the kk kit as well. Not much air gets through the stone.

I've already got a giant ss whisk. How long do you need to whisk for?

Did you try dipping it in metho? Chalk and cheese after doing it to mine.

 

[mr_wibble]

Turn the gas on before getting it worty.
Pull it out before turning off the gas.

The 0.5 micron air stones are easily damaged too, be gentle with them. 2 micron are a bit better in this respect.


Recently I purchased a disposable Oxygen kit from MHB's store - http://www.ubrew.com.au/web/showproductlist.asp?catid=9&subcatid=13

You only need a tiny amount of O₂ per batch, so a single bottle should last roughly a hundred brews - that's a running cost is about 55 cents a brew.
IMHO this is a superior method to aquarium pump air, but it is more expensive initially.