Aquarium Air Pump - Need Filter?

[Hoser]

So I just bought an aquarium air pump from Craft Brewer. Looking at Palmer's How to Brew as well as listening to Brewing Network shows it seems like a medical syringe filter or similar is important to set up before aerating the wort to mitigate risk of airborne bacteria contaminating wort.

Not sure where to find a syringe filter. Tried a couple pharmacies today and had no luck. Anyone have any recommendations?

Struggling.... :huh:

 

[matr]

Check out Gryphon Brewing website.

 

[matr]

Filter

Sorry can't work out how to edit my previous post on an iPhone

 

[brocky_555]

I got mine from Mark's Home Brew. Send him a PM and he'll sort you out

 

[Ross]

So I just bought an aquarium air pump from Craft Brewer. Looking at Palmer's How to Brew as well as listening to Brewing Network shows it seems like a medical syringe filter or similar is important to set up before aerating the wort to mitigate risk of airborne bacteria contaminating wort.

Not sure where to find a syringe filter. Tried a couple pharmacies today and had no luck. Anyone have any recommendations?

Struggling.... :huh:

Hoser,

You should have ordered one at the same time as the pump, as we stock them - that said, I wouldn't be too stressed using without, they are a good insurance policy but not essential.

cheers Ross

 

[Florian]

I have just ordered one of these filters from Ross yesterday. But I have used the pump without a filter in the past without any noticable issues.
If you're paranoid you can always catch a plastic bag full of 'clean' air and chuck it in the freezer or something, then place the pump into that bag. It might not really help but could ease your mind if you just believe in it. (and yes, I've done that in the past)

Am now waiting for Ross to restock the oxygen regulators and bottles to use in combination with a ss airstone.

 

[Hoser]

Hoser,

You should have ordered one at the same time as the pump, as we stock them - that said, I wouldn't be too stressed using without, they are a good insurance policy but not essential.

cheers Ross

Thanks Ross. Didn't even realise it's good to have one until too late. Will just have a go without it for now. Not the end of the world. Everything you walked me through on the phone earlier this week seems to make sense though. Looking forward to a better aeration!

Cheers!

 

[Bribie G]

I bought an aquarium pump off Ross two years ago but have never used it, I just use the splash and glug method from cube into fermenter, then give it a good thrashing the next morning with a slotted spoon. Recently, I've gone on to double dropping which is giving excellent results. I found out the other day that Coopers used to double drop at their old brewery.

Edit: when using an airstone you can just get a couple of big plastic syringes from your chemist for a couple of dollars, pull out the plungers, stuff them with sterile cotton wool, place them mouth-to-mouth and duck tape them. Bingo, instant filter.

 

[warra48]

I made up a filter for mine, as shown in the diagram on page 70 of How to Brew, 3rd edition.
It's just a tube cut down from a hydrometer tube, stuffed with cotton balls, and silicon tube epoxied in at either end.

Works just fine for me. Never had an infection from it.

The only infection issues I've ever had have been from an unsanitary bottling wand, and some bottle not properly sanitised, so totally unrealted to my aeration regime.

 

[ekul]

You can get these for a dollar at needle exchanges, they call them wheel filters.

Its funny that this has popped up because i have been trying to find a way to sanitise water with minimal effort and i came across these yesterday, didn't know they were already used for homebrewing!

Some of them can filter down to .2 micron, which should get rid of any bacteria, but not viruses. I'm not sure if viruses would effect beer though.

I think it would be mad to be able to buy a bottle of water and just syringe some through one of these wheel filters for 'good as sterile' water for those times when i don't have time to boil water and cool it.

 

[Hoser]

I bought an aquarium pump off Ross two years ago but have never used it, I just use the splash and glug method from cube into fermenter, then give it a good thrashing the next morning with a slotted spoon. Recently, I've gone on to double dropping which is giving excellent results. I found out the other day that Coopers used to double drop at their old brewer

Hmmmm.... just looked at this thread and I'm intrigued by the double drop idea. Alternatively can you just aerate the original fermenter with the aquarium pump a second time at 12-16 hours?

Edit: when using an airstone you can just get a couple of big plastic syringes from your chemist for a couple of dollars, pull out the plungers, stuff them with sterile cotton wool, place them mouth-to-mouth and duck tape them. Bingo, instant filter.

I made up a filter for mine, as shown in the diagram on page 70 of How to Brew, 3rd edition.
It's just a tube cut down from a hydrometer tube, stuffed with cotton balls, and silicon tube epoxied in at either end.

Ok probably a stupid question but I'm not handy - I'm HANDLESS. So I can see both of you refer to essentially the same thing and it's apparent in the Palmer's book. However, what I struggle with is how do you hook that up? I've got a small hose coming out of the pump and that connects to a male/male connecter with a larger hose attached to that. That larger hose connects to another male connecter that is attached to the airstone. Where does the homemade filter tube go in the connection system and how does it link in? Is this via duct tape at the very start somehow coming out of the aquarium pump? Sorry I struggle with what most would view as a quite simple connection I'm sure....

 

[warra48]

Here's how I do it.

The silicon tube I get from one of our local pet supply shops. It's cheap.
The filter housing is cut down from an old hydrometer tube.
The end fittings are the caps from the hydrometer tube.
I drill a hole in the middle of the caps to fit the tube with a firm fit. I fix it in place with a bit of epoxy (5 minute Araldite etc, get it from the hardware).
Fill the tube with cotton balls. Fit tube over airstone, and aerate away. I have weighted down the airstone with a SS nut to give it some weight and to ensure it sinks to the bottom of my wort.

 

[Hoser]

The silicon tube I get from one of our local pet supply shops. It's cheap.
The filter housing is cut down from an old hydrometer tube.
The end fittings are the caps from the hydrometer tube.
I drill a hole in the middle of the caps to fit the tube with a firm fit. I fix it in place with a bit of epoxy (5 minute Araldite etc, get it from the hardware).
Fill the tube with cotton balls. Fit tube over airstone, and aerate away. I have weighted down the airstone with a SS nut to give it some weight and to ensure it sinks to the bottom of my wort.

Cool. Thanks makes sense now. Will be able to pull that off me thinks.