29 replies to this topic

[RedneckWino]

Is there a consensus on the best electric vacuum pump to buy for degassing? I'm frugal, but want something that works well and will last a long time.
Thanks!

[Vern_L_Equinox]

I have a rotary unit that uses oil to create the necessary vacuum seal ... if I had to do it over again I'd go for an oil-less diaphram-style medical aspirator pump. Mine creates a very fine oil fog during operation that I'm not crazy about. You can probably find one on eBay for fairly cheap.

[dhudson]

I'm not sure there is a consensus, as there are plenty of pumps out there, and lots of them work well.

However, I can tell you that one popular approach is to get a used vacuum pump unit that was originally used in hospitals. They tend to last forever, but eventually hospitals replace them. I bought a used GOMCO pump several years ago, and have had very good results with it so far. You want a unit that comes with a glass jar, since you want to make sure no liquid gets into the pump unit itself. The pump is connected to the jar, and a second piece of tubing comes out of the jar.

Check around on Ebay or Craigslist - I expect you could find one of these for $50 or not much more.

Happy fermenting --

Doug

[S Hofner]

I bought a medical aspirator off of ebay for $40....solid built oiless diaphram pump.

[Hammered]

Mine's a Rokr diaphragm type I got off eBay for $25. It was pretty dirty but cleaned up well and has really been a workhorse in the winery. Very reliable, and it pushes as well as pulls.

[Kirby]

My vacuum pump is a discarded Ungar "Hot Vac" unit that was used to remove solder from circuit boards (this "solder sucker" also had a heated wand to melt the solder but I not could figure out a winemaking use for that part). The pump pulls 10-12"Hg which seems to degass well enough and really transfers well during racking; but it uses a small tube (3/16" OD) so the volume is low. It is a motor-driven diaphragm-type pump with flapper-type reed valves.

Anyway:
1. Vacuum is good.
2. 10-12" is not too much for my glass carboys.

I have read where some garagists use automotive brake bleeder units that pull enough for some wine making applications.

[RedneckWino]

I screwed up. I bought a MityVac. I will be drinking my gassy wine with hulk hands. For sale: MityVac.
I've been watching eBay and Craigslist, but I can't find a used aspirator for less than $100 (with shipping). If anyone knows of such a unit for sale, I'd greatly appreciate a heads-up. Thanks.

[S Hofner]

Just a quick search pulled these up....

http://www.ebay.com/...=item43b20fdd42

and

http://www.ebay.com/...=item1c29abe354

I'm sure there are others, these two that caught my eye on the first page of the search results.

[Hammered]

Check with your local heating contractors. They use them for clearing A/C lines and other purposes and may have spares or good sources. They'd probably enjoy knowing about winemaking uses for their beloved tools.

[jerzy_s]

most aspirator pumps pull only about 10 PSI vacuum - is that enough???

[S Hofner]

I can't speak for most, but mine will pull 25" hg per the gauge on the pump.

[Lin Dixie]

Good question! About a year ago I bought a U/S. General 2.5 CFM vacuum pump on someone's recommendation, but have never used it. Anyone have any experience with these?

Lin

[S Hofner]

Good question! About a year ago I bought a U/S. General 2.5 CFM vacuum pump on someone's recommendation, but have never used it. Anyone have any experience with these?

Lin

The two measurements are not the same. Kinda like pH and TA. Hg (Inches of mercury) is the strength of vacuum it can exert, i.e. how high is can lift mercury. CFM is the volume of air (cubic feet) it can move per minute.

[RedneckWino]

Just a quick search pulled these up....

http://www.ebay.com/...=item43b20fdd42

and

http://www.ebay.com/...=item1c29abe354

I'm sure there are others, these two that caught my eye on the first page of the search results.

Thanks! I looked for "aspirator" - but I think I set my low limit at $25 to avoid all the non-electric stuff.

[Wade's Wines]

That first one looks just like mine. It works great!