Anyone use this Aeration wand? http://www.williamsbrewing.com/22-AERATION-WAND-P490C106.aspx If not what do you use? I am looking to purchase something offline. Also how long do you typical let it run for? I am currently dumping my wort through a strainer and paint strainer bag. Will this have any effect on how long I should let it run? Any other tips or warnings for using oxygen would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/oxygenation-kit.html I use this with a welding oxygen tank that I buy at lowes. I run it for 2 minutes prior to pitching. After switching to pure O2 from the roll and shake method I've had to use blow off tubes as the krausen tries to escape my bucket/better bottle from a very vigorous ferment.
I have that wand, but I don't use it. I found the 2 micron stone to make too much foam too quickly. Instead I use a 0.5 micron stone on the end of a piece of tubing. I haven't seen a wand that comes with a 0.5 micron stone. My formula is in this thread... http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/recap-2012-the-good-the-bad-the-bubbles.56165/#post-751600 YMMV I dump my wort through a metal strainer. I'm sure it results in some more O2 than just by racking. I like my results with strainer plus pure O2. Though I basically have been feeling my way through the process and results to settle on the formula.
Do you know which stone it comes with? It looks like they sell a .05 and 2 but didnt see it listed under the discription. Thanks for the blow off advice. So far I haven't needed one with my buckets. But I will rig one up when I try the oxygen.
Thanks, I like the system and will test it out. Had I not read the replies to your original post I would of been lost. Thankfully there a lot of people smarter than me on here.
I have the 2 micron stone and didn't have a choice when I bought it from NB because I bought a bundled thing that included a stir plate and temp controller. Vikeman is right as the 2 micron will create a lot of foam, so I'm doing 2 minutes with my regulator just open enough to make my wort roll and keep foaming at a minimum.
Also I think the wand is a very nice feature cuz being that my stone is just on the end of a not straight tube I find it difficult to keep the stone near the bottom of the fermenter where I feel it should be for maximum o2 dissolving.
Am thinking of dropping $225 on the same bundle...don't know that it's warranted though, as I rarely make anything over 1.065 and simply over-pitching big beers has seemed to work so far.
I think it was worth every penny and the temp controller can be used with a heating and or cooling element and probably made the whole bundle worth it, and the o2 regulator and stir plate were an awesome bonus. At least invest in temp control for optimal beer.
"At least invest in temp control for optimal beer" Temp control IS important, but you can control temps manually with little or no effort/money. Having said that...next time I have $225 I don't know what to do with...I'll join you : )
That's what I use. I originally got it because I could sterilize it in the oven. FWIW when I'm done I attach it to an aquarium pump to dry it out. I don't get much foaming at all. I have a flow-meter and run it a 1L/min. If I crank it up I get lots of foam. I'm curious if the smaller stone get lowering foaming due to bubble size or increased restriction.
