DIY co2 from wine

[kzr750r1]

I'd have to do a malt syrup batch as the all grain rig has gone to a more active hobbyist. Would have to see if my brewing partner has any of the old equipment around.

It would work but the last few weeks of fermentation would not produce much CO2.

First week though production would be through the roof.

[dr.tran]

Hahaha. I was afraid of that. But I love beer so I was just about to try. Maybe there is another way kinda like this cheap cheap wine mixture instead of a full on wine barrel concept.

[outcast]

Originally Posted by kzr750r1

I'd have to do a malt syrup batch as the all grain rig has gone to a more active hobbyist. Would have to see if my brewing partner has any of the old equipment around.

It would work but the last few weeks of fermentation would not produce much CO2.

First week though production would be through the roof.

that is when you start a new batch

[kzr750r1]

Originally Posted by outcast

that is when you start a new batch

Check

[mahoro]

Originally Posted by dr.tran

hahah. thanks NYCsicktank.

and finally SUCCESS!!

I finally got my co2/wine generator working fully functional.

Ok I followed your advice and I turned it into two 2 liter bottles connected with a t connector. And filled it with my getto wine.



Then connect it to a wooden airstone and it works

Then I connected the glass difusor and prayed that it worked.



AND IT WORKS!! Yes sweet sweet success at last.


But its not all good news. My sister squeezed the bottles and the negative pressure from releasing the bottles caused fish water to get into the bottle. So I have co2 but no cheap wine *tears* I'm going to have to show you wine drinking results in a few months.

try puting a check valve between the t connection and the stone

[dr.tran]

yeah i broke mines so i'm looking for a brass one for the moment.

[SCMurphy]

I didn't see a check valve in your set up. You might want to use one before your tank empties out on the floor.

[dr.tran]

yeah my check valve broke so i'm looking for a brass one for the moment

[mahoro]

how is the brass one compire to the plastic?

[tazcrash69]

Originally Posted by mahoro

how is the brass one compire to the plastic?

Plastic degrades over time, gets brittle, and cracks with CO2.

[mahoro]

aw that sucks, i just got 4 of them 3 weeks ago >_>

[dr.tran]

Wow I can't believe this but after a month it slowed down and stoped. So I took out the diffusor and put it in bleach. After I cleaned it, I attached it just for kicks and it still works! over a month since I made this batch of wine, its still kicking! its not as strong as when it first started but still pretty good. My drop checker is still reading good levels of co2.

[vance71975]

Originally Posted by mistergreen

I'd advise not drinking it because you're using baker's yeast... It'll produce some rank alcohol.


oh, and you have to use real grape juice.. Buy grapes and mash them to get the juice.

I have been making homemade wine for about 8 years and let me tell you this is a standard misconception, First off Bakers Yeast has made some of the best tasting Wines i have made.Bakers Yeast Doesnt produce the higher Alcohol levels that Wine making Yeast Does But it is also FAR LESS TOUCHY to work with. Second your right it is a different Strain than Wine making yeast, The major difference between the 2 is the die off point,and some subtle flavor differences (Wine making yeast WILL give a Higher Alcohol level in the finished wine this is the Die off Point) You don't have to use "Real Grape Juice" But what you do need to use is 100% juice, it can be concentrate as long as it is 100% Juice(no additives or preservatives THESE are what cause the "Rank Wine" not the yeast and you do not have to use fresh grapes) Juicy juice makes some excellent homemade wine! IMHO you do not want to mess with the "Wine Makers Yeast" Unless you seriously want to jump into the hobby of Home Wine Making, They are touchy, and hard to work with not to mention MORE COSTLY! And If your doing "Professional home wine making" You really don't want to risk it being hooked to your fish tank!(some of the Wine kits sell for OVER 100 bucks!) Just my 2 cents

[charpark]

Originally Posted by dr.tran

btw, are you suppose to turn off the DIY co2 at night?

There is no realistic way to do this...this is one of the major downsides in DIY since you waste approximately half your CO2 generated during off-light hours. I believe some people have proposed somewhat outlandish ideas which could theoretically work, but not worth the effort.

For example, some people have considered capturing the CO2 generated at night in a storage tank, then releasing throughout the day. A system like this would require a very strong pump, and likewise a holding chamber that can withstand some fair pressure. At that point, you might as well just go pressurized. The only other feasible idea I've seen of "turning off DIY CO2" is to chill it at night. This would cause the yeast to hibernate again, but you would have to reactivate again every morning by warming the solution again. You would effectively lose a few hours of CO2 production everyday as the yeast becomes reactivated.

On another note, you probably should just go with a plastic check valve in the meantime. I've been using an Uncle Lee's or whatever it's called from PetSmart and it's been working (to my surprise) flawlessly for 8 months of consistent CO2 production at ~ 1 bps. I imagine a lot of the worry over CO2 causing plastic to break down is a little overly cautious as this process should take a very long time close to years, not months. The same applies with using airline tubing with CO2, although people worry, very few people have had their tubing go brittle and break.

Also, don't forget that baker's yeast in DIY begins to die off around 10% alcohol concentration so you may want to calculate roughly the % of alcohol produced from your fructose, and added sucrose. If it is far below, you can off course add more sugar. If it is above, you can dilute the juice, or not add as much sugar and potentially get longer CO2 production with less.

I see you solved your problems in the early stages, but just an FYI if you're having some trouble it's most likely a leak. To test for leaks, you can add a soapy water solution to your connections and check for bubbling. Another method is to close your entire system (cap off, or hold the end of your tubing) and squeeze the bottle. You should not be able to continue squeezing your bottle beyond a certain point if your entire system is closed. Likewise, you can put your entire system under water in the tub for example and cap off the end of your tubing. Then squeeze your bottle and check for bubbles.

I personally prefer soda bottles since they are designed to handle acidic CO2 solutions, as well as high pressures compared to other bottles. As you mentioned, swapping out the milk bottle should have been a huge help since milk bottles are not designed to handle high pressure. Likewise, the cap on milk bottles has shallow threads and therefore more prone to leaks. People seem to do well with Gatorade bottles, although they have relatively shallow threads compared to soda bottles as well. Anyway, that's my 2 cents, hope that helps.

[dr.tran]

Hey guys thanks for trying to help fix up this idea but everything has been worked through and tweaked.

It was already explained that bakers yeast can produce some good wine.

Also about turning off the DIY co2, it was already adressed. I don't care too much about wasting co2 as long as the co2 doesn't waste my fishes and shrimp. It was more of a safely procaution rather than streching out the co2. Yeast is cheap and so is sugar so I don't mind losing co2 as long as I don't lose my aqua life.

Regardless, everything has been solved already, this is an old thread but I like it to be known so that other people can try it if they want to. I'm already using pressurized co2 but I may go DIY co2 just to make wine once more.

Oh and BTW charpark, someone already defiled all critics and created a presurized DIY co2 system with needle valves and other things. I forget when what the thread was called but they were able to store the co2 and use it for later if needed.