DIY co2 from wine

[dr.tran]

I know i started this thread before but I can't find it. I may have been deleted. So I am starting a new one again.

Mods, if you do find the old one, please detete this one and attach this post to the old thread. Thank you

Ok after waiting for a week for some of my supplies to come in from overseas, I decide to give u guys a photo journey of what I did.

First all the supplies!



Next make the holes and pull the airline through.





Then I chulked it up to prevent any air leaks





Then made the mixture.



Very simple, first add 1 teaspoon of yeast and hydrate it. It takes about 15 minutes. Then add half a cup of sugar and the 3 containers of concentrated grape juice. Afterwards add 6 cups of water and mix.



Then I tefloned the bubble counter and connected the system.





But then the problems. I waited almost 10 hours now and still no co2 bubbles. Most dissapointing.

So then I plugged it to my air pump and it did work. But it was hell on my pump and it looked like it needed alot of pressure. Much more than a DIY. However, I seen people with DIY and glass diffusors. Not sure how to combat this problem right now. Changed my bubble counter with another more airtight container and still same problem.

So I ask for the DIY experts for some help please.

[stagius]

here what you should do:

Yeast must be activated first by mixing them with warm water (100-105 F), and allow them to contact with air. Add few dash of sugar. Stir occasionally.

After 10-15 min, add yeast to sugar solution. You are using grape juice, which i am not sure about its effectiveness. Just use plain cheap sugar.

And you are done. The idea is to have yeast become activated first.

You should not do a bubble counter since i see no point of doing that. It just made the CO2 build up longer. Plus, you might get leak somewhere that you never know.

Lastly, you mention that you will use a glass diffusers. I would say you will need more than 1 bottle to have enough pressure to actually see the diffuser work. Otherwise, it is hard to see tiny bubble.

[stagius]

Also check on temp.
Best to keep the bottle as warm as possible ( room temperature), otherwise, it might take longer depend on how cold.

[dr.tran]

I already did activate the yeast in the begining by hydrating them. The mixture is working and I am producing bubbles for the moment.

The bubble counter is very important because incase if I have a back flow, the tank water goes into the bubble counter and not my wine. Also not the other way around. I have made very cheap wine like this before just for fun. And it works and does taste great.

But your right. I think there is a leak in my bubble counter. I attached a air pump to thbe bubble counter and not all of the air is going into the diffuser.

Right now its in a cool room at 68 degress, which I find is the best for the inital fermentation, and I'm having around 4 to 8 bubbles a second. So I'm really going to try and find that leak tommrow.

I have seen more than one bottle for a glass diffuser but I figured having a gallon with a large surface area would be sufficent. Do 2 smaller bottles produce more co2 than a large one? Also I was afraid to use the T connector because I heard it leaks more than anything.

[dekstr]

I use a T connector, two of them for 3x 2 litre bottles. No problem there.

Second check for leaks, or even worse, check for blockages.

Try to test certain sections at a time to isolate the air leaks.

[mistergreen]

you might have a leak at the caps.. I find those air airline connectors and epoxy glue works pretty great.


you're not going to drink the wine are you? it won't kill you but ....

[dr.tran]

ok after running around all day and wasteing money and time, i realized a few things.

first off, i'm stupid. lol.

well i went to my LFS trying to get an limewood air stone which they do have but me being so cheap i went to the petco about an hour away to see if it was cheaper. which then i realized no and i was too tired to go back to my LFS so i spent it there.

i went to go get a wooden one because then after removing the bubble counter because that may be the source of the leak, i realized it just didn't have enough pressure. i tried the glass diffusor in my 10 gal with just a poland spring bottle, and it worked!! I can't believe it worked with something so little.

so then i went out and got me the limestone and attached it trying to think where could i have gone wrong. then i realized that the milk jug expands so it can't hold enough pressure to power the glass co2.

so then i just attached the wine to the limestone and into the tank. its working now but just small fizzing. im going to check on it later and hope it worked.

next time im going to get 2L soda bottles and use the t connector.

epoxy glue? I will definally use that next time. did u put the glue on top of the cap or underneth the cap?

and why not drink it? lol. i thought about the contaimination but with the drop checker, the risk is very low. now without it, there is a risk but im sure it won't happen. im more worried that the wine gets into the tank.

[BiscuitSlayer]

I have read that big Gatorade type jugs work really well because they are rigid and difficult to tip over.

As far as the epoxy goes, why couldn't you put it on both sides? It would seem to me that you stand a better chance of getting a good seal if it were applied to both sides.

[fshfanatic]

You are leaking either from the large bottle of the gas separator.

I would use a 1 gallon gatoraide bottle.
Use a 20oz soda plastic bottle for the bubble counter

[stagius]

how does the size of the container affect the rate of CO2 producing ? The bigger, the stronger the gas or what ?

Anyone can confirm ?

[BiscuitSlayer]

Originally Posted by stagius

how does the size of the container affect the rate of CO2 producing ? The bigger, the stronger the gas or what ?

Anyone can confirm ?

It doesn't affect the rate of CO2 production. CO2 production depends on the fermentation of the mixture.

[stagius]

i mean a big container come with a big mixture of sugar and yeast too. With that said, more CO2 gas, right ?

[mistergreen]

yeah, epoxy works great because it sticks to plastic & metal... Silicon doesn't, as you know. And it'll expand into any cracks. I'd put it on the top and bottom.

I'd advise not drinking it because you're using baker's yeast... It'll produce some rank alcohol. It's a different strain of yeast used to make wine and champaign.

here:
http://www.lalvinyeast.com/strains.asp
just a quick google

oh, and you have to use real grape juice.. Buy grapes and mash them to get the juice. If you're using any grapes with seeds, try not to crush the seeds... That's why you see images of women stomping in grape vats in traditional wine making.

[epicfish]

Originally Posted by stagius

how does the size of the container affect the rate of CO2 producing ? The bigger, the stronger the gas or what ?

Anyone can confirm ?

Originally Posted by BiscuitSlayer

It doesn't affect the rate of CO2 production. CO2 production depends on the fermentation of the mixture.

Originally Posted by stagius

i mean a big container come with a big mixture of sugar and yeast too. With that said, more CO2 gas, right ?

The rate is the same. The amount is different.

Yes, the more volume, the larger the amount of CO2 production. That's why people use Tees to use more than one bottle at a time.

[dr.tran]

Originally Posted by mistergreen

yeah, epoxy works great because it sticks to plastic & metal... Silicon doesn't, as you know. And it'll expand into any cracks. I'd put it on the top and bottom.

I'd advise not drinking it because you're using baker's yeast... It'll produce some rank alcohol. It's a different strain of yeast used to make wine and champaign.

here:
http://www.lalvinyeast.com/strains.asp
just a quick google

oh, and you have to use real grape juice.. Buy grapes and mash them to get the juice. If you're using any grapes with seeds, try not to crush the seeds... That's why you see images of women stomping in grape vats in traditional wine making.

not true. I have done this before and it still taste pretty good. not like $80 bottle wine but still better than the cheap wine you get for $10.

It depends on your taste. you see, the primary component is obviously suger. We can still get the suger from concentrated because the only major difference is that most of the water is removed. So alcohol is still produced. however, there are other aromatic organic compounds that are believed to be the main component of of the taste since taste is 60% smell.

it must also be noted that hypothesis is still being tested in the more high tech wine makers of america. this is because most of the alkanes and alkenes have been removed, release, or denatured by the time it reaches the bottle. so the more high tech makers can collect it and put it back into the bottle. its highly variable from sweet to pungent though.

the process of making concentrated juice does somewhat denature the pre molecules of the alkenes and alkanes that we taste and smell. so it does lose some flavor in this wine making process.

but hey i don't mine. its $6 and I can still get a buzz. haha

btw, once in my organic chemistry lab, we distilled alcohol from just simple bakers yeast fermentation. and you know what, it smelled just like volka!! i was so tempted to drink it if i didn't know everything has some kind of non edible chemicals on it.

anyway time for updates

I finally got it to work! I removed the bubble counter to try to remove any possiblities of leaks. so its direct from the jug to tank. also im using a wooden airstone since it doesn't require as much pressure. I have a 29 gal tank but if I sink the airstone all the way, it doesn't bubble because there isn't enough pressure.

also the temperture is also lower in my room hence the co2 fermentation is slower. although i find it better in the long run in terms of taste.

then i realized something that sliped me, although i had some table suger, its primarly suger from the grapes or fructose! I was so simple. gulcose is the most simplest suger hence the eaiest to break down. fructose is more complex so it breaks down slower. which is why although a apple has about the same sugar as half a candy bar, losely, the apple has a low glycemic index. so table sugar is sucrose, a bond between glucose and fructose. so its breaks down slower than glucose but not as fast as fructose.

so whats the point in all that? simple, table sugar is a better in high co2 production since it metabolize it easier. however i believe its even better with glucose. i also suspect that the fructose would last longer.

i'll let u guys know how it turns out. so far my plants are pearling so i can't complain.