Hello all! has any one bottled strait from your secondary carboy right into the bottles? I’m just getting back into the hobby and have to buy everything again, I have never like buckets, they stain and smell and scratch. I’m wondering if i had a auto siphon with a bottle filler attached and used sugar tabs, I could just bottle strait from my secondary? Bypassing racking a second time and added risk of infection. I’m looking at getting 2 big mouth bubblers, A 6.5 and 5. There is some neat new stuff since I’ve been away! 
Thanks,
Jay
It’ll work, but it’s definitely a pain. I’ve done it with 1-gallon batches straight out of the glass carboy, and the biggest trick is keeping the one end of the hose above the trub in the secondary but under the liquid level, and not spilling all over the place with the other end of the hose. It can be done, though.
I find it’s easier to start a siphon by filling a section of hose/racking cane with sanitizer solution. The bottle filler does a pretty good job sealing the one end of the hose so you can get the other end in the carboy to start the siphon. Siphon all the sanitizer into an empty glass or extra bottle, which will fill the hose with beer, and start filling bottles. Not sure how you’d start a siphon with an auto-siphon unless you had someone to help.
Thanks for the reply, My plan was to also buy the clip they make for the auto siphon to hold it in place. To start the siphon, my plan was to press the tip of the bottle filler in and prime at the same time.
It can be done. I would suggest taping the auto siphon tubing to the outside of the carboy. This will prevent the tubing, as you move it around for filling the bottles, moving the auto siphon inside the carboy and resuspending the yeast at the bottom.
Using the Starsan solution, (porkchop), to begin the siphon is a great idea.
"I have never like buckets, they stain and smell and scratch. "
Welcome back !! I’ve always been confused when I hear things like this. Mainly the “smell and stain” part. I remember when I first got into homebrewing the people at the homebrew shop were telling me to always choose glass carboys instead of plastic because plastic stains easily. I’m rather stubborn at times so I choose the plastic carboys because they were cheaper. I’ve used these carboys for years as well as a 7.5 gallon bottling bucket that I ferment in as well as bottle from. After several stouts / porters and many other styles I have yet to have any staining or strange smells in either vessel but I’m also a clean freak so that may have something to do with it.
Flars, Great idea with the tape, i know exactly what your talking about. i will use that.
CobiaTower, Maybe not all plastics are the same? density? mold type? Back in the day i tried bleach, pbw, starsan, nothing would keep them clean. The new clear plastic carboys look like they would stay looking new for a long time.
thanks for the input guys!
Using a binder clip to hold the racking cane is a great idea if you don’t have the racking cane clip. It’s worked for me for years. I submerse the cane just right above the yeast and trub. I also tilt my bucket or carboy using a block of wood under one side at an angle. This allows me to get most of the beer without hitting th junk at the bottom.
I ferment in what most people call a bottling bucket - it has a spigot at the bottom. When I open the spigot the first time after fermentation is complete I get a bit of trub, but after the initial few ounces the beer runs clear.
I’ve read several posts about the spigots leaking, but have never experienced that - except the time I decided to tighten the spigot and tore the spigot loose from the threaded portion. :oops:
The spigot also makes it easy to take a sample for gravity testing and tasting.
I bottled my first batch of mead straight from the carboy using an auto siphon with a bottle filler attached at the end. It worked fine. I had my wife helping though so one person manned the siphon and one manned the bottles. Would have been even better to have a third person capping. As it was we would fill a few bottles, take a break and one person would cap while the other held everything steady so as to not lose the siphon. I would do this again for bottling a still mead. If you’re going to be doing a bit of bottling, I would get a bucket.
Treat it kindly and it won’t scratch, clean it well and it won’t smell. 
:cheers:
Thanks all you the input, I’ll give bottling from the secondary a try, and if its not worth it I will break down and get a bucket. I will have a second pair of hands, got a friend who is interested in brewing (planting the seed). Just placed my order, all the equipment i need plus the German Alt kit, hoping to have it ready for Oktoberfest! Cant wait, Its been 2.5 years!!!
Cheers.
Jay
Jay,
I rarely bottle anymore but when I did found that if you get a bucket and only use it for bottling then gently clean it and take care of it in general, it will last a long time. With the short contact time it won’t smell or discolor. After racking your beer into it the beer will be clear and you can rack right onto priming sugar mixing it. A spigot eliminates the use for a siphon, just put the bucket higher than the bottles.
I’m not trying to talk you out of bottling right from the fermenter, I just thinka bottling bucket might work better.
[quote=“HD4Mark”]Jay,
I rarely bottle anymore but when I did found that if you get a bucket and only use it for bottling then gently clean it and take care of it in general, it will last a long time. With the short contact time it won’t smell or discolor. After racking your beer into it the beer will be clear and you can rack right onto priming sugar mixing it. A spigot eliminates the use for a siphon, just put the bucket higher than the bottles.
I’m not trying to talk you out of bottling right from the fermenter, I just thinka bottling bucket might work better.[/quote]
+1, my fermenting buckets are stained, but my bottling bucket is shiny bright white.
