I read this on HBT (someone linked an article a couple weeks back in this forum) about adding a dip tube to your bottling bucket. I tried it this weekend and it worked amazing. No more tipping the bucket while trying to fill those last 2-3 bottles. I just got a drilled stopper that fit in the back of my bottling spigot and cut the curved part of an old auto-siphon (I used a hacksaw to get a clean cut) and shoved it in the stopper and I was in business. 5 minutes of work for awesome results!
I also attached the bottling wand right to the end of the spigot using a 1" piece of tube as a coupling.
It actually made bottling enjoyable cause i could just sit in my chair and fill each bottle and place it on the table for capping.
Those who still bottle I strongly suggest doing this. It makes your life so much easier! :cheers:
I have been meaning to add the dip tube, just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Your idea sounds great, will add the dip tube the way you have. My bottling wand is attached like yours also. I sit on a rolling mechanics stool while bottling. Instead of reaching for an empty bottle or setting a filled bottle to the side, it’s easy just to roll over a foot or so.
If you go with a pre-drilled stopper, your auto-siphon tube section may be a bit small to fit snugly. To remedy this I just cut a small piece of vinyl tubing and stuck it on the plastic piece to increase its diameter so it fit in the stopper nice and tight.
Awesome! A new use for my old, broken autosiphon! I broke it right at the curve, too! Hopefully there’s enough curve to make this work. Do you happen to know the stopper size?
I’ve been using a 3/4" piece of pvc elbow, threaded on one side, which screws right onto the threaded end of the bottling spigot. Just had to hacksaw off the other end to get it to the right length - about 1/8" above the bottom of the bucket.
This strategy was also found (with pics, I believe) on HBT.
