Regulator for Disposable Oxygen Cylinder

I am going to purchase a regulator for the disposable tanks to aerate my wort. My question is, do I need a diffuser stone or can I just insert the hose into the carboy and let it rip. After reading the reviews for the .5 micron stones I am hesitant to purchase for fear of clogging. I currently use a aquarium pump with a 2 micron stone and inline filter without any issues. Can I use the 2 micron stone/filter with the O2 setup or will it not work?

I’ve been using the Williams regulator kit which has a 2 micron stone and it works great. I believe the purpose of the stone is to diffuse it in such a way that it makes it more absorbable in the wort, so not sure just sticking the tube without a stone in there would be as effective.

How long do you leave the stone in the wort for?

Be sure to have O2 running through the stone whenever it’s in the wort and you won’t have any clogging issues. It also helps to boil it immediately after use (and I blow a little O2 through at the beginning and end of the boil to make sure it’s clean).

You’ll get better O2 absorption if you either use a stone on a wand to swirl it through the wort or stir the wort past the stone sitting still in the fermenter. I shoot for ~1L of O2 for a ~1.060 beer, which is a fairly low flow for a minute if you don’t have a guage. I like to see a very thin layer of bubbles on top of the wort when done.

[quote=“topher”]I’ve been using the Williams regulator kit which has a 2 micron stone and it works great.[/quote] +1

Run it for 2-3 minutes in the carboy on a very low bubble after transfering from the kettle to the carboy. Then throw your yeast and cap it. Give a burst at the end to clear the holes.