So I’ve been using an aquarium pump and a oxywand to oxygenate my wort pre pitching. I want to use oxygen, but just wondering if the oxygen you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot is good enough or does it have to be from a specific supplier or type?
That’s what I use, works great.
That’s all I needed to hear thanks!!!
Technically you’re supposed to use “medical grade” O2. I guess the only difference is that someone certifies the tank as sterile or something… also, I’ve read that pure O2 is toxic to bacteria so I get regular O2.
What’s the stuff at the hardware store… pure or regular?
I went from a medical O2 tank to an aquarium pump because it was a hassle getting O2. Did you not get enough with the pump? Seems to work OK for me.
It’s pure, but it’s not considered medical grade. You need a prescription to get medical grade.
It’s really just about time… yeast health and multiplying is obviously a huge factor, but using the pump takes 20 minutes to reach 9 ppm. Oxygen would be 60 seconds from what I’ve researched. Also, it would be easier to do a secondary oxygenation during primary on big high gravity beers.
I just don’t know where to get the stuff
I got my O2 tank in the welding section of Home Depot, or maybe Loews, I forget which.
Northern sells a regulator and aeration stone that made to attach to those tanks. It’s pricier than I remember and now puts the stone at the end of a wand which is really nice touch.
Yes, I use the red tanks from any of the home repair stores (I actually find the best price at Tractor Supply). A 60 second shot of pure O2 does the trick, and from what I’ve read gets D.O. well above 8ppm, which is the best you can do using room air, even with a pump.
One tank lasts me around ten 5G batches.
Awesome thanks guys. Yeah I have the oxygenation wand, but I just need the attachment for the bottle now. I just went by Home Depot and grabbed a couple bottles @ $10 each. It’s totally worth it. Better oxygenation in my wort and saves a lot of time.
Thanks!
I open the valve JUST until I have a nice flow of bubbles from the aeration stone, I keep it bubbling for 60 seconds, then cut it off. After I rinse the stone I turn it back on again for a few seconds to make sure there is nothing in the pores of the stone. I don’t remember how long I’ve been using my current tank, but i think it’s more than 10. It seems like I’ve been wondering if this is the last batch for 10 batches. I think I may be over 20 now.
I haven’t used my oxygen kit the past half dozen batches. I’ve been pouring through a strainer into a bucket, then pouring from the bucket into my fermentor. That plus a healthy starter has been fine. To be honest the knob on the valve was always a pia for me (it slips, without opening).
The hardest part of it for me was trying to git the gizmo screwed onto the gizmo… I fought alot with it… Sneezles61
1 Like
Same here…that’s why I donated my oxygenation kit to a buddy.
1 Like
After reading this topic I was thinking that I should try O2. I don’t seem to have a fermentation problem so I won’t try to fix it with another problem.
Yeah, I gave mine away, too. I found it didn’t do any more than using a MixStir, which is far less expensive.
2 Likes
Half the time i forget my drill in the garage…so the strainer has to do.
OK, whats a mix stir? Sneezles61
It’s an attachment you use to mix paint with. Their good tools for whirlpooling. Stick the end in your drill and it mixes paint and mortar for grout… stuff like that
