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Racking Adapter
Racking Adapter Description – The
Better-Bottle Racking Adapter couples the High-Flow
valve to any ported Better-Bottle carboy, and the
combination makes professional racking and bottling
quick and easy.Operation – The Racking Adapter
uses a Teflon-encapsulated Viton O-ring to make an
hydrophobic seal against the inside wall of a
Better-Bottle carboy, eliminating crevices that
could trap contamination. This very special O-ring
also makes it possible to rotate the body of the
Racking Adapter easily, without lubrication. Racking
simply requires rotating the Adapter so the tip of
its intake stem is just above the sediment layer,
opening the High-Flow valve, and letting gravity go
to work – there is no need for siphons or pumps. The
external pointer makes it possible to adjust the
position of the stem even if the stem cannot be seen
through a dark wine or beer.
The Racking Adapter is especially popular with
winemakers and brewers who ferment on shelves,
because carboys can be racked without having to move
them to a surface with head room for racking canes.
Installation – Better-Bottle
Racking Adapters have been designed so they are very
easy to install and service. Be certain all of the
component parts are installed in the correct order.
Racking Adapter
(Sequence of Components)
Installation in 5 and 6 Gallon Carboys
– A 50 cm (20") length of 1/4" diameter rod
or 44 cm (18") 3/8" inside diameter (clearance) tube
is needed to install Racking Adapters in 5 or 6
gallon Better-Bottle carboys. The following items
will serve the purpose nicely and can be purchased
from your Better-Bottle dealer or most hardware
stores for about $2: A Better-Bottle installation
tube; Nominal 3/8" Schd. 40 PVC pipe (0.675" OD x
~0.473" ID); Quarter inch steel (plated or
stainless) rod; or 1/4"-20 steel (plated or
stainless) running thread.
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With
the Teflon-encapsulated O-ring in place, use a
tube or rod to slide the Racking Adapter body
into the neck of a carboy.
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Guide the
threaded portion of the Racking Adapter body
into the hole in the side of the carboy.
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Hold the
Racking Adapter body in place with the rod or
tube and install the three Teflon slip washers;
the pointer (if desired), frosted side away from
the carboy; the locking O-ring; and the nut in
that order.
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Finger
tighten the nut, using just enough force so the
Racking Adapter makes a good seal, but can be
comfortably rotated by hand. Observe the
position of the pointer with respect to the stem
of the Racking Adapter. Loosen the nut and
reposition the pointer, so it will line up with
the stem when the nut is re-tightened.
Re-tighten the nut.
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Slide out
the tube or rod and double check that the Outlet
assembly rotates smoothly, but with enough
resistance to indicate a good seal. Adjust the
tightness of the nut as required.
Installation in 3 Gallon Carboys – A rod or
tube is not needed to install an Racking Adapter in
a 3 gallon Better-Bottle bottle, because the stem of
the outlet will contact the bottom of the carboy and
prevent the Adapter from rotating continuously in
one direction. Drop the body of the Racking Adapter,
with the Teflon-encapsulated O-ring in place, into
the bottle and guide the threaded part of the body
through the hole in the side of the bottle with a
stiff piece of wire or something like a small
screwdriver inserted through the hole from outside
the bottle. Once the thread pokes through the hole,
pull it all the way into the hole and install the
three Teflon slip washers; the pointer (if desired),
frosted side away from the carboy; the locking
O-ring; and the nut in that order. Finger tighten
the nut, using just enough force so the Racking
Adapter makes a good seal, but can be comfortably
rotated by hand. Observe the position of the pointer
with respect to the stem of the Racking Adapter.
Loosen the nut and reposition the pointer, so it
will line up with the stem when the nut is
re-tightened. Re-tighten the nut.
Cleaning/Sanitizing – The special
PET from which Better-Bottle Racking Adapters are
made is non-porous and hydrophobic, making it
extremely easy to clean and sanitize. It is rarely
necessary to remove a Racking Adapter from a carboy
for cleaning and sanitizing, because there are no
crevices to trap contamination. Running hot water
backwards through an attached High-Flow valve is an
excellent way to rinse out the valve, the Adapter,
and the carboy. When soaking the interior of a
carboy in a detergent solution or rinsing with a
sanitizing solution, be certain to open the
High-Flow valve long enough to ensure that some of
the solution enters the Racking Adapter and valve.
Always rinse Adapters and valves thoroughly in clean
water before storing them. Better-Bottle is not
aware of any detergents and sanitizers, used in home
winemaking and beer brewing, that damage
Better-Bottle carboys and fittings when used
according to their manufacturer's instructions.
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