| Introduction |
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The Better-Bottle
High-Flow Valve, Racking Adapter and Pail Adapter make up the first
valve system that addresses the specialized needs of home
winemakers and home brewers. Now, it is possible to rack and bottle
professionally without siphons or pumps. The components are made of
durable, nonporous, hydrophobic PET that does not impart, or carry
over, flavors and is easily cleaned and sanitized. The components
can withstand continuous service at 100° C (212° F) and can be
washed in a dishwasher.<
Additional Information –
Use the popup menu associated with the Valve/Adapters tab at the left
side for random access to all the specific information relating to
the Better-Bottle High-Flow valve, Racking Adapter, and Pail
Adapter. Scrolling down this page will access the same information
in sequential fashion. For materials specifications, please refer to
the Technical tab at the top of this page.
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| High-Flow™
Valve |
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Description – The Better-Bottle High-Flow valve can be used as an
in-line valve for hoses or as an outlet for pails and Better-Bottle
carboys. The valve is designed so it can be disassembled and
reassembled for cleaning or inspection without tools in a matter of
seconds, and its wide, simple flow path resists clogging. The valve
opens and closes in the blink of an eye, but it can also be set to
any position in between.
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Operation –
The High-Flow valve is opened fully by
pulling on the wire ring until the plunger stops, and it closed
fully by pushing down on the plunger until it stops. Rotating the
plunger with the wire ring as the plunger is pulled or pushed makes
fine adjustments of partial flows easier. The input side of the
valve is designed to push into 1/2" ID soft plastic tubing and to
mate in quick-disconnect fashion with the Better-Bottle Racking
Adapter and Pail Adapters. The output side is designed to make
connection with 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4" ID soft plastic tubing and
rigid or semi-rigid 3/8" OD tubing. A 3/8" OD bottle filling tube
will push into the output very nicely. Use
the Carboys tab to the left of this page to access Suggestions
for: Racking/Bottling for a detailed description about using the
High-Flow valve for bottling. |
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A) Soft 1/2" ID
tubing pushes over the output port. B) Better-Bottle offers a
semi-rigid Teflon adapter (b) that couples soft 3/8" ID tubing with
the output port. C) Semi-rigid 3/8" OD tubing mates directly
with the output port. D) Soft 1/4" ID X 3/8" OD tubing mates
directly with the output port if a short length of rigid or
semi-rigid tubing (d) is pressed into the ID of the soft
tubing.
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Service –
To disassemble the valve, rotate the wire
ring through the hole in the end of the plunger shaft so that it
unscrews out of the hole. Then, push the plunger out the end
of the valve body. To reassemble the valve, push the plunger into
the valve body and screw the wire ring through the hole in
the end of the plunger shaft. Start by inserting the end of the wire
that is curled into the ring through the hole first.
It should not be necessary to remove the
O-rings for cleaning and sanitation. If an O-ring requires
replacement for any reason, do not use sharp tools to remove it; pin
one side of the O-ring into its groove with a finger nail and use
the other hand to rub the rest of the O-ring so that it bulges up in
front of the pinch point and can be rolled out of the groove. Use
only Better-Bottle O-rings for replacement.
Cleaning/Sanitizing – The special PET from which Better-Bottle High-Flow
valves are made is non-porous and hydrophobic, making it extemely
easy to clean and sanitize. Simply soak and rinse them in
appropriate cleaning and sanitizing solutions with their plungers in
a half open position to expose all of the surfaces. Rarely, will it
be necessary to disassemble a valve for cleaning. Always rinse
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.
Use the Technical tab
at the top of this page for specific information about cleaning and
sanitizing.
Abrasive scouring pads and cleansers should
never be required, or used.
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| Racking
Adapter |
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 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. For more detailed information about the use of
the Racking Adapter refer to the Suggestions for:
Racking/Bottling. Click the image to
the right or use the Carboys tab to
the left of this page to access this information.
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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.
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Racking Adapter
(Sequence of
Components)
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Installation in 5 & 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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| 1. 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. |
2. Guide
the threaded portion of the Racking Adapter body into
the hole in the side of the carboy. |
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| 3. 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. |
4. 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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| 5. 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.
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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.
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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. Use the Technical tab
at the top of this page for specifics.
Abrasive scouring pads
and cleansers should never be required, or used.
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| Pail
Adapter |
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 Description –
The Better-Bottle Pail Adapter couples the
High-Flow valve to any plastic pail, and the combination makes
racking from a pail into a Better-Bottle carboy for secondary
fermentation clean and simple.
Operation – The
Pail Adapter uses a Viton O-ring to make a tight, static seal
against the inside wall of a pail, eliminating crevices that could
trap contamination. Racking simply requires opening the High-Flow
valve, and letting gravity go to work – there is no need for siphons
or pumps. Usually, the Pail Adapter is installed so that a level
pail will drain to just above the sediment layer. If some usable
liquid remains above the sediment layer, the pail can be tipped
slightly in order to recover the liquid. For more detailed
information about the use of the Pail Adapter refer to the
Suggestions for: Racking/Bottling.
Click the image to the right or use the Carboys tab to
the left of this page to access this
information.
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Installation
– Better-Bottle Pail 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.
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Pail Adapter
(Sequence of
Components)
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Most pails used for winemaking and brewing are
made of HDPE and it is easy to make a 3/4" (2 cm) hole in their
sides for a Better-Bottle Pail Adapter.
 1. A hole saw can
be used to make a hole; however, a knockout punch can be more
accurately positioned and will make a much cleaner hole. Refer to
the figure to the right and decide where to position the center of
the hole. The center must be at least 3/4" (2 cm) above the bottom
of the pail (RED), to give the wall of a pail room to flex and seal
with the Pail Adapter O-ring. The depth of liquid left in a pail
when it is level and drained through Pail Adapter and High-Flow
valve will be 1/8" (0.3 cm) below the center of the hole in the pail
(BLUE). If the center of the hole in the pail is 3/4" above the
bottom of the pail, the residual liquid will be 5/8" (1.6 cm) deep,
which is an excellent depth for most wine kits started in 30 liter
pails. If the center of the hole in the pail is 1" (2.5 cm) above
the bottom of the pail, the residual liquid will be 7/8" (2.2 cm)
deep. Make the measurement for the center of the hole from the
inside of a pail and press a sharp pointed tool through the wall to
locate the center from the outside, because the bottoms of pails
vary in thickness and the extent to which they are
recessed.
2. Insert the threaded portion of the Pail
Adapter body into the hole in the side of the pail.
3. Hold the body in place with one hand and
with the other install the Teflon slip washer, locking O-ring; and
the nut in that order.
4. Finger tighten the nut, using just enough
force so the Pail Adapter makes a good seal.
Cleaning/Sanitizing – The
special PET from which Better-Bottle Pail Adapters are made is
non-porous and hydrophobic, making it extremely easy to clean and
sanitize. It is rarely necessary to remove a Better-Bottle Pail
Adapter 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
and Adapter. When soaking a pail with 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
Pail 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. Use the Technical tab
at the top of this page for specifics.
Abrasive scouring pads
and cleansers should never be required, or used.
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| Part
Numbers |
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High-Flow™ Valve –
BB-VALVE(HF)
Racking Adapter –
Only supplied with Racking Better-Bottle Carboys
BB-ADAPT(RK)
Tool for installing Racking Adapter in 5
& 6 gallon Better-Bottle carboys – BB-ADAPT(RK)-IT
Replacement set of O-rings, Teflon slip
washers, and pointer for Racking Adapter –
BB-ADAPT(RK)-SERV
Pail Adapter –
BB-ADAPT(PL)
Replacement set of O-rings, and Teflon slip
washer for Pail Adapter – BB-ADAPT(PL)-SERV
Harmonized System Code – 3923.30.90.90 applies
to these parts
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