Little bottler sediment trap.

JohnB

I've just bought a Little Bottler which has a sediment trap. Nowhere can I see whether the inlet aperture to the trap should face up or down. Any advice please?

Also there's no mention of using vaseline on the threads when fitting the bottler. Would this be a good or bad idea?

Thanks in advance,

John

HBO_Staff

Because the little bottler is fitted to a fermenting barrel there is no real pressure, so whilst it needs to be secured tightly to stop it dripping, Vaseline is not usually needed, just give it a good tighten. It is more critical in pressure barrels as the pressure will force the brew or air out of weak points such as junctions and rubber seals if not fully tight. The manufacturers don't specify a direction for the red part, but we usually put it facing to the side or up. This way the liquid drawn through the little bottler is away from the sediment at the bottom of the vessel. If the red part faces upwards, you will find the very first bit of brew drawn through the bottler will have a little sediment in it, so just draw a little bit off and discard or your first bottle will be cloudy

JohnB

With no definitive 'best' position I will go with aperture upwards. This should minimise fluid movement close to the sediment and lead to clearer bottlings.

I do wonder though why manufacturers' instruction are so poor. With a little clarity from them I wouldn't have needed to query pressure barrel taps or little bottlers.

Thanks again to the HBO mods for such a fast and comprehensive reply. Much appreciated.

HBO_Staff

We have them facing up as it is furthest away from the sediment, it would be good to know what the manufacturers recommend though we agree. Just remember to run a tiny bit off first as that has a small collection of sediment in it, but will then run clear. And thanks for answering the question on the tap facing the wrong way on the forum, that will have helped solve the problem with the swivelling tap pointing skywards