BB Instructions

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.


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.

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.

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.

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.