Whipping Siphon

sheryllanders5

Why do you clear it with a charger first?  

Every time I use the siphon it leaks from the nozzle.  Sometimes it's right when I charge it, sometimes later.  What am I doing wrong?  Is it because I didn't realize I was supposed to clear it first?  Thanks!

julian.lo

You clear the siphon with a charger to replace as much of the air in the siphon with whatever gas is contained in your chargers. This is important in things like carbonating fruit, for example, because the amount of the CO2 that dissolves in the fruit is proportional to the pressure of the CO2 in the whipping siphon (Henry's Law). Having air present in the whipping siphon reduces the partial pressure of the CO2 (Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures) in the siphon and thus results in fruit that's less fizzy than that prepared with a siphon that is cleared with a CO2 charger.

As for the leaking, is there something caught between the rubber O ring and the underside of your siphon's lid at the base of your nozzle?