In chemistry there exists a conical base funnel for separating heavier fractions. What i would like if anyone knows of one is a large version of this 1 gallon or larger. Reason is that when siphoning i often stir up a lot of sediment (shaky hands) i have to waste approx 20 % of my brew to avoid this.
I am reliably informed by a chemist that this is a better way when dealing with fractions with little density difference.
A separatory funnel really isn't practical for brewing. You can get very large ones 1g or more, however they work on the same principles that happens in your fermentor. The solution still has to settle.
Conical fermentors have this feature of being able to remove the heavy liquid (trub) before the lighter liquid (beer). From the base or have a racking arm that can be positioned just above the trub to get the beer out first.
If using spidels, carboys or buckets as fermentors. We apply a couple tricks to remove the beer first while leaving the trub undisturbed. Carboys are nice because you can see everything making it easy to have you racking cane above the trub. But all of them benifiet from a long clear hose on the racking device that can be pinched off when you see trub. Slowly tipping the fermentor towards the siphon pick up helps get that last bit of beer without any trub.
Perhaps a conical fermenter is what you need. There are some on ebay, but you should check with your local brew store. Although, I have never used one, they seem very well made if you are willing to pay. Most have a sediment collector at the bottom with a valve that you can open/close.
See some examples here: ebay conical fermenter
I particularly like the Fermentasaurus
I agree with the other answers, but though I should give you a few extra links so here we go.
Yes, you can purchase such large separating funnels off ebay. But, there are larger fermenters that follow the same principle.
SS brewtech also make a really nice range of conical fermenters.
If shaky hands are your problem, you might want to try a racking cane clip and possibly a racking cane tip. They'll cost a lot less than a conical fermentor.
