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Too much foam during fermenting, what to do?

Dave Mac

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Hello everyone,
Although I'm sure this has been touched on in the past, I would still like to get an opinion. I am on my second batch and this time around there was so much foam coming through the air lock that the airlock was actually blown off of the carboy. Two questions: What to do in this situation? and, Is there going to be any problem with the end result? Thanks for helping me out.
 
When this happens, sanitize it and put it back on. As long as the ferementer is in a place pretty free from dust and breezes it should be OK.  You just have to worry about stuff falling into it.

Many of us use a blow-off tube into a bottle of sanitized water.  It is very common for the stuff to get pushed though the airlock.  In the picture below I have my carboy in a small dorm fridge.  You can see the blow-off tube which is just a tube connected to the airlock (I trimmed the bottom to have a bigger opening so it does not clog) into a bottle of sanitized water.  You will also see a small water bottle.  This is where I put the probe for the temperature controller (keeps the temp from changing too rapidly and more stable temp control).  

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/y0MVw-u0WS4XA9nPw-VJLA?feat=directlink

 
Yes always use a blow off tube just shove it in your stopper or O ring and then put the other end in a bucket of sanitized water .... you should be fine after three or four days
I normally just leave the blow off tube in
 
While messy, no worries if replaced soon enough.  So much CO2 is escaping that nothing bad gets in.
 

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omg yes i have a video of some brew i did on Fb go look up Eric Baumann and look at the vid .. its sad and beautiful lmao
 
yeah, I agree with the blow tube, I think that is definitely your best bet.  I don't think it will hurt anything unless the brew got contaminated after it blew the top off, but you are most likely fine!


"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin  http://homebrewbros.blogspot.com
 
Wow, all of the above suggestions will work! But I wonder what the root cause is  ???  Here are a few thing to look at;
Carboy or Bucket size. It should have 20% to 30% head room above the fill for the primary. A 6 1/2 gal for a 5 gal batch.
Primary fill. If you have the right size, could you be overfilling? Like putting 6 gal in a 6 1/2 gal.
Temperature - if the fermentation is taking place at a higher temp, the fermentation will be much more active. It also hurts the taste.
O.G. -Very high starting gravity brews + 1.060 will  have a more active fermentation and will need headroom or a blow off
Good Luck!

Preston
 
I am surprised that no one mentioned Fermcap-S Foam Inhibitor. It was designed to limit boil overs but when used, the crousin is not as thick. It doesn't affect the final brew at all.
 
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