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airlock

H

hunter

another new brewer question,is end of airlock supposed to be above the wort or submerged into it.stupid question but i had to ask.
 
WELL ABOVE!! The airlock allows the gasses to exit the fermenter and the liquid (sanitizer, water, vodka, etc.) keeps unwanted things such as O2 (air), bugs, etc. out.

If left below the wort, the buildup of CO2 would force the liquid out through the airlock and all over your storage area.  If the airlock is plugged with materials in the wort, it might blow off the stopper, lid or other closure.  At the worst the vessel might break if there is no other pressure relieving method.  

I've had several airlocks block.  I now use a blow off tube.   :)
 
thanks man,what happened was when i filled the bucket up,i couldn't get the 23 litres in there the bucket held 22.7 litres.i left a couple of inches at the top but i'm worried it's not enough because i can see a little bit of foam in the airlock stem.wandering if i should take some of the wort out or put in differen't airlock with a shorter stem.
 
i think you want to fill your bucket with 19 litters.

that way you will have room when the yeast rises.

the way you are doing it now i would use a large blowoff tube or get a bigger fermenter say around 24.5 litters.

even then i would use a blow off tube for the first several days.

have a good one
 
well i guess i need some more advice :-/.when the yeast started to rise i noticed bubbles coming from around the airlock stem where it go's into the lid,and a little bit of foam coming out from under the lid.so i changed lids,one with a bung hole. know there's not as much foam coming out of the airlock,but the airlock is bubbling really well but there's still foam coming out from under the lid,it seems to be fermenting well,also there still is foam coming out of top of airlock.is that normal.
 
Sounds like you are having a good fermentation!   ;D

Check the stem of the airlock to assure there is nothing blocking the inlet.  If the stem has that "little X shaped screen", I usually remove a little of the stem to reduce restriction.

The possibility of a restriction might be the reason for the leaks at the lid, hence a build up of pressure.

For the practical solutions...consult a brewing book OR check the internet for "blow off tube".

By the time you get this your fermentation will probably have slowed or you have a mess.

Remember sanitation!  Clean the outside of the container before opening it and keep any dripping from entering the wort.
 
well after a volcano of a fermentation last night,everything is calm this morning.nothing coming out from around lid and no bubbles coming out of airlock.wort has been in the bucket for about 32 hours and fermenting started after about 12 hours.man,that was alot different than brewing in my"beer machine".wether or not my first batch turns out, it has defenetly been a learning experience so far.
 
If, when you say foam coming out from under the lid, do you mean the little cap on the airlock or the lid on the bucket?  If lid on the bucket, then the lid is not on tight.  The ONLY location where ANYTHING, foam, liquid, or gas, should come out of the system is the top of the airlock!
 
under the lid itself,there was to much wort  in the bucket
the first lid was f*^%#d.so i cleaned another one and through it on there,it didn't hace a rubber seal under the lid.but knoe that fermentation has pretty much stopped the lid feels like it's on tight.it was quite a fiasco at the time though.these things happen when you don't have your sh%t together.it was a pretty strong fermentaton,i didn't know it was like that.
 
you need a bigger fermenter for the amount of beer that you are making (or use a big bore blow off tube)

have a good one.
 
If, when you say foam coming out from under the lid, do you mean the little cap on the airlock or the lid on the bucket?  If lid on the bucket, then the lid is not on tight.  The ONLY location where ANYTHING, foam, liquid, or gas, should come out of the system is the top of the airlock!

That's not comepletely true... what about open fermentors? The only thing you really need to worry about is stuff getting INTO your fermenting beer. A fellow brewer friend of mine ferments in open fermentors (makes a lot of REALLY good lagers this way) you should have a layer of co2 gas on top of your beer and as long as nothing is "blowing" that away it should be ok(he covers his with a piece of stainless steel). We tend to rely to much on "the airlock bubbling" thing and realize most little German brewhauses I saw when I lived there were open fermentors.

The lid being on "air tight" is not really a must have, just as long as nothing is getting into it... if you are fermenting in a freezer/fridge or something similar, then the chances are even less that anything is getting into it.

Watch your sanitation, and you sould be ok
 
thank's for the advice guy's,appreciate it.erverything seemed to have turned out alright,after fermenting stopped the sucked back on th bucket really well so everything turned out pretty good.it's been ten days know i've already put the beer into a sacondary it's clearing really well so i'm happy.thanks again for the tips.but i'm still getting a bigger bucket.
 
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