Airlock fills up with liquid & foam

kingoslo · 02-23-2009, 08:45 PM

Hello, my latest brew has just started fermenting strongly. The bucket is so full that the foam starts coming through the airlock.

The pressure inside seems to build up so strongly that almost no co2 can excape because of the semi-blockage/resistance caused by the foam.

I want to ask, is this really a problem? It looks dramatic, but I cannot see how infections can get inside.

Can my lid pop off because the co2 fail to escape through the airlock?

What do you advice? Thank you.

Oh yeah, the airlock was heavily sterlized before I filled it up with my vodka. I reckon that even when the foam starts to set, the contents of the airlock will still be sterile.

**ChshreCat** · 02-23-2009, 08:53 PM

Looks like you might need a blowoff tube for a day or two. Do a search for "blowoff tube" and you'll find lots of handy information on it.

kingoslo · 02-23-2009, 08:56 PM

Hey man,

There is no time, I got no tube, and I am going on a flight tomorrow morning for about a week.

Tell me what you think. Can my brew be left like this?

Marius

**springer** · 02-23-2009, 09:03 PM

First off it looks like your fermenter is too small How many gallons is it?

2nd yes the whole airlock can shoot off and you will have an eruption. You don't have any tubing around like from a racking cane? If not I would take the airlock out and place some Saran wrap over the top loosely so that and CO2 will be able to vent. most likely will come home to a mess so put it in the tub or shower stall.

TrojanMan · 02-23-2009, 09:08 PM

You don't even really need an airlock as long as you have something covering the beer from stray airborne bits. A sheet of aluminum foil works. CO2 is heavier than air and so, left alone, the beer will blanket itself.

Depending upon how much room you have in that bucket, you can open it up and, with a sanitized pot or scoop, pull off the krausen and throw it away. Clean your airlock and replace. It'll buy you time before the foam reaches the airlock again and by that time, the initial fermentation may have dropped down a bit.

Yes, you can just leave it as-is without any real harm. Some people say remove the krausen (usually via blowoff) and some people say to leave it in. I generally let mine blow off into a jug but that's just me.

Do whatever makes you the most comfortable. If that's scooping out the krausen and cleaning the airlock, then do that. If it's nothing, then do that.

kingoslo · 02-23-2009, 09:14 PM

Thank you!

I just found a tube. It will go from my 5 gal primary into a jar of water. Is that right?

Thanks.

Marius

**springer** · 02-23-2009, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingoslo

Thank you!

I just found a tube. It will go from my 5 gal primary into a jar of water. Is that right?

Thanks.

Marius

yup that's all you need do I add a little sanitizer to the water. you might want to look into getting a bigger primary 5 gallons is not ideal for 5 gallon brews.

EoinMag · 02-23-2009, 09:39 PM

Another option is to stand the bucket inside a black plastic bag or a dish of some sort and just snap the lid off in one place, there's no need for those lids to be snapped tight all aound at the start of the primary, some would argue at all.

**Austinhomebrew** · 02-23-2009, 09:42 PM

Your primary fermenter is too small. If you use a small fermenter and a blow off tube you can lose at least 1/2 gallon of beer. Find a 7-8 gallon container.

Forrest