Lid won't fit on plastic fermentor from kit

Hey all,

So I took the plunge and bought a homebrew kit from my local store and...the lid with the kit won't fit snugly on the plastic fermenter. After measuring the lid with a tape, it appears to be very slightly smaller than the fermenter.

Any suggestions on how to seal this once I'm ready to ferment? Can I wrap it with tape or foil or something? Or do I need to go complain to my homebrew store?

Personally, I'd take it back and get a proper lid. Tinfoil will work as long as you don't have insects, but since it's still brand new you might as well get your money's worth.

Wow, that was quick. Thanks.

Last time I was at the HBS, they had several kinds of lids...you probably got the wrong one...
Some take ALOT of force to seal...If a hardware store is closer, you can probably get the right one for $3...
Lids w/o o rings won't work on buckets that take an o ring lid...and visa versa...

I agree with LazyLlama you might as well get what you paid for. Or if the lid remains a pain in the neck, you could go the Quebecois route.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/primary-bucket-quebec-style-100428/?highlight=fermentor+quebec

This sounds silly, but are you sure it won't fit? My lids are super, super tight, and take quite a bit of pushing to get them on. Once they are on, they take some finger strength to pull them off. The first time I brewed, I didn't think my lid fit. But I kind of did a "tupperware" seal, pushing it on around the outside, and it snapped right on. I thought to myself, "Aha!" Maybe yours is the same way?

Yea mine was they same way as Yoopers, I spent like 10 minutes thinking that I had the wrong lid and out of frustration I slammed a lot of my weight on it when I was trying to put it on and what do you know it snapped right on. Can be a pain to get off as well because of the tight fit.

Thanks - I'll give that a try. I've put a lot of weight down on it, but maybe it's not enough?

And...there we go. All that aggravation and a very simple solution. Thanks, ya'll!

kyleobie said:

And...there we go. All that aggravation and a very simple solution. Thanks, ya'll!

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You're very welcome. It's better to learn from our experience, rather than going back to the store and complaining and have them tell you that you're crazy- it does fit! And then show you how.

Now, I hope you have extraordinary finger strength to get it off!!!




Actually, one of those "paint can openers" opens them easily, but I just go to one side and "peel" up one spot and then pull it all the way open.

Haha...thanks for the advice. Now, anybody have any suggestions how to get the damn thing off? I wanted to check if any krauzen had formed...and holy crap is that sucker on tight.

Now that it's on there, just leave it alone!!! Your beer will repay you later!

Yeah I wouldn't open it up quite yet. However since you have time before you should check on it, you can always order an Ale Pail opener. I believe most of the online homebrew stores carry them. Or just lift some weights over the next 2 weeks.

kyleobie said:

Haha...thanks for the advice. Now, anybody have any suggestions how to get the damn thing off? I wanted to check if any krauzen had formed...and holy crap is that sucker on tight.

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As the others said, leave it alone for now. But, I can give you some hints on how to open it. Take out the airlock, and put your knee right in the middle of the lid, putting on a little pressure. Then, lift up with the fingers of both hands in one spot, "peeling" it up in one small spot. Once it moves a little, get your knee off and gently pull it the rest of the way up.

If you try this with the airlock still in, all of the airlock water will get sucked into the bucket. Trust me on that.

Now, I'm a middle-aged 135 pound woman. If I can open an ale pail, you better be able to do it!

If you want to check for Krausen, wait till it is dark then shine a good flashlight onto the lid of the bucket. Just press the flashlight all the way onto the lid, and you will see the layers of your beer. Depending on the style the krausen will definitely be some different color than the main liquid.

If you shine the flashlight on the side, you can get an idea of how it is doing too. Experiment and find your favorite perspective.

Hi Kyle,

One thing about these plastic fermenter lids. They sometimes have little notches cut around the perimeter of the lid. They're actually molded in, with a little extra bit the consumer is expected to cut with a utility knife or snips. If your lid has these "cuts", just snip a few of them at evenly spaced intervals. The lid will become dramatically easier to place and to remove.

My plastic fermenter lid was next to impossible to get in place until I did this step.

Tom

Next time just lay the lid on top. Nothing will get in, and it's super easy to get off.

PseudoChef said:

Next time just lay the lid on top. Nothing will get in, and it's super easy to get off.

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Oh, sure, now you bring that up! Where were you five years ago, when I was learning this stuff? (Oh, yeah- grade school!)

Of course, pseudochef is right. Probably the smartest and easiest way!

Alright, I'll leave it alone for now. I'm worried it's not fermenting - but this seems to be a common concern among us newbies. Oh, the agony of waiting.

THe lid was designed to be noobie proof. Only veteran brewers can take it off