Ticking bomb?

backstory: first all grain batch. dark belgian strong. mashed too high. pre boil sg was low. added dme to compensate. pre pitch sg was too high 1.09. double pitched belgian strong ale yeast. pictures are 24 hours after pitching. offgassing is very vigorous. i didn't have any hose that fit over the airlock, but my bottling wand fits in that so i have the hose attached to the wand, and into the airlock. the lid is still bowed and i'm praying this sucker doesn't go off. there is about 5.5 to 5.75 gallons in a 6.5 gallon bucket.

is the airlock allowing gas to escape (is there bubbling going on in whatever you have the other end in)? If the airlock is clogged I'd recomend getting it out of the cover asap to allow the pressure to escape. I'm assuming the cover was not bowed like that when you put it on the bucket.

Just be ready for some krausen to blow out when you pull the airlock...I've suffered a yeast facial before when doing this.

I hope you removed the check valve assembly from that bottling wand!

akimbo78 said:

pre boil sg was low. added dme to compensate. pre pitch sg was too high 1.09.

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Why did u add dme to the proboil volume? That is probably the reason your post boil reading was too high.

Sarrsipius said:

is the airlock allowing gas to escape (is there bubbling going on in whatever you have the other end in)? If the airlock is clogged I'd recomend getting it out of the cover asap to allow the pressure to escape. I'm assuming the cover was not bowed like that when you put it on the bucket.

Just be ready for some krausen to blow out when you pull the airlock...I've suffered a yeast facial before when doing this.

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i have the hose sitting in a half gallon of star san solution, its bubbling like crazy. i changed the airlock once to make sure the bottom was not pluggeg with krausen. i am surprised there is no krausen coming out at this point, just gas. these buckets seem to be pretty airtight.

BigB said:

I hope you removed the check valve assembly from that bottling wand!

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just the tube.

Mpavlik22 said:

Why did u add dme to the proboil volume? That is probably the reason your post boil reading was too high.

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added the dme with 15 minutes left in the boil. i am guessing my pre-boil gravity measurement was wrong, and i just added more fermentables to the mix causing the post boil gravity to be above the target. when i did the backwards math it calculates to 1.035 preboil, instead of the measured 1.024. i wasn't going to get into all of that since my concern now is the lid blowing off. the target preboil was 1.046. i need a refractometer.

akimbo78 said:

i have the hose sitting in a half gallon of star san solution, its bubbling like crazy. i changed the airlock once to make sure the bottom was not pluggeg with krausen. i am surprised there is no krausen coming out at this point, just gas. these buckets seem to be pretty airtight.

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Even if the bucket is airtight and the off-gasing is crazy there should still be normal air-flow and no bowing. There might be a slight clog somewhere that may just get worse and worse followed by "boom"

Why not just stick the 3/8" hose you have attached to the bottling wand into the grommet in the lid? Instant blow-off tube.

Reno_eNVy said:

Even if the bucket is airtight and the off-gasing is crazy there should still be normal air-flow and no bowing. There might be a slight clog somewhere that may just get worse and worse followed by "boom"

Why not just stick the 3/8" hose you have attached to the bottling wand into the grommet in the lid? Instant blow-off tube.

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thats why i'm posting. i was hoping to see some krausen in the blowoff. almost like its not offgassing fast enough. the reason for the setup is that i have 4 airlocks and only one length of tube. for the cost its silly not to have more and i will get some more, but this was a last minute decision. i can change the airlocks out quickly if they become clogged and they clean a lot easier than the tube.

just pop the lid and let the thing sit on there loosely...as long as it has krausen on top it will be fine.

Sarrsipius said:

Just be ready for some krausen to blow out when you pull the airlock...I've suffered a yeast facial before when doing this.

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I do believe that is called "Brewkakke"

Hockeyhunter99 said:

I do believe that is called "Brewkakke"

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Now that's funny!

Sarrsipius said:

Now that's funny!

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Or sad.... That you (and apperently I) new what he was going for....

What do you guys usually use for a blowoff on a bucket?

I had my first "overflow" in my bucket today... But it just pushed the vodka out and bubbled onto the lid... I rinsed and replaced it and refilled with vodka...

I usually use a drilled stopper and a 3/8" hose.

i can't stop thinking that i'm going to have a mess when i return home...

crazyseany said:

Or sad.... That you (and apperently I) new what he was going for....

What do you guys usually use for a blowoff on a bucket?

I had my first "overflow" in my bucket today... But it just pushed the vodka out and bubbled onto the lid... I rinsed and replaced it and refilled with vodka...

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I knew what he was talking about too......

maybe Brukakke should be the name. my friends wouldn't touch it with a name like that!

akimbo78 said:

maybe Brukakke should be the name. my friends wouldn't touch it with a name like that!

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Or you might learn something about your friends you didn't know already!

The lhbs sells a large diameter hose for a blowoff for a carboy.... No stopper just a tube that fills up the neck.... That way if something gets stuck in the little hole it doesn't blow the stopper out of the carboy....

Is there something to use in a bucket? the little hole is probably too small....