airlock sucked dry - help

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JLem

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My basement was warmer than I had hoped - with the furnace kicking on regularly now, it was reaching 65-68 oF. So I moved my cyser into the garage to bulk age - it's somewhere in the 40s. However, it is not a consistent temp - warming up slightly in the day and cooling off some at night. The end result being that the vodka in my airlock keeps getting sucked into the cyser. I've refilled the airlock a couple of times already, but I don't want to have too much vodka added to the cyser and I'm concerned about the air getting in when the airlock is not filled.

Any suggestions? Fermentation is complete, so I could bottle it, but it is not yet clear and I had hoped to bulk age for a few months. Should I move it back into the basement? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Why not put a solid bung on it? No airlock is needed at this point, so you could easily just put on the solid bung and not worry about temperature changes.
 
Why not put a solid bung on it? No airlock is needed at this point, so you could easily just put on the solid bung and not worry about temperature changes.

Ah yes - I meant to include that in my list of options/questions. I had assumed this could be done, but wasn't entirely sure. Is this standard practice post-fermentation?
 
Well, yes and no. I mean I could switch over, but as long as evaporation isn't an issue, I just as often use an airlock as not for bulk aging. No reason, really, I guess it's just out of habit. Once I stop racking and start aging, I just don't bother changing the bungs.

I did use those "carboy caps" a few times without an airlock. Apparently one of them didn't fit tightly enough around the mouth of the carboy and I got a batch of oxidized wine. So now I just use the bungs, and usually just keep the airlock on. But if I was moving it to the basement to cold crash, I'd definitely pull off the airlock/bung and replace with a sanitized solid bung.
 
If the aim is bulk ageing now, then make sure it's de-gassed and then just use a solid bung.

You'll naturally get a little pressure variation inside but not enough to worry about.

All my meads and fruit wines are done like that - and they're in glass, and I've never had any problems with them or swings in temp (or internal pressure) that have been or caused an issue.......
 
then you must be overfilling. three piece airlocks have a fill line to where it will not suck back in.

Are you sure about this? I'm pretty sure the design is such that lowering the pressure inside the carboy (e.g. from decreasing temperature of the headspace) will still suck the liquid in.
 
A three piece airlock is completely dry? Sounds more like it has a crack in the stem.
 
A three piece airlock is completely dry? Sounds more like it has a crack in the stem.

No - not completely dry - just less filled than it was before (was above the line, now is below the line - until I refilled it)
 
Ah, okay. I never fret if there is a little evaporation. It happens.
 
Are you sure about this? I'm pretty sure the design is such that lowering the pressure inside the carboy (e.g. from decreasing temperature of the headspace) will still suck the liquid in.

Im sure. that's why three piece airlocks have the 4 slits on the little piece that floats. it'll get close to sucking dry then will suck air back in instead.
 
Im sure. that's why three piece airlocks have the 4 slits on the little piece that floats. it'll get close to sucking dry then will suck air back in instead.

either way, my concern is the same. I don't have a solid bung, but will cover the opening with sanitized tin foil
 
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