Primary is too full......help

Well I finally did it, added yeast about 10 this morning, the airlock is singing good, but begining to fill with wort.....LOL whats the best was to handle this without contaminating the batch, I pulled the airlock, cleaned it, and lifted it a bit, what is the best thing to do if it begins to do it again?

You are going to have to put in a blow off tube. If the airlock clogs and it can't vent, you could end up mopping the ceiling.

smorris said:

You are going to have to put in a blow off tube. If the airlock clogs and it can't vent, you could end up mopping the ceiling.

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I got lucky this time........I caught it just as it was happening I guess it was just barely at the top. I was able to remove the airlock and raise it through the stopper a little bit, then I put it in a little cooler place......I knew it was a little to full, but I did'nt want to waist the brew....Thanks for the info I never thought about putting in a blow off tube.

If the fermentor is overfilled, you'll waste brew when it blows off in any event...

Usually this isn't a problem other than making a mess. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't clog up. When you rinse the airlock, sanitize it afterwards.

Janx

I have had that happen before, now I use blowoff tubes on my primary's......

What I did do is cut a hole on the top of the of the airlock cap so that it will ooze out and not clog, just make sure the hole is not big enough for the lock to come out, you need to keep the seal with liquid. At least with the hole in it the blowoff will just run down the fermenter instead of the walls and ceiling.

Good luck........

Ok, wait a minute. I removed the airlock cap for my fermentation. Just seemed to make sense; where is the air gonna go if it's on? Is it supposed to stay on???

RWN, sounds like you need to dispose of that batch. Send it to me and I'll take care of it for you.

You just don't want the lock inside the chamber to float away or get hung up on crusted beer letting air in.

I had a batch sit for days exposed to the air and it still tasted good.......

Okay, seriously, now. Here's a picture of an airlock (well, duh!). So you're telling me the piece on the far left...the cap...stays on during fermentation? Wouldn't the whole thing blow off once the gasses built up???

I just saw pictures of some guys fermentation...he had the cap on...but I still don't get it.

Well, I was going to look at the attachment and then

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I guess I've been bad.....

At any rate, I have the cap closed on the airlock with a 1/32 hole drilled in it for venting. The airlock itself is filled with some leftover iodophor solution. I figured that if I left the cap unlatched 2 things would happen. The center could float high enough to not stay submerged at the base and the cats would be playing floor hockey with the top.

rightwingnut said:

I just saw pictures of some guys fermentation...he had the cap on...but I still don't get it.

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The caps are made to vent. Oh wait I use the cheap ones.....The ones with the red cap????? It is made to vent, filler up and blow through the bottom you will see, but I never uses the one in the pic, so mabe I better keep my mouth shut......LOL

rightwingnut said:

Okay, seriously, now. Here's a picture of an airlock (well, duh!). So you're telling me the piece on the far left...the cap...stays on during fermentation? Wouldn't the whole thing blow off once the gasses built up???

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I have the same style of airlock as your picture shows. The cap has small holes that allow it to vent. The cap should stay on.

torpshootr said:

I have the same style of airlock as your picture shows. The cap has small holes that allow it to vent. The cap should stay on.

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I agree they are made to vent unless you have a factory defect......Then in that case ya it would probably make a big mess......LOL

Yeah, I'm an idiot...took a look at the cap...small holes...oh, well, no harm done, I think. (I hope). I tasted the brew while bottling it...tasted very good, but maybe a bit too sweet...we'll see.

rightwingnut said:

Yeah, I'm an idiot...took a look at the cap...small holes...oh, well, no harm done, I think. (I hope). I tasted the brew while bottling it...tasted very good, but maybe a bit too sweet...we'll see.

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Ya I dont know why you would need the lid anyway, you have water or some sort of liquid in the airlock any way, although I made a starter for a batch the other day, I think I put vodka in the airlock, It was venting so fast that the liquid blew out or evaporated or something, long as the beer is good who cares.......well time for a cold one.....

You want the air to roll around the bottom edge of the lock through the water so it bubbles around the lock, the cap keeps its submerged...... otherwise it would just float there...

most problems with contaminatin are before fermenting and after fermenting, durring it the yeast kills most of the problems........

Brewman said:

most problems with contaminatin are before fermenting and after fermenting, durring it the yeast kills most of the problems........

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Totally. That's why a big, vigorous yeast starter will solve a lot of infection problems before they ever happen. The yeast simply outcompetes everything else.

Janx