Air Locks

Just wondering about people opinion of air locks.

The type I have is basically a stopper with a plastic tube and then an upside down cup over the tube and completely surround by a cylinder.

Does this type work well, or should I purchase a different type.

Thanks,

You mean similar to this one:


That's what I use. Works fine!

They work great! For a really active fermentation (all my hefe's) use a blow off tube.

I use a blowoff on my primary for every batch now. It's easy, and I figure it's cheap insurance against a huge mess.

The type you're using is fine....I don't know of any supposedly better ones out there. That's pretty much the standard.

I've seen two basic types, the 3 piece like you mentioned, and then the "S" tube. Personally, I think the 3 piece works better plus it's much easier to clean when it's all said and done.

Speaking of using a blowoff tube for the primary - one time i had a blowoff tube connected to one of those orange carboy caps, and i guess some of the hop gunk clogged the tube a bit, and the pressure blew the cap off (which hit the *ceiling*) and still got stuff everywhere! For that fermentation, we just used Danstar Nottingham yeast pitched directly (no starter). Sometimes the yeast feel extra energized or something!