starter blow-off

man, has anyone ever needed a blow-off tube for a starter before

i almost needed one last night. i've never had one be that active. makes me feel pretty good about my brew day today......
it was wlpoo1 (cali ale), i cup extra light dme, and 1300 ml of water. same way i always make 'em........must be a sign from the brew gods

Even when I'm just hydrating, I keep the flask in the sink or in a bowl. I've had overflows without any starting food.

I don't make starters (don't throw anything )

But a related question - how long do you guys leave a blow-off tube on the primary? The whole way through?

I just put my belgian wit into secondary and added the blackcurrants and Hot damn is it goin @ it. There's a blow off tube with a purplish liquid seething at the base of it - really really cool looking

Also - anyone have a good method for cleaning the tubes after you take 'em off? Getting a brush in there's "like a virgin on prom night" according to my friend

I'm sort of a newbie, but I just did my first, and second blow-offs. I think, no basis in fact for this, that extra pressure will make yeast have to work harder to grow. The blow off tube is 3-4 feet long. It takes a lot of pressure to push all the gasses through that and 2-3 inches of water. As soon as it starts slowing down and the krausen falls, I'd throw an airlock on 'er. Maybe some more experienced brewmakers can give you a better/more thorough answer.

You can leave the tube in place, but once the ferment stops pushing crud through the tube, it's easier to monitor the process with a bubbler. Yeast don't care about pressure, they create it.

Brushes are the best way to clean the tubes. Most LHBS's carry them.

Could've used one on Sunday. I had wort foam coming out of my 3 piece airlock....had to switch it out with a clean one a couple times as it was getting too gunked up to function right. Unfortunatly, I didn't have one. I will have one ready for this weekend though when I brew my stout.

david_42 said:

Yeast don't care about pressure, they create it.

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Are you sure this is true? I really think any living organism is going to have a harder time functioning under higher pressure. But I am a newbie.

rewster451 said:

Are you sure this is true? I really think any living organism is going to have a harder time functioning under higher pressure. But I am a newbie.

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If the pressure was THAT much of an issue, you'd see a rise in temperature... remember chemistry??

Volume (fixed) / Pressure (variable) = temperature (variable)

So, therefore, we conclude that yes! if the pressure is TOO high, the yeast will not ferment correctly... however, you'd have to see an increase in pressure enough to make the termperature rise significantly enough to hinder fermentation.

that being said, Ive only made 2 brews so far, but my scientific background tells me otherwise.

Also, if pressure stopped firmentation, you'd never be able to naturally carbonate. They're would never be such a thing as exploding bottles from over priming.... Physics is science but it's also all around you if you'll just look, think and analyze.

ScottT said:

Physics is science

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No, Physics is Phun.

I resemble these remarks.
And yes, it does make sense, I guess. Maybe I should have paid attention in college, huh?

Thanks for the free enlightenment.