Bucket lid very loose

Okay, I'm a total newbie: I just started my first brew. It's fermenting (hopefully) in my closet right now. Incidentally, I spent days obsessively reading this forum before starting. Thanks so much for all the advice! You guys are crazy smart.

Anyway, I'm slightly worried about the looseness of the lid on my fermenter bucket. Yes, I saw lots of posts here about how that's not really a problem, but I guess I was expecting "not totally airtight" rather than "just sorta sits on top without any sort of seal at all." Is that right?

John Palmer says that it isn't a big deal, since so much CO2 will be coming out that nothing will be able to come in. But what about after the major part of the fermentation is done? I'm planning on not using a secondary. Given that the CO2 output will slow, will the lack of a good seal be a problem?

I don't have any homebrew yet, but I will endeavor to R and DW with the aid of a Dogfish Head 60. Thanks!

Check out this fermentor


You'll be ok as long as you followed a decent sanitary regime.

Yep. RDWHADH60, my friend. My lid on my main fermenter is so loose that I don't even get any bubbles in my airlock and I've never had an infected or oxidized batch. CO2 is much heavier than regular air and will fill the headspace in your fermenter so O2 can't get to it.

CO2 is heavier than oxygen. The CO2 will sit on top of the beer and create its own pseudo-seal.
EDIT: Damn you guys are fast. By the time I typed this and hit enter I was the third reply.

Rentachik said:

You'll be ok as long as you followed a decent sanitary regime.

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Heh, well ... that's a whole other worry. But I tried! Lord knows, I tried.

Thanks everyone.

Rentachik said:

Check out this fermentor

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Last one in's a rotten egg!

Glad I read this thread. I was considering hammering my lid with a rubber hammer.

My lid doesn't require a hammer, but darn near it. I have to push it down pretty hard on one side and then work my way around to get it closed all the way. You may find that yours is that way too. My first beer fermented for several hours before I found that out. It still made good beer.

RM-MN said:

My lid doesn't require a hammer, but darn near it. I have to push it down pretty hard on one side and then work my way around to get it closed all the way. You may find that yours is that way too. My first beer fermented for several hours before I found that out. It still made good beer.

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Yes. Mine are the same way. If they say "Ropak" on them, then they are hard as hell to get on.

Mine is just about as hard to get back off too. I keep thinking about a bucket opener tool but so far I have been able to pry it up on one side using both hands and then working my way around. It snaps on pretty tight though.

RM-MN said:

Mine is just about as hard to get back off too. I keep thinking about a bucket opener tool but so far I have been able to pry it up on one side using both hands and then working my way around. It snaps on pretty tight though.

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Mine literally just sits on top. Looking at the thickness of the bucket lid compared to the slot in the lid I don't think it would go on without breaking. My guess is its not supposed to seal. My bottling bucket has a thinner seal that looks like it would fit better. I am going to trust the CO2 blanket and go with a loose lid. I figure any blowover that might occur would be less explosive that way.

The lid on my 6.5G primary bucket is loose as well. Although it fits on the bucket, its not tight at all. I can literally spin it around the rim of the bucket with one finger. The lid says "ROPAK" on top of it and came with the Brewer's Best kit.

However, I didn't have any issues with the fermentation with my first batch. The FG was right at the target after 4 days. The lid being loose and thus not air tight, I did not see any bubbling activity on my airlock. So that concerned me initially, until I used a hydrometer to check the SG to see if the fermentation was going on well.

So all being said, loose lid shouldn't worry anyone. Yeast will do what its supposed to do.

That Ropak lid should fit tight on you bucket, so tight that it may take a substantial amount of pressure to make it seat. Start on the side closest to where you are standing and press down with both hands close together and press HARD, then work your way around from there until it snaps into place. Most of the time the seal will be airtight. The only caveat is that it will be just about as hard to remove the lid.

I agree with RM. I don't think you're pushing down hard enough on that Ropak lid and seating it. They are tighter than Dick's Hatband when seated. And Dick wears a tight hat, believe me.

I had to lean with nearly all my weight on the edge of mine to seat it fully the first time then hammer around it to finish sealing it. 3 different types of buckets. They loosen up after being on the bucket for awhile but are still VERY tight.

Have any of you tried installing any sort of rubber seal? I bet a 1/8" rubber o-ring of the proper circumference would help. Though, if it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

Reason I ask I I just completed my 2nd AG brew Friday and I want to make the move to 10 gallon batches some time in the not too distant future, but really don't want to plop down the $$ on several more carboys when buckets seem to work as well and are much cheaper and easier to store when not in use.

I realize the CO2 makes a pretty effective seal against the bad stuff during fermentation. Have any of you found problems after taking a gravity reading(s) at 3-4 weeks in your buckets?