Need some airlock help

Hello all, need some help

I just ordered up the ingredients needed to get a second batch going, but the one thing i forgot to order was another airlock, this will be the first time that i will have a batch fermenting in my secondary carboy, and the new batch in my primary bucket at the same time, hence teh first time i would need a second airlock.

I would like to brew this on wednesday, and there are no brew shops anywhere near me, and i really dont want to pay 50 bucks overnight shipping lol. So heres my question, we do have a lowes nearby, anyone ever "made" an airlock or purchased anything from a hardware store that will work? I have seen the setups where you use a large hose placed in a second bucket of water with a cork? Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thank you!

I've seen videos and pics where folks use tubing that is the same size as the carboy opening. Just stick the tube in the carboy hole, no bung or anything, and use a glass of water. I "think" Lowes carries tubing that size.. If I remember it's just a tad bigger than the hole in the carboy and should hold just fine.

Use a blow out tube. Remove the grommet from your fermenting bucket. Take a piece of clear tubing the same size as the hole (30 cents a foot maybe), sanitize one end and stick it in the hole. Run the tubing down to a bottle with 2-3 inches of water. Take the airlock and put it on your secondary. You will never use an airlock on your primary again.

Sanitized foil will work. Or a blow-off tube rigged up to fit will work too.

I use 5/16" tubing, it fits the airlock holes with no issues. And as Yoop said, sanitized foil will work too.

funny, similar situation, but I left the grommet in, cut a one-inch section of the hard plastic tube from the racking cane and used it in the grommet and the hose from the racking cane. Fits well and though a small opening and prone to clogging, not an issue so far. If you are using a carboy like you mention in your first post, I also ran into the issue of not having a bung or cork that would fit, but found a set of rubber chair caps at WalMart that fit. Just drill a hole in the center for the hose. Yea, here in Bumbleboo New Mexico, ya gotta make do !

Aluminum foil over the grommet works as noted, but beware of fruit flies sneaking in--keep the foil as tight as possible (it'll still be plenty loose enough to let CO2 out).

I would opt for a blow off tube...

Foil will work but you may want something that will allow CO2 out and also keep dust and other airborne crap out as well. My suggestion is to buy some cheese cloth and use a rubber band to secure it over the hole. This would be considered open fermentation which believe it or not people do all the time. As long as you sanitize whatever you use to cover the hole and no wild yeast or anything gets in there you should be ok.

Foil will work but you may want something that will allow CO2 out and also keep dust and other airborne crap out as well. My suggestion is to buy some cheese cloth and use a rubber band to secure it over the hole. This would be considered open fermentation which believe it or not people do all the time. As long as you sanitize whatever you use to cover the hole and no wild yeast or anything gets in there you should be ok.

Sanitized foil will certainly allow CO2 to escape and keep anything from falling into the fermentor. That should work fine.

Yes foil will work fine but if you crimp it on to tight it may stress out your yeast causing bad ester tastes. You don't want that. Whatever you do just make sure the CO2 does not build up to much in the carboy headspace. 3-4 psi can cause problems.

my understanding is that you place a sanitized piece of aluminum foil over the opening and hold it down with a penny. The weight of the penny allows the foil to stay in place and at the same time allows the CO2 to push against it and escape.

Lamarkid7 said:

Yes foil will work fine but if you crimp it on to tight it may stress out your yeast causing bad ester tastes. You don't want that. Whatever you do just make sure the CO2 does not build up to much in the carboy headspace. 3-4 psi can cause problems.

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That's a new idea to me. Why would crimping foil on top of the fermenter stress the yeast, and cause esters? I've never heard of that before.

Lamarkid7 said:

Yes foil will work fine but if you crimp it on to tight it may stress out your yeast causing bad ester tastes. You don't want that. Whatever you do just make sure the CO2 does not build up to much in the carboy headspace. 3-4 psi can cause problems.

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Getting 3-4 psi is pretty high for just a piece of foil squeezed round the neck don't ya think!

Ok, I'm newb, but I've heard of people using condoms. Might need to use it on the carboy, stretch over opening, wait for CO2 to inflate it, then use a pin to pierce the very tip. Is it viable, or just trash talk?

I also doubt that the foil will let the pressure build to 3-4 psi, unless it was secured with a rubber band or something. In my experience, just loosely crimping the foil around the carboy opening allows the CO2 to escape.

tvtoms said:

Ok, I'm newb, but I've heard of people using condoms. Might need to use it on the carboy, stretch over opening, wait for CO2 to inflate it, then use a pin to pierce the very tip. Is it viable, or just trash talk?

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I've heard of condoms and balloons being used. I would be afraid the pressure would build up and blow them off. There is a lot of co2 produced during fermentation, and you want it to be able to escape.

YooperBrew said:

I've heard of condoms and balloons being used. I would be afraid the pressure would build up and blow them off. There is a lot of co2 produced during fermentation, and you want it to be able to escape.

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If you use a Jimmy Hat or a Balloon then poke a few pinholes in the top.