First Batch - Sanitizer Solution fell into fermenter

So I brewed my very first batch last night. Everything seemed to go very well throughout the whole process. When I was complete I carried my fermenter to the basement and went to press on the airlock. When I did a bunch of sanitizer solution fell through the airlock and into the primary! I knew this wasn't good but didn't think much about it. I added more sanitizer solution to the airlock and it happened again! I'm using a 3-piece airlock. Not sure exactly what is happening....

Should I be concerned about this at all?

are you adding too much liquid to the airlock? I was go away from sanitizer. I use cheap vodka in mine under the advice of a few of the guys on here. The worst that will do is up your ABV. Which in my opinion is never a bad thing.

Your beer will be fine, but like others have mentioned here they use vodka in the airlock so that if that does happen it's just a little more alcohol going into the brew. But a little Starsan, if that's what you're using isn't going to ruin anything.

But to answer your question as to why it's happening, it's because when you push down on the airlock/lid you're creating pressure in the bucket. That usually makes air come out of the airlock like normal. But when you let go and the bucket lid or stopper return to their natural position the reverse happens and the pressure inside the vessel drops, thus sucking some liquid back into the airlock.

To avoid this with a bucket lid you can stick the airlock into the hole before putting the lid on the bucket. Then when you snap the lid on you're not pushing down on it so hard and creating the pressure that's sucking the liquid down your airlock.

It was at the fill line.... I've heard of people using vodka as well. I think I'm going to switch to that in the future. I just didn't know what was going on and now there's just a little bit in there and it's below the fill line. I'm not going to worry about it too much, I was just worried it would kill the yeast or something.

What I do to avoid this problem is to assemble the lid, bucket and airlock, then carefully add my water to the airlock after it's all together. The way the 3 piece is designed allows you to slowly add water without much risk of pouring it directly in the fermenter. This allows you to assemble it without worrying about the pressure difference.

I just bought another fermenter, and went with a S-Bubble Type to try that out as opposed to the 3-piece. I know they are harder to clean, but apparently you don't suffer the same risk of pouring sanitizer/vodka in the fermenter. Does anybody have any experience with these? Which do you prefer?

That makes a lot more sense about it being sucked into the fermenter.... I'll try a different method of putting it on next time. It was EZ-Clean, so still a no rinse sanitizer so shouldn't effect it too much....

The guy that got me into brewing swears by the S-type. Me personally i like the 3 piece. It's easier to clean and you can break it down so you can make sure that you sanitize each piece thoroughly. That's another one of those things that i think is based on the preference of the brewer.