have you ever looked closely at your airlocks...

...I hadn't until i bought two new ones, and something caught my eye on the top one:



glad I looked...a hobby knife did the trick; but it never occurred to me before to check and see that all my airlocks could actually pass air!

AZ_IPA said:

...I hadn't until i bought two new ones, and something caught my eye on the top one:


glad I looked...a hobby knife did the trick; but it never occurred to me before to check and see that all my airlocks could actually pass air!

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I think they pass gas dont they?

I've cut every one of mine.

Good Post, I learned the hard way that my air lock was blocked liked that. Ended up shooting the airlock into the air and hit the ceiling.

Interesting. I've looked, but never had one that wasn't completely open.

I use a hack saw to take that whole tapered part off.

Bobby_M said:

I use a hack saw to take that whole tapered part off.

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Me too. That part seemed useless.

I can honestly say that the first thing I do to an airlock is cut that piece off.
Then the airlock gets turned into a blowoff hose airlock.

When I need to use it without the hose, I search for an hour to find the cap and tophat that I threw in a corner some where, fill it with sanitizer and its ready to go!

Very early on in my brewing I saw a thread somewhere about the mess a brewer had when those little holes clogged up. Ever since then I've cut that little end off.

Actually I hacksaw all of them off when I get them...they make for clearer blowoffs when you use my airlock blowoff tube trick.

Revvy said:

Actually I hacksaw all of them off when I get them...they make for clearer blowoffs when you use my airlock blowoff tube trick.

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Thats your trick?! I thought it was mine... I came up with that within 15 seconds of finding my Nut Brown Ale blowing krausen out of the airlock...

I've been here longer than you and it was one of the first threads I posted on here...Back when you were still among the clueless

Hehe... It's funny though how people of like mind (homebrewers for instance) can come to the same "invention" completely on their own...

capcrnch said:

When I need to use it without the hose, I search for an hour to find the cap and tophat that I threw in a corner some where, fill it with sanitizer and its ready to go!

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If you cant find the cap saran wrap over the top secured with a rubber band does the trick.

edit: use a tooth pick to punch some holes in it, sorry, im half way in the bag

This is a simple but good thread. I never thought to look at them and guess I've just gotten lucky.

Skins_Brew said:

If you cant find the cap saran wrap over the top secured with a rubber band does the trick.

edit: use a tooth pick to punch some holes in it, sorry, im half way in the bag

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I'm usually good. I have a box with 10 or so caps. It's just a matter of finding the box from week to week

I cut all of mine years ago.

cool - I didn't realize so many folks had taken airlock matters into their own hands already!

AZ_IPA said:

cool - I didn't realize so many folks had taken airlock matters into their own hands already!

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We've been around a brewery or two...

I think many of us were brewing when you were still not legal...

shecky said:

Me too. That part seemed useless.

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It is. I removed it also and I have had nary a problem. Therfore it is useless.

homebrewer_99 said:

We've been around a brewery or two...

I think many of us were brewing when you were still not legal...

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yes, tell me about the stories from your early days when the airlocks and carboys were made of stone and bronze

AZ_IPA said:

yes, tell me about the stories from your early days when the airlocks and carboys were made of stone and bronze

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They were ... REALLY!!!

You ever try to carve one of those things? DANG!!!