Austin home brew bucket lid not air tight

I've been lurking for a while now and I know that a great seal on the primary isn't that big of a deal because of the CO2 output not allowing oxidation and such. However, I want to know from other people who have bought the 7 gallon plastic primary from AHB if their lid for the bucket goes on air tight or not. Mine does not and because of that the airlock has had no bubbles at all, but according to the hydro everything is going well so far.

Like I said, I'm not that worried about it but I just want to know if I'm being a complete moron and can't figure out how to put a lid on a freaking bucket!

Welcome aboard!

When I primary in a bucket i almost never see a bubble. Could be the seal, the gromet, the head space, or an interrupt in the space time continuum.

You could get another bucket, and while this on ferments practice your lid sealing procedures...OR...fill it up with another tasty brew like the one you got going.

In the great scheme of things - the airlock is useful as an amusement device.

As long as your lid keeps nasty stuff from falling into your beer - you're good to go.

That's an issue with buckets generally, not specific to Austin Homebrew.

My new bucket seals pretty well, but the one I've been using for the last year and a half didn't seal well enough for me to ever see a single bubble in my airlock. Don't sweat it.

Oddly enough, all of my buckets seal perfectly (True Brew, Ale Pail, Homer, Austin Homebrew)

I did cut the lid at the individual sections and that makes it go on to the bucket a lot easier.

I almost had to perform a flying elbow drop to get the lid closed on my AHS bucket last night. It sealed up nicely. I'm sure each one differs, depending on the mold they used to create it.

Did you pull off the half inch of plastic around the lid ? I know that confused the hell out of me when I first got home with it because I wasnt sure if it was supposed to come off and it seems to serve no purpose for being on there in the first place (maybe it protects the individual seal sections during travel, I dunno). After I pulled that off it sealed perfectly.

flywallyfly said:

Did you pull off the half inch of plastic around the lid ?

Click to expand...

AH! No I didn't...I didn't even see that it could be pulled. It fits perfectly now. Color me stupid!

Thanks for all of the replies!

yeah, the importance of the airlock is somewhat exaggerated. A significant percentage of my batches never pop a bubble, and I have yet to come out skunky on the back end. Your hydrometer is your best friend.

+1 on hydrometer best friend. +2 if you want to spend the $50 for a refractometer. 2ml out of your brew vs a beer thief is a victory.

If you do get one, make sure to download a spread sheet that calculates the FG for you .