primary fermenter without airlock?

with my first batch i may have messed up - i mixed it in the primary then siphoned it into the carboy to ferment right off the bat.

my primary fermenter is simply a large bin with a lid. seems like it seals quite well. however, it doesnt have an airlock.

will thise pose a problem during primary fermentation? the instructiosn that came with the kit only mention the airlock during the secondary fermentation once it's in the carboy.

is it a good idea/good practice to seal all of the good stuff in? or does some need to come out?

It will explode, you better have an airlock on that, there is an enormous ammount of CO2 produced during fermentation.

Brewpilot

bin? sorry man doesnt sound like a good plan.

You definately need some sort of airlock, or some way of getting the CO2 out. I always use an airlock, and once it got completely clogged with gunk from the fermentation and blew the lock out ... including almost a gallon of brew all over the kitchen floor, walls, ceilling (wife was not impressed...but I thought it was pretty funny).
Never underestimate the power of yeast :rockin: !

Contrary to popular belief, you don't NEED an airlock, but it is a nice insurance policy. I'd recommend getting one, but in the meantime, make sure your fermenter DOES NOT have a good seal. Crack the lid a bit to let CO2 out so you don't wind up with a big mess.

I'm with Yuri on this one. Crack the seal and it should be alright.

On the other hand, what the hell is a "bin"? One of those RubberMaid storage bins? They're not food grade. Your beer WILL taste like plastic!
IMO you just wasted a lot of time and $$$...but look at the experience you've gained...(that's why we are here so you don't waste your time and $$$ - we try to keep you and everyone else from screwing up and getting it right the FIRST TIME!!).

Go buy a primary bucket! Leave the bin for the sweaters...

Or get a free pickle bucket. It would be better to have a pickle flavored beer than a plastic one. You might even develop a new style of beer - pickle beer.:rockin:

Prowler 13 said:

Or get a free pickle bucket. It would be better to have a pickle flavored beer than a plastic one. You might even develop a new style of beer - pickle beer.:rockin:

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Yeah, "Dill Swill"

it looks exactly like this

You've got the right kind of bucket, it seems - crack the lid slightly open for now, get an airlock when you can.

I think "bin" is a British term...I'm surprised they don't spell it "buin," though...they like extraneous u's.

I don't think you need an airlock. In fact, my LHBS doesn't even sell primaries with airlocks. Just place the lid on the fermenter, don't lock it down, and since CO2 is heavier than O2, it will push out the excess O2 then CO2 as it ferments. I've made a couple dozen batches this way and haven't had a problem.

Just go straight to the carboy with the airlock but keep your ferment temp under 70deg. or you will get a blow out.

i actually did put it straight into the carboy. i had it at about 26 degrees and there was a blowout (is that really bad?)

emmpeethree said:

i actually did put it straight into the carboy. i had it at about 26 degrees and there was a blowout (is that really bad?)

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no.

The temperature really isn't the only reason for a 'blowout'. It's the activity of the yeast and amount of fermentable sugars. 26 is a bit too hot (about 78-79F) so you should look into cooling the fermenter in future batches.

Let's see 26C translates to roughly 82-ish F. Yeah that's a bit warm. Is it bad? probably not, except that you've probably spilled some of your brew. There's no problem with using your carboy as primary, but you will need a blowoff tube until the vigorous ferment subsides. Next time try to keep your ferment temp between 65-70F (16-18-ish C)

Ok did some math on a calculator instead of roughing it in my head and 26C is indeed 78 F. and 65-70 F is 18-21C. Oops. BTW what's with the "edit" function today? it doesn't seem to work

ablrbrau said:

Ok did some math on a calculator instead of roughing it in my head and 26C is indeed 78 F. and 65-70 F is 18-21C. Oops. BTW what's with the "edit" function today? it doesn't seem to work

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lol, i just use google. the 5/9 + 32 or whatever thing is too confusing...

yeah edit does not work right now.

wow so that's pretty much room temperature.

i think i'll just put it in the bathroom now. it was near the hot water tank before.

emmpeethree said:

wow so that's pretty much room temperature.

i think i'll just put it in the bathroom now. it was near the hot water tank before.

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You might want to get a couple of quick-read thermometers and scout out different temperature zones in your home. That way you will have an idea of where to put your fermenters, based upon what you're brewing and what temp you wish to ferment at. And maybe get some of those stick-on temp strips for your fermenters. They're pretty convenient. I have one on all my fermenters, and my corny kegs. Cheers

Yuri_Rage said:

I think "bin" is a British term...I'm surprised they don't spell it "buin," though...they like extraneous u's.

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but it would then be pronunced as 'booin'. And that's just wrong (unless you live in Wigan). Try and get it right Yuuri Rauge...