Blowoff Tube/Bucket Question??

Another quick question (i take and i take, but i never give). I've got a blowoff tube going from the carboy to a bucket with water in it. Usually I would put iodine in the bucket water to keep it clean, but lo-and-behold I'm out of iodine and I'm in the middle of ass nowhere so I can't get more anytime soon. Can I leave plain water in that bucket or will it bring infection into my brew? Should I add a bit of bleach to the water, or will that give my brew a bad taste?

Thanks ahead of time...this forum is the best.

Water is fine. You could use vodka too

rdwj said:

Water is fine. You could use vodka too

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A bucket full of vodka? Ill take two...

rdwj said:

Water is fine. You could use vodka too

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I thought about that, but all I've got is Stoli Gold and it's not going into a bucket unless it's already been through my mouth.

Never used anything but water before. No problems yet.

How about a little no-rinse sanitizer? I use one-step, and put enough in to cover the end of the tube plus a little more. Otherwise, plain water is fine.

gonzo_911 said:

I thought about that, but all I've got is Stoli Gold and it's not going into a bucket unless it's already been through my mouth.

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Actually that would be fairly sanitary, but. . .

I am going to use a blow off tube for the first time. How much water do you use and how big of a container do you use? And is 3/8 inch tubing ok to use?

tbone said:

I am going to use a blow off tube for the first time. How much water do you use and how big of a container do you use? And is 3/8 inch tubing ok to use?

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I use one inch tube because it fits real snug directly inside the top of the carboy, but I suppose any size will do. I fill the bucket up about halfway...just enough to fully submerge the end of the tubing.

I think 3/8" hose is pushing it a bit. A really creamy krausen can plug it up. In fact, I had it happen on a wheat. I moved up to 1/2" ID tubing and it worked fine. The bigger the better in this case. On the receiving end, it's not so much how much water you have (as long as the end of the hose stays submerged) but moreso how much headspace you have. In a violent blowoff, that water starts receiveing a lot of foam which can overflow. I like a gallon jug filled with about 3" of water. If you don't have any sanitizer to add, just put a drop or two of bleach in (I don't mean a teaspoon either).