3rd Batch - Question on Krausen and need for Secondary

This is my first post about the brewing process. I skipped bottling because I was given 4 soda kegs, 3 glass carboys (one dates to 1936) and a tap and my buddy had a 50lb tank of CO2 with a regulator, after I collected a used fridge, I started to get more organized and I am on my third batch now, a stout.

I'm trying to get my buddies all started on homebrewing too.

The Questions:
Brew Date: 10/21
OG: 1.060

I did a porter first, which had little krausen, and an IPA second, which blew the airlock off and looked almost as if it was boiling. That's when I learned about the use of a blowoff hose.

Any advice for switching over from the blow off hose to an airlock to prevent air contamination?

This stout has very little going on in the way of krausen, but provides continuous bubbles. I put the blow off hose into a 1/2 gallon jug beside the fermenter with water in it coming above the hose. I figured it would provide a seal and the way the IPA was blowing, the little back pressure from the water wouldn't be an issue. I can see bubbles popping out of the water but nothing to the extreme of the IPA.

Essentially, what is good activity, just some bubbling or should it be real active?

I am wondering, should I be doing a secondary ferment on everything? What warrants the need for it?

Thanks in advance.
Tim

If there are bubbles you're fermenting, that's good. I've had beers that have had violent fermentation and others that were mellow. Depends on yeast/temp etc...
I always use a secondary and it sounds like you have the equipment so you're golden. The secondary is really about clarifyng the beer. Some would argue that it limits the possibility of off tastes as a result of sitting on the primary yeast cake too long. I suspect this is true but probably takes a while.
Not sure I followed the question about backflow from the water, you're blowing CO2 out.

As far as switching from a blow-off to airlock, there is no trick needed, just remove the blow-off and put on the sanitized airlock. Since you have fermentation, there is a blanket of CO2 over your beer that will prevent it from getting contaminated during this quick change-over.

Bubbling in the airlock is a sign that fermentation is occurring, but it is not a very accurate or reliable sign; personally I don't even pay attention to airlock activity anymore. If you have krausen, you have fermentation and you are good to go. Once the krausen drops, take hydrometer readings on consecutive days, when there is no change, fermentation is complete. If your hydrometer readings seem abnormally high, you may want to take some action.

There are many discussions about the necessity for a secondary stage. Some folks use them for every beer, some for certain styles, some never use them; ultimately it is up to you. I use a secondary stage for clearing and bulk aging, but I could just as easily go straight to the keg. Do a quick search and you will see lots of different opinions, you just gotta decide what works best for you.

Hope that answers your questions, good luck getting things dialed in.