How to stop airlock gunk from getting in fermenter when moving fermenter...

Hi. Searched for 'airlock', 'sanitizer', 'fermenter' and various combinations but couldn't find anything. Anyway, I've had my fermenter in a swamp cooler here:



and (I've had this problem in the past) when I move the fermenter the crude in the airlock gets sucked into the beer because of pressure or whatnot. Just wondering how people move their fermenters without all that gunk getting sucked into the fermenter?

Should I just give the fermenter a big squeeze and blow all that crude out the airlock, then move it, then put some new sanitizer water back in the airlock?

This is for getting the fermenter ready so I can transfer to bottles.

Pop the lid a little to break the seal and take off the air lock.

I have read that putting the fermetor in like a milk crate helps a lot as you lift the crate not the fermentor and do not get as much flex in the fermentor.

For me I ferment in a better bottle and swap over to one of their dry trap airlocks when I need to move the fermentor. It uses an internal ball valve to let air escape but not let outside air in.

http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Better-Bottle-DryTrap-Fermentation-Lock.html

This airlock fits in a standard stopper so can be used anywhere you use a standard liquid airlock.

Uhh.. won't that expose the beer to the outside air (by removing the airlock?!) and increase the potential for contamination?

I don't get crud in my airlocks. I do fill them with vodka and if I get suck back, I don't really care. It just adds to abv.

Poincare said:

Uhh.. won't that expose the beer to the outside air (by removing the airlock?!) and increase the potential for contamination?

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Removing the airlock does allow a very brief exposure to outside air and oxygen but it is minimal. Plus you have alcohol and hops in there which make for a very low chance of contamination. Usually if I am moving the fermentor I am getting ready to do a transfer to a different container anyway so the beer is going to see a bit of exposure to the outside air anyway unless you transfer in a closed loop system.

Also +1 for EdWort's vodka suggestion. I usually use vodka in my airlocks as well just in case.

Ooohh, that better bottle with dry airlock looks sweet. Gotta slap one of those on my x-mas list.

So.... should I crack the fermenter lid a little to release some pressure in the fermenter so when moving it, ever so gently, it won't blow out...but then it woulc also suck outside air in from the crack in the lid....

EdWort said:

I don't get crud in my airlocks. I do fill them with vodka and if I get suck back, I don't really care. It just adds to abv.

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+1000000000000

dry airlock = aluminum foil :rockin:

Beer is not fragile. Prior to bottling, the fermenter is a pretty inhospitable place. It is acidic, alcoholic, covered in a layer of CO2, and inhabited by tens of billions of yeast. Remember rule number one, relax.

As Loius Pastuer showed, just because a solution is exposed to air, it doesn't mean that bacteria are going to get in it. Microbes need a vector.

I have starsan in my airlocks so if it gets in, it is sanitizer and nothing "gunky" and has no effect on my beer whatsoever.

Revvy said:

I have starsan in my airlocks so if it gets in, it is sanitizer and nothing "gunky" and has no effect on my beer whatsoever.

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Only if you use distilled or Reverse Osmosis water to make your starsan. Regular tap water will lose it sanitizing power in a few days due to mineral content of the water.

OK. Well, guess I'll put Vodka in the airlock from now on and just loosen the fermenter lid a little before I start bottling so there isn't much "airlock suckage."

When I move my carboy (pulling it out of the fermentation fridge and moving to rack) I hold it by the neck with one hand, and on the bottom with the other hand. With my hand on the neck, I can lift the stopper/airlock a very small amount so that the pressure differential causes suction at that millimeter opening, rather than the airlock.

"I have read that putting the fermetor in like a milk crate helps a lot as you lift the crate not the fermentor and do not get as much flex in the fermentor"


Milk crate, good idea! I have been thinking of something taller and on wheels...a Radio Flyer?????

EdWort said:

Only if you use distilled or Reverse Osmosis water to make your starsan. Regular tap water will lose it sanitizing power in a few days due to mineral content of the water.

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Ok, wow, now I'm confused. Until now I had heard and believed that a solution of star-san would maintain its sanitizing power for months. This is incorrect if tap water is used?

ZBrewMan said:

Ok, wow, now I'm confused. Until now I had heard and believed that a solution of star-san would maintain its sanitizing power for months. This is incorrect if tap water is used?

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Yeah, in my short time as part of the homebrewing community I've heard of making a batch os star-san and saving it for later use. Never once have a seen a disclaimer that tap water degrades its longevity. If this is true, I must have gotten lucky with not getting an infection in my first batch, because I used a spray bottle full of star-san that I mixed up when I brewed the batch to sanitize my turkey baster to take samples.

Maybe it's time to go get some petri dishes and mix up/age some tap water/star-san solution.

How long starsan will last in tap water varries based on the profile of your tap water. Some people do OK, while others have the starsan go bad after several days. I think the more disolved solids, and the more alkaline your water, the less time the starsan will remain viable. Starsan keeps a very acidic profile which is part of how it sanitizes and if it is fighting the chemical profile of the water it goes south much quicker.

Starsan will last many months with reverse osmosis water, or distilled water. You can get distilled water for under a dollar at the drug or grocery store, so it's not like it is a big expense for the added longevity it provides to the starsan.

MBasile said:

Yeah, in my short time as part of the homebrewing community I've heard of making a batch os star-san and saving it for later use. Never once have a seen a disclaimer that tap water degrades its longevity. If this is true, I must have gotten lucky with not getting an infection in my first batch, because I used a spray bottle full of star-san that I mixed up when I brewed the batch to sanitize my turkey baster to take samples.

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Ya, I've lucked out too. I guess I've been sanitizing several items with little more than tap water.

MBasile said:

Maybe it's time to go get some petri dishes and mix up/age some tap water/star-san solution.

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That would be above and beyond the call of duty, but really helpful if a clear answer to this question doesn't surface. I know I'd certainly be interested in the results.

The easy way to test your starsan is to test the PH. This can be done expensively with a fancy PH meter, or quite cheaply ( a couple bucks) with some PH test strips. If/when the PH reads above 3.0 it is time to discard the starsan solution and mix up some more.

Zen_Brew said:

The easy way to test your starsan is to test the PH. This can be done expensively with a fancy PH meter, or quite cheaply ( a couple bucks) with some PH test strips. If/when the PH reads above 3.0 it is time to discard the starsan solution and mix up some more.

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That sounds easier but less fun than petri dishes

Zen_Brew said:

The easy way to test your starsan is to test the PH. This can be done expensively with a fancy PH meter, or quite cheaply ( a couple bucks) with some PH test strips. If/when the PH reads above 3.0 it is time to discard the starsan solution and mix up some more.

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I tried that, then I decided it was much easier to buy a 5 gallon water bottle at my local grocery store for $6.48 and fill with 5 gallons of RO water for $1.75 to make a big batch of starsan for my spray bottle and small uses. It has lasted this long.




I just refilled it last week. This stuff works great on extract brews too.

EdWort said:

I tried that, then I decided it was much easier to buy a 5 gallon water bottle at my local grocery store for $6.48 and fill with 5 gallons of RO water for $1.75 to make a big batch of starsan for my spray bottle and small uses. It has lasted this long.

I just refilled it last week. This stuff works great on extract brews too.

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Lessons from the master there. 5 gallons of reverse osmosis. I've been meaning to do that with maybe a 3 gallon bottle becuase it's easier to lift. Just haven't seen one with a cap yet.

So Ed, did anyone find it odd that you were photographing the water filling station?

Zen_Brew said:

Lessons from the master there. 5 gallons of reverse osmosis. I've been meaning to do that with maybe a 3 gallon bottle becuase it's easier to lift. Just haven't seen one with a cap yet.

So Ed, did anyone find it odd that you were photographing the water filling station?

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My local grocery has 3 gallon water bottles for under 5 bucks and they have caps too.

Gotta love my camera phone.

EdWort said:

My local grocery has 3 gallon water bottles for under 5 bucks and they have caps too.

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I'm pretty sure that I saw some of these at my local grocery store as well. The store also has one of those RO bottle fillers out front. I'm definitely gonna use this procedure in the future.

It seems that I'm always learning, and always tweaking my process just a little bit. Guess that is what keeps this hobby so interesting.

Thanks for the tip EdWort!