Air Lock overflow

[barleyfarm]

2 hours after throwing my beer and mead (I made two different batches in two different containers of two different alcoholic types, i know) into their carboys and put an airlock one, both airlocks began to push liquids out of the top of the airlocks! After about 4 hours, the spewing subsided, but now the airlock are filled with the water/beer from inside the containers. What should I do!

 

[stratslinger]

Clean them out, sanitize them again, then put 'em both back in place. That's short term.

In longer term, do a few searches for blow off tubes around here, and put a couple of those together. Many of us on the boards use blow off tubes on nearly all our primaries to avoid exactly this sort of situation.

 

[ETCS]

I would replace with an airlock. There is a lot of posts on here about airlocks, from the simple to the complex. I had a airlock blow once, now I always a blow off.

 

[barleyfarm]

heres the thing, its not clogged or erupting anymore, its just filled with water and in the other case beer now.

 

[Kaz]

Clean out the one that is filled with beer/yeast...it can get nasty over time.

 

[barleyfarm]

what do i put in its place while i am removing it

 

[dover157]

Nothing, it will be fine for the few min it takes to clean out the airlock. Next time you in the area of your LHBS pick up some more, they are cheep. I have gotten in the habbit of buying one or two every time I go in.