Airlock proper use question... water line.

[Chasawah]

So I just started the hobby and ordered some carboys with airlocks, the airlock I got I have not see anyone use in any of the media I looked at for educating myself. There is a water line on the airlock and the lid snaps down. When the lid is off the water is at the line, but when the lid is snapped it looks like the entire airlock is full. My question is, should the water be at the line before or after the lid....

I will attach pictures of the lid on and off to show the water line, might be hard to see but when its off the water is exactly at the line....

 

[D.B.Moody]

I've never seen one like that. I assume you have to fill to the line with the cap off. That's the way it was designed, You'll have to assume it will work. If that cap fits inside the cup in the water, it will move the water up above the line. The line is there where it is to account for this.

Welcome to HBT.

 

[Chasawah]

Thanks, that is what I assumed. I plan to keep an eye on it as much as possible until I see it work. Im just confused by this design as to where the air or water will go as it "fills" with gas.

 

[IslandLizard]

It looks like the shuttle is affixed to the snap-on lid.
I've never seen that design before, either.

The ones we've commonly seen so far that have similar functionality are called 3-piece airlocks: the reservoir, shuttle, and lid.
I guess you've got a 2-piece airlock.

 

[IslandLizard]

Im just confused by this design as to where the air or water will go as it "fills" with gas.

The gas goes up the center stem, down the (fixed) "shuttle", up into the outer shell, then out the lid.
Therefore I expect little vent holes in the outer rim of the lid.

 

[Chasawah]

The gas goes up the center stem, down the (fixed) "shuttle", into the outer shell, then out the lid.
Therefore I expect little vent holes in the outer rim of the lid.

There are 2 small holes on the top surface, I haven't really messed with it much, I could use some positive pressure from the bottom on a water bottle or something to see how it works. It just seems odd looking at it from the side, like if any gas goes in water would have to come out. It looks full.

Its already set up on my carboys and I feel like I should have really figured them out before I mixed up my brews. But I got excited an rushed to get it started. Ill start a brewlog thread somewhere and link it here so we can all learn about these airlocks.

 

[day_trippr]

Their link says "3 piece" but it really is a 2 piece airlock...

https://www.morebeer.com/products/airlock-3-piece-xl-1.html

Cheers!

 

[Chasawah]

Started my brew log. Will update here with any info or opinions on the airlocks specifically.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/just-started-the-hobby-brew-log.728325/

 

[Chasawah]

Airlocks are working. Bubbles have already started.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

Looking at the description at MoreBeer, it says it holds .4 ounces, or 12 ml. Maybe just ignore the fill line and measure out the water and see what that looks like.

By the way, I use cheap vodka in my airlocks, particularly if fermenting wine, which can take awhile. It inhibits mildew, kills any fruit flies, and doesn’t concern me as much if I get drawback. If I get fruit flies, I change it out; don’t want them getting sucked back in!

 

[IslandLizard]

Looking at the description at MoreBeer, it says it holds .4 ounces, or 12 ml. Maybe just ignore the fill line and measure out the water and see what that looks like.

That's a good idea!
It would be nice if Morebeer (and those other large outfits) tested the products they sell and amend instructions instead of just copying them...

But they haven't removed all the "secondary" jargon from their kit instruction pamphlets either, so what can we hope for?

By the way, I use cheap vodka in my airlocks, particularly if fermenting wine, which can take awhile. It inhibits mildew, kills any fruit flies, and doesn’t concern me as much if I get drawback. If I get fruit flies, I change it out; don’t want them getting sucked back in!

I used to do that too in my early brewing days, thinking there was an advantage to using vodka, but switched to Starsan, which is a lot cheaper, and works even better.