Best Blow off Practices for Bucket Fermenters

[philosofool]

When I started out brewing in 2005, I had bucket fermenters. The lids got blown off a few times when the air lock got jammed. Could be a little messy, but no big deal. The guys at the local HBS said that you can just pull the air lock out until the krausen subsides, which always worked fine. Clean the floors once a day, whatever.

Fast forward to 2012. I'm not a bachelor anymore. I have a toddler who likes to get into things. My wife encourages me to brew, but I don't think cleaning yeast of the bathroom ceiling will be encouraged in light of an alternative. Nor would letting the fermenter over-flow on the floor.

I've never put a blow off on a bucket. I did it lots with my 6.5 glass carboy, but I dropped that on the ground last week, from about 3 inches high but it was enough to shear the bottom off, and I will be using plastic to replace it.

 

[Junkster]

I would say just make a hole in the lid large enough for your blowoff tube so that it's a snug fit. You can always rig a drilled stopper to adapt it back down for your normal airlock after the violence has subsided. Also, set your bucket in a plastic tote to catch anything that you don't want on the floor if you don't have a thirsty dog!

 

[stvcoburn]

1/2" tubing fits perfect over a three piece airlock, take the middle section and cap off and it works great. It seems slim but the krausen always passes through without clogging.

 

[wilserbrewer]

1/2" tubing fits perfect over a three piece airlock, take the middle section and cap off and it works great. It seems slim but the krausen always passes through without clogging.

I beg to differ! The airlock can clog, and the fermenter can go boom in the night...seen it first hand many, many years ago. This is more likely I believe if there are hops in the fermenting wort. I would suggest a bigger fermenter, or as suggested above, a larger hole and larger tube in the lid, replaced w/ a drilled stopper and airlock once the violent activity subsides.

 

[SFSpencer]

Like this.

Just use the appropriate size drilled stopper & tubing.

 

[WesleyS]

This is what I use on one of my fermenters.
The fitting has a hose barb on one end and is threaded on the other. A PVC fitting with matching female threads is screwed onto it on the inside. Works good and the larger size tubing is less likely to clog.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Like this.
.

Of course a larger tube would be safer...YMMV

what you have is likely fine...no whole hops in the fermenter...that was my demise.

 

[kluge9]

I just had this dilemma 2 days ago. it was my first ever beer and im sure i did something wrong, BUT my bucket fermentor was about to blow its lid so i swapped the airlock with the tubing from my autosiphon. it was a tight fit into the bucket's grommet, but i got it in and the krausen flowed out just fine. ended up dumping it into the nearest container i could sanitize and put to work, an old clear growler i had sitting by.