Blow Off Tube

[muse435]

I used to have a nice 1 1/4 in blow off tube for my glass carboy but it has vanished. I am about to brew a Black IPA and the last time I made this recipe I did not use a blow off tube and should have (see pic below). I was chatting with a friend and they mentioned using a 3/8ID hose as a blow off tube
1) is that big enough?
2) how to attach to glass carboy?

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

use that airlock and take the lid and second piece out exposing the tube that comes up through the middle and slide your hose over top of it. done.

 

[Pappers_]

What he said ^^^^^ Or cut off a piece of plastic racking cane, put it through a bung, and then attach the tubing to it.

 

[day_trippr]

3/8" tubing will work. I have a pair of fermenters running particularly fluffy 1318 that tested that yesterday - and may test it again before they're done

Cheers!

[edit] Right on cue...

 

[jschein]

What they said. Also check the bottom of the air lock. If it has tabs remove them too.

 

[A1sportsdad]

Yes. I take a hacksaw to the tube that runs into the fermenter from the airlock to open it up and remove those tabs. This setup has always worked great for me.

 

[OldDogBrewing]

3/8" tubing will work. I have a pair of fermenters running particularly fluffy 1318 that tested that yesterday - and may test it again before they're done

Cheers!

[edit] Right on cue...

View attachment 718892

Are you harvesting yeast?

 

[day_trippr]

Not purposefully. There's a good inch of loose yeast in there now, but I'm just trying to keep my keg purging gas line clear by trapping krausen in the jug.

I always sanitize everything so in theory I could use the captured yeast, but as a practice I always start with fresh yeast...

Cheers!

 

[OldDogBrewing]

Not purposefully. There's a good inch of loose yeast in there now, but I'm just trying to keep my keg purging gas line clear by trapping krausen in the jug.

View attachment 718945

I always sanitize everything so in theory I could use the captured yeast, but as a practice I always start with fresh yeast...

Cheers!

I asked because I have in mind a similar idea to harvest top krausen yeast from the blow off tube hahaha but the CO2 instead of going to a keg, will get out through an airlock in the jar

 

[muse435]

so now I am curious what do you mean "keg purging gas line"?

 

[day_trippr]

You can totally top-crop and re-use yeast, just have to manage the sanitation. But the one time I pitched top-cropped yeast it was 1318 and it went off like a grenade, krausen just flowing out even with a wort/beer temperature of 64°F. Too crazy to make a habit

Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

The skinny EVABarrier tube running out of that jug exits the back of the fridge through a bulkhead then runs around to a pair of daisy-chained kegs, so as to utilize the CO2 from fermentation to purge the O2 out of the kegs that the beer will ultimately end up in. Both of my 17cf fridges are so fitted, so I can purge two pairs of kegs simultaneously...

Cheers!

 

[muse435]

That is a cool concept that I have not ran into before. I assume you sanitized the kegs seal them then connect the tubing. do you then fill the kegs via the down spout to keep the system "closed" while filling the kegs?

 

[day_trippr]

Definitely cleaned, sanitized and sealed up prior, then the daisy chains go in through the long diptubes and out through the short dip tubes, with the last keg(s) plumbed to a small jug of water as a bubbler/quasi air "lock"...



Cheers!

 

[VirginiaHops1]

That is a cool concept that I have not ran into before. I assume you sanitized the kegs seal them then connect the tubing. do you then fill the kegs via the down spout to keep the system "closed" while filling the kegs?

You need to fill them via a closed transfer through the liquid post. If you open them up and siphon into it the extensive keg purging process is pretty pointless.

My favorite thing about doing it this way is once done the kegs are pressurized and purged and ready to fill and fermentation pretty much does all the work for you.

 

[tracer bullet]

Here's mine: Oversized (but not too) Blow-Off ?

I can copy and paste too. I have a 1/2" SS pipe then to a 1/2" silicone tube for nice flexibility, and stick it in a large Ball jar of water. It's not the biggest blow-off ever but I feel pretty good about it. My airlock version still had a pretty small hole running through most of it.

*******

1/2" blow-off tube: Anvil Foundry™ Boiler Lid Tube

.375" OD thermowell (hard to find them this OD to actually fill up a stopper hole): Brewers Hardware 16" Stainless Steel Thermowell

And Steve, who I randomly found on the internet making home-vintner bits, kindly custom made stoppers where I couldn't find the combos I wanted, here: 2 Hole Tapered Bungs and Rubber Stoppers (Pure Gum)

 

[OldDogBrewing]

You can totally top-crop and re-use yeast, just have to manage the sanitation. But the one time I pitched top-cropped yeast it was 1318 and it went off like a grenade, krausen just flowing out even with a wort/beer temperature of 64°F. Too crazy to make a habit

Cheers!

I mostly brew with kveik and Lithuanian yeast so I'm used to top cropping (drying) and using, top cropped yeast it's nearly pure yeast so yeah, it's way more active than lab yeast that has travelled and so on

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

When I need a blow off tube for ales, I do the following.