bucket issue

[tameape44]

I am new to home-brewing and about to brew my first batch. I had purchased some equipment from another person who had given up on home-brewing and when i put water in my fermentation bucket with spigot to sanitize, i noticed the spigot is leaking even when in the closed position. im going to pour my wort into the bucket and use spigot to transfer everything into a better bottle for fermentation. the better bottle holds 6 gallons and im not sure there will be enough room for the foam that will gather on top of the fermenting beer. for this reason i am going to put the stopper plug on top of the better bottle with a siphon hose leading into a gatorade bottle with water in it to accomodate the spill over foam and replicate the water from my 3 piece air lock. my question is how will i be able to keep track of my fermentations progress this way. I know you can typically do this by watching the bubbles in the airlock, will i instead do it by just watching the bubbles in the siphon hose? if someone has experience with a similar issue please let me know. thank you!

 

[mrk305]

That is called a blow off hose. It will quit bubbling after three days or so and then you can switch back to an airlock. It won't be ready to bottle for about three weeks or more. The best way to tell when it ready is when a hydrometer reading is the same for a couple days in a row.

 

[ETCS]

First off, congrats on your first adventure into home brewing, it is a wonderful hobby that you will continue to build on. The blow off tube is never a bad idea. More importantly, DO NOT rely on "Bubbles" either from the airlock or the blow off container. Let it go for a couple weeks and take a gravity, see what it is, and what the target gravity should be. Take it every couple of days until it stays steady, then you know when it's done. It is very difficult to wait, but you have to be patient. The yeast work at their own pace and there is NOTHING you can do to speed up the process and always remember, RDWHAHB.

 

[RobWalker]

Hahah, this all very "there, i've fixed it now." Fair play!

Like jkaylor and mrk305 says, gravity is the best way to see how your beer is fermenting. I've never had a beer ferment that didn't look like a damn tornado though. I tend to let mine clear in primary anyway (so I can tip the keg and get the last few pints out when it's done) so you can pretty much guaruntee that once it's clear, it's finished fermenting.

 

[tameape44]

thank you all very much for your help. i have another question as a result of your responses. since it is in a carboy and not a bucket with spigot i was wondering the best way to get a sample of the beer out to test the gravity?

 

[smalliewader]

buy a wine thief

 

[gcdowd]

buy a wine thief

+ 1 Wine thiefs are awesome.

 

[unionrdr]

You can use the wine thief with your hydrometer to test with too. I've also found that the spigots with the 2 rubber washers will leak if tightened down too much. If the washer is starting to squeeze out from behind the sealing area of the spigot,it's likely to leak. Don't over tighten.

 

[smalliewader]

When buying that thief, spend a few bucks on an auto siphon also.

The top 3 additional pieces of equipment no brewer should ever brew without are the hydrometer, thief and auto siphon.

A wort chiller would be #4 on that list. These 4 things just make life so much easier.

 

[corkybstewart]

You can use the wine thief with your hydrometer to test with too. I've also found that the spigots with the 2 rubber washers will leak if tightened down too much. If the washer is starting to squeeze out from behind the sealing area of the spigot,it's likely to leak. Don't over tighten.

That's why I only have a gasket on the outside of my bucket. Use the nut on the inside to tighten so that the spigot never twists on the gasket.
Tameape, if this is a 5 gallon bottling bucket it won't be much use for fermenting, but I don't understand why you can't siphon directly into the Better Bottle.

 

[bourgeoisbee]

Same opinion here. From now on ferment in the Better Bottle for a few weeks, check gravity, and then transfer to the bottling bucket when you bottle.

 

[tameape44]

That's why I only have a gasket on the outside of my bucket. Use the nut on the inside to tighten so that the spigot never twists on the gasket.
Tameape, if this is a 5 gallon bottling bucket it won't be much use for fermenting, but I don't understand why you can't siphon directly into the Better Bottle.

its a 6.8 gallon bucket. i just poured it in and let it run through spigot into better bottle. i need to buy another fermenter but i dont know if i should go with better bottle or a bucket, i hear a lot of people saying they dont like the buckets but i like its larger size and being able to use an air lock rather than the blow off tube. ive heard other people say the tube method is better so i guess idn enough to make an educated decision yet. if i use a wine thief, is it fine to uncork my better bottle mid-fermentation to take a sample? also, my blow off hose seems to be collecting a lot of gunk very rapidly, is it possible for me to take it out, slip the air lock in, clean the hose and then replace it?

 

[smalliewader]

Yes and yes are the answers to your questions. Just sanitize anything that comes in contact with the beer at any time. I also resanitize the air lock and lip of the carboy just to be anal. You don't need to think about taking a sample until at least two weeks regardless of air lock activity or inactivity.

 

[corkybstewart]

its a 6.8 gallon bucket. i just poured it in and let it run through spigot into better bottle. i need to buy another fermenter but i dont know if i should go with better bottle or a bucket, i hear a lot of people saying they dont like the buckets but i like its larger size and being able to use an air lock rather than the blow off tube. ive heard other people say the tube method is better so i guess idn enough to make an educated decision yet. if i use a wine thief, is it fine to uncork my better bottle mid-fermentation to take a sample? also, my blow off hose seems to be collecting a lot of gunk very rapidly, is it possible for me to take it out, slip the air lock in, clean the hose and then replace it?

I have buckets, carboys and even a stainless concal, they all work but for safety reasons I try to avoid the carboys. I use blowoff hoses on all my fermenters, even buckets. That bucket may look plenty big for 5 gallons but one day you'll brew something high gravity, with a lot of wheat or you'll let it get too warm and your airlock will clog and launch itself across the room. Don't worry at all about the gunk in the blowoff, as long as the end of the hose is in a bucket of sanitizer nothing will get back into the fermenter.
As for buckets, I still use the bucket(with spigot) that I started with in 1993.

 

[unionrdr]

Here's an interesting thought on blow offs vs airlocks. I think the center piece of the airlock holds back a small amount of pressure that is wide open in the blow off tube. This seems to make it harder for the connector piece from the airlock I use to get clogged. Because I still use the piece of the airlock that fits in the grommet in the lid. I cut one off an old "s" type airlock I got from cooper's s that would fit the grommet where the tube's diameter won't.