Carboy cap doesn't accept airlock?

[cms]

Just bought carboy caps for my carboys and I'm about to rack my IPA to secondary (carboy) for some dry-hopping goodness.

Maybe I am just being too gentle with it, but I can't fit my airlock into my carboy cap. Is it supposed to be that tight? Both bits are even slick with sanitizer, but that hole seems too small (that's what she said! er - sorry. I'm immature)...

Also, this is a 3-piece airlock - I just got a couple of those. I read someone (Revvy, perhaps?) said that he snapped the little X's off the bottoms. Is that good advice? If it was Revvy, then I'm sure it is, but I'm not 100% sure who said it. Any opinions? For a 2ndary, there's no way in hell I'm going to have a blowoff issue, but I suppose on a primary, that X could plug up and cause the bucket to over-pressurize.

 

[chromados]

Yup, just jam them together they will fit. But once you get the air lock in there and leave it for a while it will stay stretched out. So if you are planning on using a sanitary siphon with that cap it may not form a good enough seal. And about the "x's" on the air locks i have never taken them off and dont plan too as i use a blow off tube for primary.

Chromados

 

[beninan]

I have one where the hole was cut too close to the end, like at the very end of the taper, and did the same thing you are describing. I just had to cut a little further down to make the hole bigger.
Maybe this is the same thing that's going on with yours?

 

[cms]

Gave it a shove and it slipped it. Not sure what I thought would happen - I doubt it could have split the rubber. Anyway, that made a nice tight seal, but the seal around the carboy mouth doesn't seem all that tight.

Far far as the X, I think the idea was that you would use the bottom piece of the airlock to attach the blowoff tube (that little hard plastic tube that sticks up in the airlock, active as an adapter)

 

[beninan]

Anyway, that made a nice tight seal, but the seal around the carboy mouth doesn't seem all that tight.

funny you should say that.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/leaky-carboy-cap-232327/

They just asked that question.