fermenter lids blowing off and landing 5 feet across the room?

[Kingston]

is this normal? have I done something wrong? And fianlly after three attempts to secure it back on top I used tie downs to keep it sucure. Is my brew runined due to being exposed to the air?

 

[Tsuyako]

I would try a blow off tube if you don't have one already. That could be quite dangerous if you secure the lid too much. (ie explosion!)

And no I don't think it's ruined without more information.

 

[annasdadhockey]

Your beer should be fine, however you may want to figure out why this is happening. Obviously a large amount of pressure is building up somehow.
BTW, where in PA are you from?

 

[Kingston]

thank you. It seems to be ok and so far. A little bit of air is coming out from around the lid but the lid seems to be secure. It is in my basemet next to the sumpump hole so if there is an explosion it wont hurt anything. (unfinished basement)

 

[Kingston]

I am from Lancaster. Its my first attempt at brewing so I wasnt sure if this was out of the norm. i assume it is. I didnt know if maybe it was a faulty fermenting bucket or if I did something that had made it give out more pressure than it should have.

 

[Tsuyako]

Sounds like you need a new lid. There should not be air coming out from around the lid if the airlock is on correctly.

 

[annasdadhockey]

Silly question, but do you have an airlock stuck in the top of the bucket lid, or just a lid?

 

[Kingston]

Yes I have an air lock but it fills up with foam and bubbles over. the BOOM!! abotu 5 minutes later. The straps are doing well. At least for the past 5 hours or so.

 

[Kingston]

Thank you by the way for the responses. This site kicks ass as far as getting some good quality advice and input. Much aooreciated.

 

[Tsuyako]

Not to sound like a broken record but you really should have a blow off hooked up. That will stop the lid from blowing off.

 

[Kingston]

I do. thats why it is so puzzling to me why this is happening. I have watched countless friends and helped out from time to time but I have never heard this happening to any of them.

 

[Kingston]

I have a blow off but... Maybe because i have a brew belt on it. Would temp have anything to do with it? The thermo says it is at 77 deg.

 

[phatuna]

yes, use a blowoff system like this:

 

[phatuna]

sorry kingston, you posted as I was getting that vid for you. 77 is pretty warm depending on what you're making.

It is typical to shoot for the mid 60's for most ales. Mid 70's will likely get you some off flavors. smell it now, I bet you can smell some banana right?

 

[Kingston]

Oh. Ok. I know what you are talking about now. Maybe I will put it in my secondary and make a blowoff system. Thank you!!

 

[Kingston]

No problem. thanks for the input. It is much appreciated!!!

 

[phatuna]

One last thing, don't worry about putting it in your secondary. Just jam the hose into the hole on your bucket lid. Or, if you are using a 3 piece airlock, you can also remove the lid and the bubbler piece of the airlock. You can affix the hose onto that tube thing inside the airlock.

No need to transfer. Just make sure that the container that you use at the other end of your hose (where the bubbles are going) is full of SANITISED water.

 

[febbrewro]

I've had the lid blow off of my fermenter bucket before. It just means that you have a very active fermentation, which is a good thing! However, I wouldn't secure the lid with straps or anything. The gases need to escape, and it seems like your airlock is getting clogged, hense the blowing off of your lid. With that lid strapped down, the pressure might burst the side of your bucket, and leave with you a large mess and no beer

As others have said, blowoffs are best. After my first bucket lid rocket, I've gone with the blowoff setup.

 

[NewBrewB]

No problem. thanks for the input. It is much appreciated!!!

If you want to feel better about your bucket situation, take a read at my glass carboy "first brew" experience... yikes.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/violent-fermentation-154918/

 

[bdnoona]

Belgian yeast maybe? This was my bucket the first time I used Belgian yeast.
https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=28927&cat=all&ppuser=27136

I just sanitized the lid and set it gently back on, but didn't strap it down. You better make sure the gas is escaping somehow, otherwise strapping the lid on could make things worse if it blows off again.

 

[humann_brewing]

what? no pics?

 

[NewBrewB]

good point. A picture of the bucket in the first post would have prevented quite a few of the questions people asked and narrowed-down the advice as well

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Or, get a buss bin and stop securing the lid. Just lay it over top and allow the yeast to overflow the fermenter. Once the bulk of fermentation is done you can secure the lid and rinse the bucket in the shower or with a hose.