fermentor lid buldging

[GayleHomebrew]

1 day into fermentation, i checked my brew, airlock had some krausen in it. Figured no big deal, change out the water when i got back. A few hours later, pressure is building and the lid is buldging. Its my 5th batch but the first time this has happened. What do i do? And why is the pressure building?

 

[hunter_le five]

Airlock is probably clogged from when the krausen got in it. Check the hole at the bottom of the airlock, and the stopper if your fermenter has one. Remove the airlock/stopper, clean/sanitize it, and replace.

Quickly now... before your fermenter explodes.....

 

[kh54s10]

If the airlock clogs with krausen debris it could easily build enough pressure to blow the lid off! Set up a blow off tube ASAP.

I'll leave it to you to do a search for "blow off tube"

 

[BeerGrylls]

Take that airlock off, clean it, sanitize it, put it back in place. If the krausen is still flooding, you may need a blowoff tube.

EDIT we all responded at the same time, but apparently I type more slowly than these guys!

 

[GayleHomebrew]

If i cannot get a blow off tube today, should i keep an eye on it for the night? My local brew supply store is closed.

 

[RM-MN]

If i cannot get a blow off tube today, should i keep an eye on it for the night? My local brew supply store is closed.

Set the fermenter in another container, like a plastic tub. Slowly remove the airlock being ready to have krausen squirt out of the hole. You might want something like a pan lid to hold above it because there is pressure and the krausen is likely to shoot out. The pan lid can help control where it goes when it does come out. Leave the airlock off for the night. Tomorrow morning, look at the bottom of the airlock. If it has a cross of plastic in the opening you should remove that with a pair of pliers. Sanitize the airlock and put it back on. If it still spills krausen it will be contained in the plastic tub instead of all over the ceiling, walls, and floor.

 

[kh54s10]

Check your siphon tubing or any others you have. You might already have something that will fit. If not, pull the airlock and put a piece of sanitized foil over the hole. Tilting the bucket (hole on the high side) might be good so the krausen does not go back into the fermenter if it does blow off.

 

[GayleHomebrew]

Set the fermenter in another container, like a plastic tub. Slowly remove the airlock being ready to have krausen squirt out of the hole. You might want something like a pan lid to hold above it because there is pressure and the krausen is likely to shoot out. The pan lid can help control where it goes when it does come out. Leave the airlock off for the night. Tomorrow morning, look at the bottom of the airlock. If it has a cross of plastic in the opening you should remove that with a pair of pliers. Sanitize the airlock and put it back on. If it still spills krausen it will be contained in the plastic tub instead of all over the ceiling, walls, and floor.

Will having my brew exposed to air for a night during fermentation be a problem?

 

[jakenbacon]

My lid always bulges regardless of blow off tube or airlock. I think it's pretty normal but it is good to check and make sure just in case you do have a clog....

 

[kh54s10]

Will having my brew exposed to air for a night during fermentation be a problem?

It will be off gassing so it is unlikely that anything bad will get in. As I suggested, put a sanitized piece of aluminum foil over the hole.

 

[Shred]

Clean out the airlock. If you've already hit high krausen it probably won't fill the airlock again. What did you fill the airlock with? A cheap vodka or starsan solution is preferred in case any of the stuff that came into contact with the air gets back in.

The lid can bulge just from the CO2 build up too. It's not always something to panic over. I only use blow-off tubes now, however.

 

[RM-MN]

Will having my brew exposed to air for a night during fermentation be a problem?

People used to ferment in open containers. Once the yeast get a good start there will be so much CO2 coming out that nothing bad can get in. When things slow down, you put the airlock back on.

 

[Shred]

People used to ferment in open containers. Once the yeast get a good start there will be so much CO2 coming out that nothing bad can get in. When things slow down, you put the airlock back on.

^ This... the expulsion of CO2 will make it very difficult for anything to get in. Don't go more than a day or so, however. As soon as you see the krausen start to drop pop the airlock back in.

 

[GayleHomebrew]

Thanks for all the responses! I got the problem under control now. Much appreciated