Lid exploded off the fermenter

[terriblebrewer]

I just did my first batch of all grain - everything went perfectly until I woke up this morning with the lid off my fermenter and mess all over the walls and floor. I have zero idea what happened. I am using a simple airlock with a float and cap that I filled 1/3rd way with boiled water. The holes on the cap were clear. Can anyone help me to understand what went wrong? Obviously the airlock jammed, but how exactly? It's a very simple device!

 

[gunhaus]

Agents from In-Bev infiltrated your home and ruined your brew . . . . OR, the airlock got plugged during the night and the $&%& blew up! Next time try a blow off tube. Sadly it happens.

 

[Biggz1313]

The krausen itself is likely what clogged your airlock. Blow off tubes (into a big jug of sanitizer) are typically safest bet for beers you expect will have a vigorous fermentation or if you have very little headspace in the fermentation vessel.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

@terriblebrewer pictures please

 

[terriblebrewer]

Without showing all of the carnage (I'm pretty embarassed), here is a part of it. The ceiling was indeed reached, and it's a high ceiling. I really don't have any idea how long the lid was off and I'm surprised that I slept through this explosion. I put the lid back on when I found it and cleaned the airlock - I guess we'll see what happens in a week.

 

[friarsmith]

Same thing happened to me a few years back with a batch of porter IIRC. Turned out fine. The bottom part of those 3-Piece airlocks get clogged easily. You can cut the tip of them w/ a utility knife to widen the opening.

As already mentioned, a blowoff tube is a good option. These elbows work great hooked up to some 3/8” siphon hose.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

@terriblebrewer the carnage is great, more pics please, in time you will enjoy them as well.

A fellow I knew, had a keg of blackberry saison, the diptube got stopped up from the blackberries, he removed the post from the top of the keg without depressurizing it first, from what I understood, he did this in his kitchen and it shot up and hit the ceiling, my bet is, there is still a purple stain today.

I've been brewing for a bit over ten years and made many a mess myself.

 

[terriblebrewer]

Thanks for the support! I may share another photo when I clean the ceiling. Nice reading supportive posts on this forum - it's a bit different to other forums I have used!

 

[Dr_Jeff]

The garage where I brewed at my old house was speckled with brown from from a stout.
Some Super genius decided to clear the remaining wort from the counterflow chiller with compressed air and when it got close the end of the tubing being empty, it flew out of the fermenter and whipped around spraying everything with brown wort, me included. I was brewing alone that day, lol.

Another time after the beer was in the kegs, I decided to save the yeast, I had been fermenting in a 1/2 barrel sanke keg. I took a jar, turned the keg over, somehow things slipped, jar broke, hand cut bad, likely should have had stitches, broken glass, blood and yeast everywhere in my office, on the carpet, on the door, on the table, likely some on the wall as well. Many curse words were involved, likely most of them as I am very fluent with the library of them.

We all have accidents and look back and laugh now.

 

[BQ&W]

Without showing all of the carnage (I'm pretty embarassed), here is a part of it. The ceiling was indeed reached, and it's a high ceiling. I really don't have any idea how long the lid was off and I'm surprised that I slept through this explosion. I put the lid back on when I found it and cleaned the airlock - I guess we'll see what happens in a week.

No need to feel embarrassed, stuff happens! Now you have a great story to tell while you enjoy this brew!

 

[hotbeer]

IMO, those airlocks are too small a diameter for much gas to flow through them quick enough to relieve the gas volume produced during a really good krausen.

Just use a blow of tube and bubbler bottle till the krausen is finished in a day or two or use it for the entire time your beer is in the fermenter.

I use 7/8" ID tubing even for the 1 gallon batches I do. Though I know that is overkill. It's all they had when I was looking for tubing. 3/8 ID is too small IMO, and somewhere between 1/2" ID and 3/4" ID is probably the ideal.

Might also ask yourself if you left enough headspace in the bucket. Most seem to say 20% of the total capacity should be just empty headspace.... or there'bouts.

Nothing wrong with your beer, just clean and sanitize the airlock and the outside of the fermenter. The rest of the garage is optional.

 

[VikeMan]

IMO, those airlocks are too small a diameter for much gas to flow through them quick enough to relieve the gas volume produced during a really good krausen.

Well, the stems are too narrow at the end if the krausen gets high enough to clog them, but I don't think there's really an issue with normal gas flow. I've seen standard 3-piece airlock used on some multi-barrel commercial fermenters, with no issues.

A 5 gallon batch of beer might make a couple of pounds of CO2 total, and not all at once.

 

[hotbeer]

but I don't think there's really an issue with normal gas flow.

Perhaps I shouldn't have said gas flow. You are correct it's the other crap being carried with the bubbles that gets up into the airlock or small diameter blow off tubes that makes the mess.

With my 7/8" ID tube going straight up from the fermenter for 4 - 6 inches before turning back toward the bubbler bottle, I've seen the krausen go up in it once. The crud carried up rolls back down the inside of the tube into the fermenter well before making it to the bend. And the large ID leaves plenty of room for clean gas to escape instead of building up behind the crud blocking it blows lids or airlocks off and crud out.

 

[McMullan]

Once yeast get pushed out of the sugary wort they'll soon want to flocculate. With CO2 flowing out at a reasonable rate they dry layer on layer until the airlock gets blocked. Back pressure builds up. Pop! Brewing can be a messy business. Just makes it more fun.

 

[Joggin]

Welcome to the club. After it happened to me once, someone suggested with the amount of CO2 going you can just leave the lid on not closed with infection risk low. That's what I do if by chance my headspace is low. I put bucket in a pan to catch overspill if needed and something light to weigh down lid in case of bugs around. A couple days til it settles down, then close lid. Works out fine.

 

[Yooper]

That can happen, especially if the beer gets warm and the yeast go even faster.

Welcome to the Homebrewer's Club- the only group of people who have mopped their ceilings. Some of us, more than once.

 

[BoitAHL]

Thanks for the support!

As has been stated this may have happened to everyone at one time or another. Personally, after a couple nasty cleanups I use a blowoff tube for every primary fermentation just to be safe. Also, super big beers I sometimes split between two fermenters.

Nice reading supportive posts on this forum - it's a bit different to other forums I have used!

This is an awesome forum. Members are incredibly helpful with ideas and advice.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I think that's happened to every home brewer. If you do it right, you can hit a 14 foot high ceiling.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I think that's happened to every home brewer. If you do it right, you can hit a 14 foot high ceiling.

If you can make a mess on a 14' ceiling, how long does one's significant other stay pissed at you?

 

[ttsalo]

I had similar issues and finally replaced the little hole for the airlock with a weldless tri-clamp port which the blow-off tube connects to. Best brewing gear mod I ever did, I can even dry hop through it without opening the lid. (Loose pellets)

 

[homebeerbrewer]

If you can make a mess on a 14' ceiling, how long does one's significant other stay pissed at you?

Thankfully, it was at the homebrew shop I worked at.

 

[Miraculix]

If you can make a mess on a 14' ceiling, how long does one's significant other stay pissed at you?

You need to solve the SOUAH Equation (Significant Other Upset at Homebrewer) for this.

((hC*AC+nW)/deltaAFSO)=wCH/tD

(Height of ceiling*Square meters spoiled with yeast+number of additional walls affected)/acceptance factor of the significant other=Weight of chocolate needed to calm her down/numbers of following days to deliver the chocolate on

 

[passedpawn]

You need to solve the SOUAH Equation (Significant Other Upset at Homebrewer) for this.

((hC*AC+nW)/deltaAFSO)=wCH/tD

(Height of ceiling*Square meters spoiled with yeast+number of additional walls affected)/acceptance factor of the significant other=Weight of chocolate needed to calm her down/numbers of following days to deliver the chocolate on

awesome

 

[passedpawn]

I just did my first batch of all grain - everything went perfectly until I woke up this morning with the lid off my fermenter and mess all over the walls and floor. I have zero idea what happened. I am using a simple airlock with a float and cap that I filled 1/3rd way with boiled water. The holes on the cap were clear. Can anyone help me to understand what went wrong? Obviously the airlock jammed, but how exactly? It's a very simple device!

Pictorial lesson: my world before using a blowoff tube on my fermentors... and my world after.

 

[Miraculix]

Pictorial lesson: my world before using a blowoff tube on my fermentors... and my world after.

View attachment 767359

View attachment 767360

The beer did number two

 

[Brewdog80]

Has been stated earlier, just slightly place the lid on the bucket. Zero reason, unless you have a small child roaming that could get into the bucket to have it pushed down and sealed tight. The yeast is continually producing co2, and no contaminants issues. I brewed for more than decade in plastic food container which had a lid, which while near airtight, would leak co2 and I used no hole and bubbler.

 

[skeeterman]

I just did my first batch of all grain - everything went perfectly until I woke up this morning with the lid off my fermenter and mess all over the walls and floor. I have zero idea what happened. I am using a simple airlock with a float and cap that I filled 1/3rd way with boiled water. The holes on the cap were clear. Can anyone help me to understand what went wrong? Obviously the airlock jammed, but how exactly? It's a very simple device!

I never put either beer or wine under an airlock for the first days of active fermentation. Cover the bucket with a piece of clean cloth. Store-bought muslin or clean bed sheet work fine. Fasten it with a bundgee cord until the commotion subsides. And yes, I agree a blown cover is a mess. Beeen there, done that, got the pictures!

 

[Singletrack]

Without showing all of the carnage (I'm pretty embarassed), here is a part of it. The ceiling was indeed reached, and it's a high ceiling. I really don't have any idea how long the lid was off and I'm surprised that I slept through this explosion. I put the lid back on when I found it and cleaned the airlock - I guess we'll see what happens in a week.

View attachment 767154

You got your priorities straight. You cleaned the airlock, put the lid on, and left krausen all over the door, and, I'm assuming, the rest of the room. You have a bright future as an all-grain home brewer. I'm a little late with this message, but if you haven't cleaned up yet, just ask yourself: Why bother? You know this is just going to happen again. It's time to dedicate this room to fermentation.

 

[wsmith1625]

No one has mentioned this but you shouldn't be filling your airlock or blow off jar with boiled water. Boiled water is sanitary, but it won't help if contaminants enter it. You should be using water treated with StarSan or alcohol such as cheap vodka.

 

[bracconiere]

i'm curious if the air lock is bubbling now?