Primary head space

[PNWgirl]

For the past year or so I've been brewing, I do my primary fermentation in a 7 gallon plastic bucket and things have always been fine. I've been brewing a lot more lately and needed a 2nd bucket, and the only one in stock at my LHBS was an 8 gallon. The brew I did last weekend went into it and there is alot of head space. The airlock doesn't seem to be quite as active as normal, but still active and started ~ 12 hours after pitching.

My question is - is there such thing as too much head space in a primary fermenter? Or is it just that there is a lot of "breathing room" so the airlock doesn't "need" to release CO2 as often?

FYI- temps have been constant at 60-62F so shouldn't be any problems in that regard.

Thanks and Happy Friday... Prost!

 

[sleepystevenson]

I wouldn't see it as a problem... though...sounds like bigger batches should be in your future!!!

 

[Jaybird]

you can never have TOO much head room just not enough. 60 - 62 whatcha got brewen???
JJ

 

[PNWgirl]

Okay that makes me feel better!

I am hoping to move up to 10 gallons one of these days

Got a California Common brewing.

 

[WBC]

Those bucket lids do not seal very good and so the co2 just goes out through the lid edges. This will not hurt anything except being able to see airlock work as it would on a carboy with no leaks.

 

[WortMonger]

FWIW, if you can use a pressurizable fermenter 5 psi will allow for very little headspace. It keeps the kraeusen very low. Just a little random knowledge, not that it helps here.

 

[Jaybird]

Okay that makes me feel better!

I am hoping to move up to 10 gallons one of these days

Got a California Common brewing.

what yeast ???
just wondering 60-62 seems low unless your using a lager yeast
JJ

 

[PNWgirl]

Using WYeast 2112, and I like to ferment my ales on the lower side (even though this isn't a true "ale," it's the temps I ferment ales at). They've always turned out well, IMHO. Plus I'm too damn cheap to heat my house any higher than 62

I took a closer look at this new bucket today and I realized the little stopper it came with doesn't seal as well as the others I have. It's shaped like )( if you can imagine it being turned 90 degrees and the indent is where the seal is. Definitely not as air-tight as the other stoppers I have that are more V shaped. That might be why it's not fermenting as I've normally seen in the past.

 

[RLinNH]

Timely thread for me. Last weekends Batch (A NB Phat Tyre Clone) came out with more Wort then I expected. I lautered to much and I didn't boil off enough of it. Anywho, I wound up with about 6 gallons of Wort. I poured it into my 6 1/2 Gallon Primary, and I had little to no head Space. I pitched anywho, and then worried about it all night. I woke up in the morning and I was going to pour some of the Wort out, but it had already started fermenting. I just let it go. I am sure that I lost some yeast through the blow off tube, but here she sits, still giving off a burp every now and then for me. I have yet to take any Hydrometer readings, but I have a feeling that it'll be fine what with how vigorous the fermentation was.

 

[EvilTOJ]

An 8 gallon bucket will be fine for the active fermentation. The CO2 generated will push out the air until nothing is left in the fermenter but that nose biting blanket of CO2.

I have an 8 gallon bucket for one of my primaries and it's saved my butt, that's for sure. I ended up with 7 gallons of boildown on a kolsh I made last weekend, and a 8 gallon bucket was perfect.