So ... my airlock is solid ice.

[Vedexent]

My primary is sitting outside, in a box, wrapped in many layers of insulation, on a heating pad, with a temperature controller.

Given that temperatures outside this time of year vary between 0C - 15C (32F - 60F), and my target fermentation temperature is 18C/66F this is working great at keeping a steady target temperature.

However, the airlock has to poke out of the insulation to vent.

Last night it dropped below freezing and my airlock - which was full of StarSan sanitizer - froze solid.

I've seen at least one video where someone put vodka in their airlock. I'm thinking that if it's getting cold enough outside to freeze vodka, I'll have other concerns than how my beer is fermenting.

Any downsides to using vodka for this, that I'm not seeing?

Thanks,

 

[bleme]

Not really. Depending on your airlock, it might get sucked into your beer if it temp drops too much but that is pretty much why people use it.

 

[SlitheryDee]

What about extending your enclosure so that the entire airlock is inside it? There really shouldn't be any harm in venting into the air around the fermenter right? It could even help with heat retention.

 

[kh54s10]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=396309&stc=1&d=1492005237

 

[Zekk]

My friend would always use vodka and when bottling would shoot the vodka. Unless a blowoff had occurred

 

[mainbutter]

I use vodka, works like a charm. I keep cheap vodka on hand for sanitizing and cleaning tasks, often even unrelated to brewing.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I always start with a blowoff, then at first dry hop (as fermentation is slowing down), I switch to vodka. Then, if it gets sucked in during cold crash, I don't really care.