Novelty Airlock Idea

I have never looked into a novelty airlock before, and given the vaguely scientific nature of the hobby, I doubt that there are too many in existence.

I first wanted to share this idea with the science section, but I feel that it would be more of an interruption, there, than a contribution.

Would a design for an airlock with a gear or pinwheel near the exit point, which would spin during fermentation be at all interesting? Such a gear/pinwheel may simply be lifted out to fill the chambers before plugging a stopper or grommet with said airlock.

This idea is on the far-useless end of the continuum between aesthetics and practicality, but I suppose being visually drawn to spinny or flashy objects is an everlasting human plight.

Let me know if this seems even remotely amusing. I may just have too much time on my hands.

 

1 vote for too much time on your hands. Brew more beer

 

Wait, wait. How about a guy bent over grabbing his ankles and the co2 comes out his @**. Or maybe combine it with a tiny pinwheel. Oh boy, the ideas are just flowing.

 

LMAO... okay, I can relate to the spinny shinny thing... I spend way to much time looking at my fermenting beer. would i buy one... prob not.

 

Oh oh oh how about a triple chamber airlock...first chamber has starsan/vodka, last chamber has soap water, and as it bubbles...IT BUBBLES!


And I wholeheartedly disagree with the "too much time" thing. I think I enjoy building my gear as much as using it! And if its worth doing, its worth over doing.

 

These replies were great to wake up to; thanks everyone

 

I'd totally buy one... the bubbles are entertaining enough that if i had something to highlight my "LOOK! SHINY THING!" tendencies, i'd be all for it.

 

The little shiny / spinny things are already available........For aquariums with air pumps.

Adapt away, once your pipeline is full!

 

Are you saying scientists boring??? Or just not novel?

I probably wouldn't buy such a contraption, but would certainly copy any design you came up with as a prototype. Kyle

 

@Stealthcruiser My Fiance's biggest obsession is easily aquaria. I'll have to ask if she ever sees these around. Thanks!

@Conan Scientists aren't always boring, and they often, by nature, must be novel, but I feel that scientists and sciences can be very no-nonsense, in that if something gets in the way of procedures and makes no useful influence on the data, it can often be overlooked or ignored outright, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'll keep this thread in my back pocket, if I ever wind up making one and have pictures to share.

 

I would go with some sort of pinwheel/water wheel style thing that the bubbles can make move. Basically it would just be a container addon to your airlock orblowoff tube that the bubbles would spin. A similar premise to these toys

 

^ This is honestly exactly what I had in mind, just with that concept adapted to an airlock.

 

Ok Im in,

I would like to see a combo of tektonjp and Eugenio ideas put together, so you would end up with a airlock that looks like a guy bending over, and you could fill him with soapy water, and he would blow bubbles out his butt !

I'd just bet lots of people would buy this! I would !

Cheers

 

Make the pinwheel a turbine to power a little LED light. And if you can integrate Z-wave into it, all the better!

 

I like the idea of a "dry airlock".
But the current airlock is so cheap it would be hard to make a replacement that would sell at a price that people would switch to it.

 

I'll keep this thread in my back pocket, if I ever wind up making one and have pictures to share.[/QUOTE]




OH NO!.......You're not getting off that easy!

Get busy on it!.............................

 

Simple. The airlock presses into the bung. The visible portion of the airlock is a clear compartment just forward of the bung. A tube runs from the center of the airlock, up and over to side of the clear compartment where connects to whatever novelty item is inside the clear compartment.

The compartment is filled with Starsan, or whatever, and when the airlock burps, the novelty item appears to fart, or do whatever cool thing it does.

I would like to see the classic aquarium toys in there, like the diver with helmet, treasure chest, clam shell, etc. Maybe a diver farting out of his suit. Maybe just a head of some guy straining with bubbles coming out his ears.

The air bubbles could also simply power a moving scene by turning a wheel as they rise. Could power a teeter totter, or a guy sawing wood, or anything more... adult oriented.... if you know what I mean.

 

THIS... I would buy this. In a heart beat!

I love crazy novelty type crap and would definately buy one.

 

Attach a bell so that every time it bubbles it rings the bell.... no... really, dont! Imagine 3711 in... a wheat beer... at 85°F with a "bell bubbler" lol

 

steampunk airlock...lol

 

Great stuff, everyone. I'll sketch up a few designs of these, and potential combinations.

I'd have to assume that an led-powering turbine and dry airlock would be a little out of interest. Simply, I feel that the LED would very periodically function, dimly at that, and I imagine that a dry airlock would be at constant risk of pushing fresh, outside air back into the vessel.

I'll agree, however, that this is very much a novelty. I can literally make an airlock out of a tough reusable drinking straw, saran wrap, and string/rubber-bands, let alone actually buy one for 2 or 3 USD. Still, I take delight in seeing that I'm not the only person fond of a bit of novelty in odd places.

 

LED might be tough. I doubt the yeast would produce enough bubbles to power it directly. Some capacitance might be required to charge it up and cause a flash now and then though.

I was going to sketch up my initial thought, but my work computer is BARELY capable of running the latest version of Solidworks. By the time it got loaded I was out of memory and it was time to go home! Maybe this morning.

 

Blowoffs all routed to the same catch bucket which would contain the novelty bubbler. This way you can have multiple whirleygigs and things to interface with the bubbles. Heck, making some sort of bubble powered rube goldberg device would be kinda cool as well.

 

I would buy this hahaha. Flatulence is timeless!

 

I'd like to see an airlock that harvests the CO2 so your house don't stink and SWMBO doesn't yell at you for stinking up the closet.

 

Maybe try something along these lines to make an activated charcoal rhino fart catcher
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/apfelwein-sulfur-smell-apparently-solved-218577/

 

I brew in a separate garage so it's not a problem for me but here's a link to a carbon filter to help get rid of fermentation smells.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/airlock-fermentation-filter-385283/

 

Exactly what we need, a bubbler that comes in the shape of a Rhino...

 

Thanks for those carbon filter add on tutorials. Gonna use those.