When to remove blow off and when to transfer to secondary?

Sorry if this is a completely noob set of questions. I am brewing a Belgian Tripel. I had to us my siphon tube into santizer for blow off after it blew all over my home office. Oops. The bubbling has slowed down dramatically from yesterday. I brewed it on Monday. So my questions. When do I remove the tube and replace it with the normal air lock? When do I know to move it to a 5 gallon carboy? I have been reading that there is some talk that this is unnecessary.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Kevin the noob boob

 

There is no need to switch back to an airlock, but i like to do it anyway after the krausen subsides. I feel like it's cleaner that way.

I don't secondary normal ales unless I'm adding something like fruit. I've never made a tripel though so maybe that's different.

 

You can remove the blowoff whenever after the very active phase is over.

The secondary can be unnecessary, but it usually comes down to preference. If you do decide to move it over, you want to wait 7-10 days until you are effectively at final gravity. If you rack it before FG, it may not finish. Some people move it for every beer, some only move it for dry-hopping or adding additional flavorings/fruit etc.

 

I only move if using fruit or if I am dry hoping and want to wash the yeast. The dry hops make a bloody mess of the yeast sediment.

It is best to leave the beer on the yeast for awhile, it can go to long but a few weeks isn't too long. The yeast will finish the beer and clean up any off flavors that were created in the intial fermentation.

 

When the rapid bubbling slows down or stops,only initial fermentaation is over. It'll now slowly,uneventfully creep down to FG. When the bubbling slows way down or stops with the blow off,you can then safely replace it with an airlock. I fill mine with cheap vodka so any nasties that do get in the airlock die of alcohol poisoning.
And never rack the beer to anything before FG is reached. I do it all in primary,but you can use a secondary if you prefer.

 

Are we gonna do this one again.....jk.....LOL.