Air lock required during secondary?

[Questor]

My last batch had a rather explosive primary that was apparently 95% done after about three days (airlock is not a guarantee, but an idea anyway).

It seemed 99.9% done at one week. As of today it's been 13 days.

I racked it to secondary today in a sealed plastic bucket. After I was done, my wife pointed out that maybe I need a water lock on the top.

WELL... Yeah, maybe. Must I?

 

[Monghetti]

I do believe that co2 will continue to be released throughout the secondary process

 

[fivehoursfree]

I've had some fermentation happen in the secondary, so it can't hurt. If you are pretty confident most of the fermentation is complete, maybe "burp" the bucket a few times a day.

 

[Yooper]

I'd use the airlock. In fact, I use airlocks even in my wines that are bulk aging. Even if fermentation is done, quite a bit of co2 stays in the beer, and things like a small temperature change or a drop in the barometric pressure could cause some of the co2 to come out of solution. It's not a big deal, because the airlock lets it out. In a sealed container, though, it might be a problem.

 

[danorocks17]

i usually get some fermentation during secondary. It can't hurt