Air Lock

[eht943]

Hello all, This is my first go around with making beer. I did over fill my air lock with water. I took the air lock cap off and placed a thin pice of paper towel down in there to soak up some of the water in the airlock it self. It worked but, am I safe with out causing bacterial growth???????

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Id use vodka or Starsan, but you will be fine.

 

[two_one_seven]

You can just pull out the airlock and dump some of the water if there is too much. You have to remember that the airlock serves the purpose of keeping dust and bacteria from settling in the wort. if there is water in the airlock dust can't make it around the bend to get to the sugars in the wort. Beer is way more resilient than you think, you haven't done anything that will "hurt" the beer.

 

[eht943]

Thanks all, I will be able to sleep now.........

 

[eht943]

Id use vodka or Starsan, but you will be fine.

One shot of vodka for the airlock and two shots for me!! Thanks

 

[unionrdr]

I like to use cheap vodka in my airlocks as well. Anything that gets in it dies of alcohol poisoning.

 

[two_one_seven]

The starsan/vodka is just a safety measure. I use starsan myself because I am already dipping the airlock in it and I am lazy.....lol. Honestly though if you sanitize everything and put clean water in you are go to go. If dust particles can't get in then bacteria can't and the nasties can't crawl or swim so your safe.

 

[LabRatBrewer]

The starsan/vodka is just a safety measure. I use starsan myself because I am already dipping the airlock in it and I am lazy.....lol. Honestly though if you sanitize everything and put clean water in you are go to go. If dust particles can't get in then bacteria can't and the nasties can't crawl or swim so your safe.

You're right about it being just for safety, however bacteria can swim http://www.cellsalive.com/animabug.htm.

 

[neo71665]

Thanks all, I will be able to sleep now.........

Too many people stress over tiny things. Beer has been around a lot longer than the air lock.

 

[two_one_seven]

Fair enough but I am pretty sure they can't swim against a current or crawl up the airlock. Louis Pasteur and and John Tyndall would agree with me if they could.

 

[unionrdr]

But they can get in via a suck back. It occurs when the beer cools down after intial fermentation usually. It then creates a partial vacuum,sucking the airlock liquid into the fermenter. Then you could be in trouble.

 

[freisste]

+1. Also, if you were aging for an extended time that water could get a little funky.

For a normal beer sitting for a couple weeks, I'm sure water would be fine. But cheap vodka is cheap and sanitizer is sitting right there, so why not use one or the other?

 

[KepowOb]

But they can get in via a suck back. It occurs when the beer cools down after intial fermentation usually. It then creates a partial vacuum,sucking the airlock liquid into the fermenter. Then you could be in trouble.

If your not cold crashing is suck back ever an issue? Not saying it won't happen, but if you fully your 3-piece correctly it shouldn't... Or if you use an S-type...

 

[freisste]

I believe there is a perfect level at which your three piece will not allow suck back. Not sure though. Regardless, it is easy to overfill, making suck back a reality.

 

[unionrdr]

If your not cold crashing is suck back ever an issue? Not saying it won't happen, but if you fully your 3-piece correctly it shouldn't... Or if you use an S-type...

I believe there is a perfect level at which your three piece will not allow suck back. Not sure though. Regardless, it is easy to overfill, making suck back a reality.

Nope & nope. Except when cold crashing it can. But like I said before,any wide temp fluctuations or drops can cause suckback & overfilling the airlock won't stop it. Nor will the style of airlock. The temp drop of even 3-4 degrees will create a partial vacuum in the headspace,sucking what's in the airlock into the fermenter attempting to equalize the pressure inside. Simple thermodynamics.

 

[Frige]

Yep use cheap vodka. I picked up a pint for 5 bucks I wouldnt drink it but it works in the airlock.

 

[KepowOb]

Nope & nope. Except when cold crashing it can. But like I said before,any wide temp fluctuations or drops can cause suckback & overfilling the airlock won't stop it. Nor will the style of airlock. The temp drop of even 3-4 degrees will create a partial vacuum in the headspace,sucking what's in the airlock into the fermenter attempting to equalize the pressure inside. Simple thermodynamics.

I use a 3-peice airlock, so I might be off base here... But I've read a number of times that with an S-type airlock, because it works in both directions, it will suck air in before it sucks water in (as long as it isn't overfilled I guess?). I get the problem with the 3-piece ones, and I completely agree that it doesn't hurt to use some sort of sanitized water or vodka, I was just playing a bit of a devils advocate. I have seen a thread on these forums which talks about how to properly fill them to prevent suck back, its easy to do and leaves them slightly under filled if I remember correctly.... Im on mobile ATM, I'll see if I can find the thread when I'm on my computer.

 

[kombat]

If your not cold crashing is suck back ever an issue?

Actively fermenting beer can be up to 10° F warmer than the ambient temperature. So if the room is 65° F, the beer could be 75°F. Then it finishes fermenting, and it "cold crashes" down to room temperature. I can see how that could result in some suck-back as it settles down to the ambient room temperature.

I suppose it's possible that the still-slowly-fermenting beer offgasses enough CO2 as it cools to offset an internal gas contraction that would otherwise result in suckback, but I'm not aware of any authoritative research on the issue.

 

[unionrdr]

I've had them both over & under filled & it didn't matter. And off gassing co2 is slower after initial fermentation. so suck backs can happen when the beer comes back down to room temp. I've seen it many times.

 

[two_one_seven]

In 17 years I have never had suckback.......I guess I shouldn't say that outloud. I think if the change is suddend you could get it but a slow change in temperature would take a very specific set of circumstances.

 

[freisste]

I'm not somewhere where I can test my theory (and i don't have one in front of me), but I'm quite sure I can fill a three piece airlock to a point where it works as an airlock but will NOT suck back.

But that's neither here not there. The fact is (for me) that I almost ALWAYS overfill my airlock - making potential suck back a definite possibility. So as I said before, I use something that I don't mind getting in my beer. Cheap vodka or starsan, for instance.

 

[unionrdr]

Vodka or starsan is fine. But how much it's filled doesn't appear to have much,if any relavence to suck back. That's created by a partial vacuum in the primary head space.

 

[freisste]

I think were talking about different things. You still get the partial vacuum at times, but if you fill the airlock low enough, it allows air through before pulling the liquid into the beer.

 

[unionrdr]

That's also a point of contention,letting air through. not a good thing.

 

[freisste]

But if you have a vacuum, you have to let in air. Unless you let in sanitizer (hopefully!) first and then air after the sanitizer is gone. Or else you keep the partial vacuum in the case of a true one-way valve.

 

[two_one_seven]

You are forgeting that the fermenting beer is off gassing CO2......its a postitive pressure situation. Which is my contention that suck back is a rare phenomenon. We have really taken this thread off the rails BTW sorry to the OP. It's been fun going down the rabbit hole though.

 

[unionrdr]

It's not all that rare. And as I said,after initial fermentation,less co2 is being produced. So then the temp from all that quick fermentation goes down to room temp,a partial vacuum is created,then suck back. If you let air in once to equalize the pressure,it's absorbed by the co2,according to scentific research types on here.

 

[two_one_seven]

It's not all that rare. And as I said,after initial fermentation,less co2 is being produced. So then the temp from all that quick fermentation goes down to room temp,a partial vacuum is created,then suck back. If you let air in once to equalize the pressure,it's absorbed by the co2,according to scentific research types on here.

Union, I happend to be one of those. I research for a living, started college life as an archeologist and then finished as a biology/microbiology degree.

Let's be civil about this and agree to disagree. As I said before we have carried this thread a bit further than the original posters needs. I like good debate but we are going in circles now.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,I guess some folks see things differently. But I proceeded from my own observations backed up by conversations in earlier threads. I don't remember who it was that spoke of the gas absorption bit,but I stated the gist of it anyway. Time will reveal the reality of it all. ipe:

 

[hehawbrew]

So- had suck back today in my airlock. Used some old starsan water I had from my brew session 3 weeks ago..... Should I worry or just sit back and chill?