Air tight Blow-off

[BrooZer]

When using a 1" diameter tube, how do you all acheive an air tight seal?

 

[ndhowlett]

I've found that putting it too far into the carboy it's not air tight. I use a 1" tube for my blow off as well. Never had a problem when I put it in a little below the lip of the carboy.

Had to use my words carefully on that one to avoid any sex sounding descriptions, but it probably still does.

 

[BrooZer]

I've found that putting it too far into the carboy it's not air tight. I use a 1" tube for my blow off as well. Never had a problem when I put it in a little below the lip of the carboy.

Had to use my words carefully on that one to avoid any sex sounding descriptions, but it probably still does.

Thanks for the explixit description. just kidding. I wonder if wrapping it in siran wrap would help any?

 

[ajf]

If you need a blow off tube, you'll have so much CO2 blasting out, you won't need a completely airtight seal. If it doesn't fall out of the neck, it should be OK.

-a.

 

[Wables]

I wrapped mine with electrical tape and soaked it in sanitizer for a few days. I no longer use a 1" hose. I got some of those orange plastic carboy caps with the two stubs on top. You can put a 3/8" ID hose over one of the stubs and use it as a standard blow off. It is MUCH smaller than the 1" tubes but I haven't clogged one yet, even with some nasty krausens. I usually switch to a standard airlock after the krausen falls because I like to count the bubbles. The main advantages of 3/8" ID tubing that I have found are:

1) I get a better air seal with the carboy caps than the 1" hose.
2) 3/8" ID hose is far easier to work with than 1". That 1" hose is stiff and has a strong, natural "curl".
3) 3/8" is much cheaper if you change it out every few batches. A carboy cap is under $3 and 3/8" tube is $0.20 per foot, vs. almost $1 per foot for 1" tube.
4) I make 10 gallon batches, and I can fit 2 3/8" tubes in the neck of a 1 gallon cider jug 1/2 full of sanitizer. With 1" hose I needed 2 jugs.
5) I always worried about sanitizing my makeshift electrical tape seal.

 

[Brett0424]

There is no need for an airtight seal...it's not like bacteria is crawling around trying to get in there...and as said above you should be producing c02 so this is not an issue

 

[Mike C]

I wasn't sure if I had a tight seal the first time I used one so I wound Teflon tape around the seal and packed it in as tight as I could. Seemed to work ok but then the next time I didn't even bother, and it still bubbled away in the pail of starsan I had next to it. Haven't used the tape since.

 

[PseudoChef]

Yeah, don't go through all that trouble...with that much positive pressure, there's no need for an airtight seal.

 

[cefmel]

Just get a rubber stopper and a right angle barbed adapter and some 3/8 inch food grade hose and run it into a container with water and starsan.

 

[capcrnch]

Wow, alot of "long way" ideas here.
I went easy.. (at least I think so)...

I cut the "screen" off the bottom of my bubbler, then put a hose on the nipple on the inside of the bubbler. Easy.
Then if I ever want to use the bubbler like normal, I can just throw in the bubbler cap and put on the top and im good (such as when making apfeilwine)