Airlock came off after adding yeast

[PHARO]

I am brand new to Mead making and have a question I was unable to find an answer for.

I have been making several different 1 gallon batches of Mead and following instructions perfectly with the hopes that once I see which batches come out the best I will make them in larger 5 gallon batches.

My questions is... I made a batch and waited 24 hours and added the yeast last night around 7:00 PM. When I walked in the kitchen this morning I noticed the airlock had been pushed off the top. I reattached the air lock about 3 hours ago and have seen no bubbles which is unusual from my past experience. I was curious if the airlock coming off messed anything up or if I should do something to fix it.

Thanks again for any help and sorry if I could of found the answer elsewhere.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

If it's fermenting, positive pressure should not create any oxidation problems. As long as you put the airlock back on, you should be fine. As far as fermentation status, gravity checks are the best way to determine if you batch is moving along or not.

 

[bernardsmith]

What is the benefit of using an airlock during the primary fermentation? Presumably you would want the yeast to have exposure to oxygen; to be able to really stir and agitate the must and to be able to pull the CO2 out of the bucket (or carboy). An airlock inhibits all three of these. I would have thought loosely covering the opening with a cloth or paper cover to prevent dirt falling in is all that you need until the gravity falls close to the point when you will rack the mead into a secondary fermenter. At THAT point you want to seal the carboy and attach an airlock...

 

[PHARO]

What is the benefit of using an airlock during the primary fermentation? Presumably you would want the yeast to have exposure to oxygen; to be able to really stir and agitate the must and to be able to pull the CO2 out of the bucket (or carboy). An airlock inhibits all three of these. I would have thought loosely covering the opening with a cloth or paper cover to prevent dirt falling in is all that you need until the gravity falls close to the point when you will rack the mead into a secondary fermenter. At THAT point you want to seal the carboy and attach an airlock...

I'm new to the process and am following the book I bought with the recipe. I am still learning which is why I reached out for help.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Why not? It's a little extra reassurance as to what is in and what is not inside your fermenter. As far as aeration, it's pretty easy to take your stopper off and aerate with your preferred method.

 

[IJesusChrist]

Some people do primary fermentation in an open-top bucket, with a muslin bag over the top to keep bugs out.
So not an issue, really.

something interesting I've been watching is that my the top of my bucket will bulge upwards before the airlock bubbles. There is some kind of odd surface tension in airlocks (the 2-piece ones) that actually has a decent amount of force that the CO2 needs to counteract. I've had the piece fly clear off if there is any residual must in the airlock (and thus a denser liquid).