Airlock filling with wort

[Datgreenstuff]

Hey my airlock keeps filling with wort. I dont have a blowoff tube which i read would help. Ive emptied it and sanitized it twice. (Btw its in the secondary now). Im brewing a sam adams clone, how long will this continue and since it keeps filling up! How often should i check it...

 

[vincentAlpha]

Depends on the brew and the yeast, at a guess I'd say at least 24-48 hours and it'll likely get clogged every few hours. Do you have any spare hoses(1-2' ought to do) and what kind of airlock are you using?

 

[Datgreenstuff]

I dont have any spare hoses and idk what kind of airlock it is. It has a removable piece on the inside... maybe its a 3 piece idk. This is my second brew and 1st using all grain

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Yes all you need to do is take the cap off and the floating inside piece. Connect a tube to it and feed it into a bottle or bucket with sanitized solution.

 

[vincentAlpha]

Exactly as HB says, if all else fails you can use the same hose that you transferred your beer with, it'll be a bit long but better than nothing.

 

[Datgreenstuff]

Thanks guys. I forgot to check it before i left for work so i hope its ok, im going to pick up a tube from the brew shop since i have to stop and get strawberry extract anyway.

 

[kombat]

Yes all you need to do is take the cap off and the floating inside piece. Connect a tube to it and feed it into a bottle or bucket with sanitized solution.

Any time I've done this, the tubing has gotten so stuck onto the airlock that I've been unable to get it off without breaking the airlock.

 

[Hello]

Any time I've done this, the tubing has gotten so stuck onto the airlock that I've been unable to get it off without breaking the airlock.

Me too. The first time I busted the airlock, the second time, not thinking about just using it without the airlock, I've left the airlock attached. It's been fine ever since.

OP you said you transferred to secondary already? How long was it in primary?

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I soaked mine in PBW and was able to get it off and get the tube cleaned out. I always keep several airlocks spare. I pulled one apart once also.

 

[kh54s10]

I hope you have not gotten krausen in the airlock after transferring to secondary. If so you transferred to secondary WAY too early.

I suggest you get what ever you need to make a blow off assembly. The bigger the diameter the hose the better. If you use the bottom of a 3 piece airlock be sure to cut off the "x" at the bottom tip. It will clog and could cause the top to blow off your fermenter.

I start EVERY fermentation with a blow off tube attached. Also you don't need much Starsan in the catch container. Just an inch or so in a margarine tub so that if a reverse siphon occurs you don't suck back a gallon of starsan, just and ounce or two.

 

[Datgreenstuff]

I transferred to secondary @ 7 days. Thats what the recipe said to do.so i did it..lol yeah first time i did get krausen in it. But now its just a lil bit. Im gonna try to clean it out again today and hope i dont have to do it again..

 

[HB_in_Subic]

If you use the bottom of a 3 piece airlock be sure to cut off the "x" at the bottom tip. It will clog and could cause the top to blow off your fermenter.

I start EVERY fermentation with a blow off tube attached. Also you don't need much Starsan in the catch container. Just an inch or so in a margarine tub so that if a reverse siphon occurs you don't suck back a gallon of starsan, just and ounce or two.

That's a great idea about boring out the tip.

I have found that the only time I had to worry about reverse siphon sucking was when the the temperatures way different (ambient vs pitching temp). On my Saison Ales I now cool down to whatever the ambient temperature is (I let them sit outside to ferment) and haven't had to worry about that since. So on my ales that I use in the ferm. chamber, I preload the temperature of the chamber to just below what my pitching temperature should be (say 64F for a 68F pitch). So far that has seemed to work for me.

 

[Hello]

I transferred to secondary @ 7 days. Thats what the recipe said to do.so i did it..lol yeah first time i did get krausen in it. But now its just a lil bit. Im gonna try to clean it out again today and hope i dont have to do it again..

For future reference, sometimes directions that say move to secondary are unnecessary. If you still have a beer that has krausen filling the top, don't transfer as it is still actively fermenting. Leave the beer alone. Directions assume the beer finished and is ready to clear, directions assume too much sometimes. In this case, you moved it too soon. It will still be beer and such, but you kind of eliminated any reason to move it when it was fermenting that actively. Keep your airlock clean.

 

[LakeErieMonster]

A good practice is to use a larger diameter tube (I believe 1-1/4" dia does the trick) shoved into the hole in place of a rubber stopper and airlock. Not speaking from experience or anything, but the small tube on the end of the airlock can clog up and build pressure and make a mess...

 

[b-boy]

Any time I've done this, the tubing has gotten so stuck onto the airlock that I've been unable to get it off without breaking the airlock.

I've had this problem with silicone tubing. I use 1/2" high-temp thermoplastic tubing now and it hasn't been an issue since I switched.