Airlock

[Lordy]

Hi all. Got a home brew kit for Christmas and have just got it on the go. Just wondering if anybody could help me out. An airlock came with it, although there's no mention of it in the instructions. Do I use it, and if so, where?

Thanks in advance,
Lordy.

 

[david_42]

It plugs into the hole in the top of your fermenter. You put some water in it & it helps keep dust & other contaminants out. It also shows (by bubbling) that the ferment is active.

 

[olllllo]

Read this:

www.howtobrew.com

There are folks here that were exactly where you are right now and are brewing like pros after a few months.

 

[Lordy]

Cheers guys. Really appreciate the help.

 

[Lordy]

Just one more question [for the time being ] Am I right in not sealing the fermenter lid down, just keeping it loose on the top?

 

[olllllo]

Seal the lid. Use the airlock. It serves as a one way valve for Co2 to escape and nasties to stay out. Your plastic lid should have a hole with a grommit for the airlock.

 

[Lordy]

Just sealed the lid down and airlock is in place. It didn't seem right to just place the lid loosely over the top, although that is how I interpreted the instructions. Cheers guys for all the help.

 

[olllllo]

Keep a close eye on it one fermentation begins. A vigorous fermentation can clog the airlock and cause a messy blow off.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18272&highlight="blow+tube"

 

[Orfy]

After reading 3 books and 10 websites. I did my first brew.

In blind panic (well almost) on of my first questions on here was "What do I put in the airlock. I had taken that much info in I couldn't remember the most basic things.

 

[Lordy]

Cheers for the help guys. I really appreciate it. I've just got to sit back and wait for it to ferment now.

 

[rdwj]

You did fill it to the line with water (vodka or sanitizer), right Lordy?

I made that mistake on my first brew, and I've heard of others doing the same thing, so I thought I'd ask.

 

[Lordy]

You did fill it to the line with water (vodka or sanitizer), right Lordy?

I made that mistake on my first brew, and I've heard of others doing the same thing, so I thought I'd ask.

Hi rdwj. It's almost to the brim. A forty pinter. Is this correct?
Lordy.

 

[chask31]

I fill my airlock halfway. I use a mixture of half water half vodka. I actually had my first blow off last night...caught it in time so the mess wasnt bad.

 

[Lordy]

I fill my airlock halfway. I use a mixture of half water half vodka. I actually had my first blow off last night...caught it in time so the mess wasnt bad.

Hi Chask. I'd got the wrong end of the stick. It's my fermenting bin that's almost to the brim. I've filled my airlock up halfway, but with just water. Is this okay?
Lordy.

 

[rod]

It's my fermenting bin that's almost to the brim.
Lordy.

you need at least 3" of space between the liquid(soon to be beer) in your fermenting bin and the lid to allow for foaming(krausen) or it will bubble out of your airlock . worst case it will clog the airlock and blow it or the lid off the fermenter and cause a mess

 

[Lordy]

you need at least 3" of space between the liquid(soon to be beer) in your fermenting bin and the lid to allow for foaming(krausen) or it will bubble out of your airlock . worst case it will clog the airlock and blow it or the lid off the fermenter and cause a mess

When I got up this morning it had bubbled out of the airlock . Is it best for me to remove a bit of the brew to get it down to the three inches?

 

[rod]

depending on how much is bubbling out - you can replace the airlock with a large diameter sanitized hose push it in the hole you took the airlock out of and put the other end in a pail of sanitizer or just water.
you will lose some beer but not too much hopefully.
if you can't rig a blow off tube then syphon some beer out of the fermenter to gain some space - i put my extra in a 1 gallon glass jug with cellophane over the opening with a pin hole in it. it will ferment in there
good luck

 

[olllllo]

If you don't have the ^^^^ equipment listed above ^^^^ then you could clean and sanitze the airlock and replace periodically.

 

[Lordy]

Thanks guys. I've kinda done a mixture of the two. I've placed some ale into a surplus container, and cleaned and sanitized the airlock, and placed it back in. Hopefully now, all I've got to do is wait for it to ferment, then bottle them up. When it comes to that I'll probably have a whole load of other questions