Balloon filled w Co2 over airlock (cold crashing)

[Panderson1]

I think I read about another home brewer doing this to prevent oxygen sucking in. Instead it would suck in Co2. Also no starsan suck back.

Any thoughts on this? I figured I'd ask here. Seems easy enough to fill a kids balloon w co2? I would wash it out 1st w star san. Place it over the airlock tube (the inside tube). Make sense?

 

[NeoBrew]

I did that for a little while when I was still using carboys. It is a bit of a challenge to figure out how to connect it. I used one of the rubber carboy caps and then shoved a hose barb fitting into it and then stretched the balloon over that.

One of the tricks is getting the balloon filled. Also, I don't believe a rubber balloon is a good application. They tend to let gas out through the rubber. Mine would be saggy after a few days, especially when cold crashing. A mylar balloon would be better.

 

[Jim R]

I tried the mylar balloon trick for cold crashing but finally switched to cold crashing in the sealed keg instead. Not sure if you keg or not. It was kind of a pain in the butt. I was surprised at the amount of suck back volume with cold crashing.

 

[Panderson1]

OK. I don't like pain in the butter. I think I will slow cold crash like I always do. I never had much of a problem. I thought the balloon would be simple but I guess not. My new firmzilla will do pressure fermentation. Moving to that in the future batches. Thanks

 

[Jim R]

I also have a Fermzilla All Rounder and a Spundit 2.0 spunding valve and do pressure fermentations now. The cool thing I figured out with this is that I can easily purge the oxygen from my Star San filled keg during fermentation (ie. free CO2) and then also do a pressure transfer to the keg after fermentation. Then I cold crash and finish carbonating. My beer never sees any oxygen till it hits my serving glass.

There isn't any advantage to cold crashing in the fermenter for me. I transfer the beer to the keg with the Fermzilla floating dip tube and get virtually no sediment in the keg.

 

[NobleSavage]

It is really simple... all you need is a mylar balloon, tape and a three piece airlock. Cut the side of the airlock off (quick work with Dremel tool) and then cut the plastic valve off the neck of the mylar ballon. Finally insert the center post of the airlock into the opening in the balloon and thoroughly tape the ballon to the airlock. I would just spray everything with Star San, fill it up with CO2 and switch it out with the airlock or blow off tube before cold crashing. Honestly couldn't be easier - 5 minutes to make and 2 minutes to put on the fermenter. Once cold crashing was done I'd squeeze out an CO2 in the balloon give it squirt of Star San again pack it a way until next time.

Look up BruLoonLock on Brulosophy.com what I did was based what they did.

I used balloons like this for a while and then eventually switched to the Cold Crash Guardian from Brewhardware.com but still keep one of the balloons as a back up. You can find the Cold Crash Guardian here - it is worth every penny.

 

[drgonzo2k2]

I used to do this trick all the time. I'd use one of those larger punch style balloons (the ones with the rubber band handles on them) and found they fit perfectly over the end of a 3-piece airlock. I have a CO2 "purging wand" that I use to purge fermenters, etc., and I'd just put a ballon over the airlock, put the wand in the other end, and fill it up.

I never really had any issues with this, but over time as I was looking to simplify things I gave up on the practice. I've been using Speidel fermenters for a while now, and these days I just screw the cap on tightly when cold crashing. I've never had any problems with the fermenters caving in or anything like that, and yes, it does pull in a bit of air when I unscrew the cap to keg my beers, but I'm not really worried about it. I had to take the balloon off anyway to keg, and while I'm sure I'm pulling in more air now, it's going into a well purged keg, and I immediately fill any headspace with CO2, vent, fill again, etc. until there's really only CO2 left.

I totally get that everyone has a different opinion on this one, but as far as I'm concerned it's not really worth the extra effort when we're talking about the minimal oxygen exposure I get using my current method vs. my old balloon method.

 

[Wagon_6]

Second vote for the cold crash guardian. You can make changes to it to fit your needs. I changed to silicone tubing for easier use and put a gas ball lock on it. Bobby also has TC to gas post fittings, goes right on my brewbucket. It holds a lot of CO2 and a cold crash past 3 days sucks back the majority of it. And because it has the valve on it, you can slowly fill it from a CO2 tank if you forget to hook it up before fermentation has ended.

 

[Vale71]

I changed to silicone tubing for easier use...

With that change you made it a lot less effective in performing its task. Silicone is the most gas permeable of all synthetic rubbers, the amount the O2 that will seep in through even a relatively short piece of silicone hose in just a few days is really astounding.

 

[Wagon_6]

Oops.

 

[chipmunk]

Any thoughts on this? I figured I'd ask here

Ive been using an old 3l camelback/water bladder that works well. It has the advantage of having a large opening so you can easily sanitize it. I removed the mouthpiece (just a barb fitting) , and replaced it with a plastic maple syrup tap/spile that press fits nicely into the bung.

 

[tld6008]

I have used the Co2 filled bag for all my brews I use one of the large bags availabe at Walmart etc that they have for placing fresh meat in, much larger that the produce bags which I started with. I am planning on switching to a 5 gal bucket that has a bag in it and I will collect the fermentation gas then close the vent and let the bag collapse during cold crashing. I ferment in a carboy in a kegerator and will keep the bucket outside the chamber with a hose running through the tap tower.

 

[rburrelli]

Check out the Cold Crash Guardian at brew hardware.com. I use this. Combination blowoff and CO2 collector. Works very well.

 

[Panderson1]

Check out the Cold Crash Guardian at brew hardware.com. I use this. Combination blowoff and CO2 collector. Works very well.

SOLD! this is perfect. Thanks