Been having very bad luck lately.

[_bygolly]

New to home brewing, someone tell me where I went wrong

 

[Qhrumphf]

Looks to me like you need to leave more headspace in your fermenters, and start rigging up a blowoff tube. I try to leave a minimum of 25%, usually more like 33% headspace in a primary fermenter, and then on the rare occasions where I transfer to a secondary fermenter, I try to leave as little headspace as possible. So for a 1 gallon carboy, I'd try to only have 2/3 of a gallon on there (and then transfer to a 1/2 gallon growler if you have to secondary). For a 5 gallon batch, I try not to ferment in anything less than 6.5 gallons (and then secondary in a 5 gallon carboy). And even then, a blowoff is still a good idea.

 

[Hoppity]

You didn't leave enough headspace for the krausen. A blow off tube would have helped. Nice looking, though. Your ferm temp might be a little high, too.

 

[_bygolly]

Is it too late to install one now? I already had to redo this once and I don't want to have to do it again

 

[Qhrumphf]

If fermentation is still actively going, then there should be enough pressure that you should be ok, and I would go ahead and affix a blowoff now.

 

[_bygolly]

Well I can't get a tube to fit my airlock or stopper because it's 12:30 in the morning, I put a new sanitized airlock on it though. Hopefully that holds me over til tomorrow and doesn't infect it at all.... Never using airlocks again though wish I would've known about the blow offs before I started this mess.

 

[estricklin]

It's certainly not the end of the world, just replace with clean airlock. Happens to me all the time.

 

[RPowell]

you're fine - this happened my first time, too. i had to clean, sanitize and refill my airlock 3 times. no worries, cider turned out fine.

 

[_bygolly]

Thanks guys!!

 

[smccarter]

I think most of us have been there. You might try looking for a blow-off cap. It's what I use and it works very well.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um5BmbV6pC0[/ame]

 

[_bygolly]

Ok so I just got back home and changed the airlock bout 5 hours ago now, after finding that the stopper had been pushed out over night. No more foam overflow however some cider has made it's way into the airlock, which I guess I can just change the water out right? Anyway, hopefully no more problems occur with that, if they do I'll just slap this blow off system on there and Just use that on the next batch too. Thanks for all your help everyone

 

[sensei9]

That happened to me my first time. Now I always use a blow off tube.

 

[firerat]

Well, at very least you have active fermentation!!

As stated already, next time rig a blow off tube and/or get a fermentation vessel with more head space.

Oh and RDWHAHB!!