blow off to airlock?

[JuiceyJay]

is there a timeline between when a blowoff tube is used and it being switched out to an airlock?

to clarify, i put a blow off tube on my fermenter for the first week, now that the fermentation has slowed down (no bubbles in the bucket with the tube and liquid) do i HAVE to switch to and airlock, or can i just keep the blow off tube on untill it's ready to be bottled?

sorry if it's a confusing question

 

[msujack]

If the end of the blow off is submerged, it's really just a very long airlock. It does the same thing.

 

[sniperd]

If I use a blowoff I usually swap over to an air lock at some point. Only due to the higher chance of my kids running by and knocking the blowoff setup over (tube, bucket, etc.) vs an airlock.

Really all you are trying to do is make a 1 way air system. Using a blow off is fine. Using an airlock is fine. If you for some reason broke your airlock or blowoff setup you could just us a piece of tinfoil and a rubber band in a pinch. That's how I do my starters, works fine.

 

[dadshomebrewing]

I use a blow off tube with every batch, because I brew small batches and use a one gallon carboy for my fermenter.

I generally switch to the airlock around day 5 or 6' when I can see that the heavy fermentation has settled down and I can see beer on top, instead of just the foam.

I do this mostly for practical reasons. The tube looks gross and swmbo doesn't like it. Also, the carboy with an airlock takes less space. Lastly, it gives me more time to let the tube soak in oxy so I can use it again.

Once the airlock is in, I put the carboy in a dark corner and leave it alone. Out of sight, out of mind. This way I avoid the temptation to mess with it.