Blow-off tube haunting me

[Laurel]

I have mornings off this week due to spring break, and as I'm sitting here online, I hear a big burble ever several seconds that is my Blue Moon clone bubbling away. It's haunting me like Edgar Allen Poe's telltale heart. I think it's time for a regular airlock.

 

[XxonValdez]

Hehe, with the airlock you will only hear it once....when you have to mop your ceiling after is the downside

 

[reshp1]

My fermentations with a blow off tube kept my girlfriend up at night and generally annoyed the hell out of her during the day. I am now no longer allowed to use a blow off tube. Luckily I brew smaller batches mostly and usually have a ton of headspace in the carboy.

 

[Laurel]

I hope it'll be okay. The krausen's gone down quite considerably over the last day or so, so I can't imagine that I'll have a mess on my hands. The bubbles are so loud that I can hear them over 4 fish tank pumps and through a cabinet. The carboy sits under my fish tank, it's the safest place I've been able to find for it, and it holds an amazingly steady temperature.

 

[Beerthoven]

The first time I made a fruit beer I added about 6# of canned fruit puree to the primary (I know... ). I used a blow off tube, and it sounded like a bazooka going off every few minutes for about three days straight. It was an awesome spectacle of yeast *********.

EDIT: What the hell? Why is F I R E P O W E R censored?

 

[EvilTOJ]

Bah, sounds like it'll be fine. Go ahead and airlock it. Think of it not as the Tell Tale Bloop, but more of a siren song, beckoning you to brew more beer.....

 

[Laurel]

Bah, sounds like it'll be fine. Go ahead and airlock it. Think of it not as the Tell Tale Bloop, but more of a siren song, beckoning you to brew more beer.....

:rofl:

I don't have the carboy space! I've already gotten the ultimatum. No more fish tanks and no more big beer stuff until we get a bigger place.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

I personally love the sound of a burbling blow off tube. I also love the sound of an aggressive fermentation with an air lock in a dead silent house. I have laid in bed at night and just listened to that to fall asleep.

 

[maltyone]

yeah i love!! the sond the blow off makes. love it! heh

 

[Dave the Brewer]

:rofl:

I don't have the carboy space! I've already gotten the ultimatum. No more fish tanks and no more big beer stuff until we get a bigger place.

I also am running out of space in my apt. for fish and beer. At one point I had a 140 gal, 55 gal, and a 20 gal. That was before I brewed, now I have 7 carboys(most in the living room full of beer), a set up allowing me to brew 10 gals, and one 140 gal tank with 2 oscars. Luckly the SWMBO loves it all!!! We will be looking for a house in about a year.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I don't use a blowoff very often, but when I do, I always sit and drink abeer or two while I listen to it. Ahhhh... the sweet sounds of brewing.

 

[Spyk'd]

Or for some real fun, you could put StarSan in the airlock, as seen in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=49464


:cross:

 

[Laurel]

Starsan in my airlock never made the chirpy sound. Maybe I just never mixed it concentrated enough.

 

[postman]

I have two airlocks burping at once, it's kind of like a duet. Funny though, my 2 yr old girl is fascinated and yet scared of it. That's the power of yeast! In addition to the cool bubbling, the aroma of hops pumped through the airlock is very pleasant. Hmmmm.....Do they make hop candles anywhere?

 

[Dominator6]

Not to rob the thread, but I have a question. I only have a 5gal glass carboy and generally use my 7.5 gal for my primary. I want to see the glorious bubbles on the top. How do you use the blow off in conjunction w/the stopper w/out letting air in?

 

[Laurel]

I don't use a stopper. 1" ID clear tubing from Home Depot fits into the top of the carboy snugly. I used 2 elbows and a jar full of mixed star-san.

You should be getting bubbles in your regular airlock as well.

 

[EvilTOJ]

You know, if you got buckets you could stack your carboy onto of the bucket, therefore saving space....

 

[Spyk'd]

Starsan in my airlock never made the chirpy sound. Maybe I just never mixed it concentrated enough.

They need to be three piece and you need to use the lid that comes with them. The sound comes from the bubbles trying to get through the tiny littles holes in them. Also, no need to mix it strong, just the prescribed amount.

:cross:

 

[Laurel]

They need to be three piece and you need to use the lid that comes with them. The sound comes from the bubbles trying to get through the tiny littles holes in them. Also, no need to mix it strong, just the prescribed amount.

:cross:

That's what I use. Strange. Oh well.

 

[Laurel]

You know, if you got buckets you could stack your carboy onto of the bucket, therefore saving space....

I don't have room above the carboy. It sits under my fish tank. My secondary sits in my closet under my clothes.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Be careful. Yeast have been known to go on panty raids.

 

[Laurel]

Be careful. Yeast have been known to go on panty raids.

That means a trip to the doctor!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

That was just a really stupid joke referencing the fact the the beer is in your closet...wasn't supposed to be THAT off color...oops.

For the record...brewer's yeast isn't the same as the "bad" yeast that will send you to the doctor.

 

[Laurel]

That was just a really stupid joke referencing the fact the the beer is in your closet...wasn't supposed to be THAT off color...oops.

For the record...brewer's yeast isn't the same as the "bad" yeast that will send you to the doctor.

haha, now I understand. Perhaps I've been spending too much time on other forums.

 

[EricS]

I don't use a stopper. 1" ID clear tubing from Home Depot fits into the top of the carboy snugly. I used 2 elbows and a jar full of mixed star-san.

You should be getting bubbles in your regular airlock as well.

There isn't much empty space in your jar for any blowoff content. If that fermentation picks up alot it could send a ton of krausen and over flow the jar all over the place. Just speaking from experience.

 

[Spyk'd]

That's what I use. Strange. Oh well.

I think I can clear this up real quick...


I use airlocks on my primary, for primary fermentation...when the yeast is the most active. It appears you use a blow off tube for primary, which means you must use an airlock for secondary, where there is less activity.

Less activity, less chirping.


Maybe?

 

[Laurel]

I think I can clear this up real quick...


I use airlocks on my primary, for primary fermentation...when the yeast is the most active. It appears you use a blow off tube for primary, which means you must use an airlock for secondary, where there is less activity.

Less activity, less chirping.


Maybe?

This is my first time using a blow-off tube, as I've read that wheat beers tend to be a little more...rambunctious. Every other batch I've done has fermented using a regular 3 piece air lock.