Blow off tube idea - feasible?

[jmkratt]

Ok so I get home yesterday after work to check on the Black IPA I brewed on Monday. I get to the basement shower where I ferment to find the Ale Pale open, the lid is 5' away on the tile, and the walls and ceiling are coated with kreusen! Luckily it was in the shower and made for an easy clean. I had rigged the airlock with a blowoff tube about 3' long into a gallon growler (my typical blowoff setup). The tube is stuck around the center of the airlock and the air lock is inserted in the grommet, typical. The arch of the blowoff tube was gradual and no kinks or anything. Somehow the tube got clogged I figure as it was laying on another Ale Pail and the airlock was nowhere to be found. I guess the airlock could also have been clogged but I can't confirm that as I can only imagine the airlock is in the fermenter but the kreusen is too high to tell. I replaced the lid and cleaned and sanitized a new blow off and things seem to be ok, I was getting 8-10 bubbles/second and numerous large burps so I am not too worried about oxygen getting in. The tube was coated with thick kreusen and appeared to be blocked as it was a pain to clean.

I have not had this problem with a blowoff tube and don't want to again. So I had an idea. I know a lot of people ditch the airlock and just insert a tube into the grommet. If I were to get a new dedicated blow-off lid and drill out the hole to say 1", find a new grommet to fit the wider opening, and insert a wider tube would this work?

1. Would I risk contamination drilling out the plastic?
2. Would a wider tube in reality help lessen the chance to clog the tube?
3. Do I need to fish out the old airlock sitting in the beer? I was not going to do so.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[IrregularPulse]

1. Would I risk contamination drilling out the plastic?
After drilling, just make sure you file or sand smooth if need be. It will be fine.

2. Would a wider tube in reality help lessen the chance to clog the tube?
Most definitely.

3. Do I need to fish out the old airlock sitting in the beer? I was not going to do so.
I wouldn't worry about it, and just fish it out after you rack your beer away.

 

[jmkratt]

1. Would I risk contamination drilling out the plastic?
After drilling, just make sure you file or sand smooth if need be. It will be fine.

2. Would a wider tube in reality help lessen the chance to clog the tube?
Most definitely.

3. Do I need to fish out the old airlock sitting in the beer? I was not going to do so.
I wouldn't worry about it, and just fish it out after you rack your beer away.

Thank you. This is exactly what I was thinking. Appreciate the confirmation!

 

[TheWeeb]

I like this idea and may do it myself. You could then just bung and bubble airlock the 1" opening when not using the tube. I think it would lessen the chances of blockage. If it were me, I would leave the airlock in the beer and get it out when either racking to secondary or bottling. Whatever contamination might have happened already has; no need to risk more by fishing around in there.

 

[jmkratt]

I like this idea and may do it myself. You could then just bung and bubble airlock the 1" opening when not using the tube. I think it would lessen the chances of blockage. If it were me, I would leave the airlock in the beer and get it out when either racking to secondary or bottling. Whatever contamination might have happened already has; no need to risk more by fishing around in there.

Right, I didn't want to risk further chances of contamination with trying to get all 3 pieces out...assuming they are in fact in the bucket. They better be because if not they were obliterated when the thing exploded as they are nowhere to be found.

When the active fermentation subsides I figure I will take a gravity reading and replace the dedicated lid with a normal lid (cleaned and sanitized of course) and airlock and proceed as normal.

 

[BadgerBrewer]

You can always use Fermcap drops to control your krausen levels. This is a shot of my Black IPA I brewed a month ago (turned out AWESOME), and ever since this I am now a disciple of Fermcap! Use it in the boil and use it in the fermenter. I also use a drop when checking my hydrometer to remove all bubbles and get a clear reading...

 

[jmkratt]

You can always use Fermcap drops to control your krausen levels. This is a shot of my Black IPA I brewed a month ago (turned out AWESOME), and ever since this I am now a disciple of Fermcap! Use it in the boil and use it in the fermenter. I also use a drop when checking my hydrometer to remove all bubbles and get a clear reading...

Yeah I do use Fermcap-S religiously but sometimes with the higher gravity brews I still have issues like this.

 

[AugustDerleth]

WOW. So, I've made multiple batches of mead and only made one beer, and it was an ale. I've never seen problems like this, and it's pretty sketchy! I was planning on making a chocolate oatmeal stout in the next month and am really glad I found this particular thread first! I'm definitely going to have to buy some fermcap. Today I switched an airlock out for a blowoff tube in a growler, but I'm not real sure how I feel about it. Whenever the co2 is expelled, the (iodine-laden) water creeps back up in the tube. Up til now, not too far up the tube but this is concerning to me. Will the liquid keep co2 from being pushed out? And will the water eventually creep into the fermenter (without attention)? Like I said, this is on a 5 gallon bucket of mead so there is not a whole lot of action as far as bubbles and foam and all. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[borden]

You can always use Fermcap drops to control your krausen levels. This is a shot of my Black IPA I brewed a month ago (turned out AWESOME), and ever since this I am now a disciple of Fermcap! Use it in the boil and use it in the fermenter. I also use a drop when checking my hydrometer to remove all bubbles and get a clear reading...

This photo is terrifying. If I woke up or came home to that, I'd have a heart attack. Granted, that's mostly because I'm on the second story of an apartment building with hardwood floors, but even if it was my basement... what a mess!

 

[SoonerDoc]

WOW. So, I've made multiple batches of mead and only made one beer, and it was an ale. I've never seen problems like this, and it's pretty sketchy! I was planning on making a chocolate oatmeal stout in the next month and am really glad I found this particular thread first! I'm definitely going to have to buy some fermcap. Today I switched an airlock out for a blowoff tube in a growler, but I'm not real sure how I feel about it. Whenever the co2 is expelled, the (iodine-laden) water creeps back up in the tube. Up til now, not too far up the tube but this is concerning to me. Will the liquid keep co2 from being pushed out? And will the water eventually creep into the fermenter (without attention)? Like I said, this is on a 5 gallon bucket of mead so there is not a whole lot of action as far as bubbles and foam and all. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

I don't think I'm following you. How much water is in the tube? You really only need the end of the tube in water. It shouldn't keep the CO2 from escaping. It only needs to relieve the pressure, not vent all the CO2.
Do you have a picture of your set up?

 

[devilishprune]

Unless your blowoff container is above your bucket, then there is practically no way that this could happen.

Water won't prevent CO2 from escaping. Those bubbles you see are the CO2 pushing the water out of the way to escape from the tube/fermenter.

 

[AugustDerleth]

Thank you both! In the light of morning, with much less pumpkin ale in me, I see that this was a silly question. The growler is level with the bucket. Had it on overnight with no issues. I actually prefer it over an airlock. With the airlock I was only seeing activity (bubbling) every 15 seconds, and with this b/o there is a bubble every 3-4 seconds. Not sure why this is, but I like it. (maybe the yeast is just more active? Only gravity can tell!) Thanks again, and wow I really gotta stop drinking and posting! :fro: