Blow-off tubes: water or sanitizer

[Trabi]

Yesterday I put my wort into my shiny, new fermentation tank. It has a TC connector with an angled barb so I needed to use a blow-off system. I simply put the tube into a bucket of water. My thinking is the water will never get pushed back up the tube into the tank. How important is it to use a sanitizer instead of water for this?

I've attached a pic to show off my new toy

 

[RPh_Guy]

Water is fine if there's zero chance of suckback.

 

[WBB]

Future thread prediction!

I used regular water in the bucket for blowoff and cold crashed which sucked some water back in the fermenter, did I ruin my batch?

 

[ike8228]

Future thread prediction!

I used regular water in the bucket for blowoff and cold crashed which sucked some water back in the fermenter, did I ruin my batch?

Problem with regular water is you could have some bacteria growing in it especially if it is the same as during fermentation and you had a blow out and beer got into it. Depending on timing it could turn. If you sucked that in or even water left out for a few days, you could have introduced bacteria into your beer. It is what it is, don’t dump it, might be fine. The alcohol may be enough to stop anything from starting too. Sanitizer, although not 100%, is less likely to grow bacteria in it. Some people use vodka or bourbon. But that’s the big issue with suck back, a few threads lately, air and liquids getting into the beers. Read those, I don’t want to rehash it too many times. Summary, feed it Co2 not O2 and/or liquid.

 

[RPh_Guy]

IF there's no suckback, any wild microbes in the blow off liquid will not travel up the tube.

Suckback is almost exclusively a problem during a cold crash. It doesn't just randomly occur.

 

[cubalz]

IF there's no suckback, any wild microbes in the blow off liquid will not travel up the tube.

Suckback is almost exclusively a problem during a cold crash. It doesn't just randomly occur.

Agreed 100%. I use water but then again, I do not cold crash in my fermenters. I have done hundreds of batches this way without issue.

 

[shetc]

StarSan always

 

[Contrarian]

StarSan always View attachment 669174

Are you filling through your blow off tube?

 

[cubalz]

Shetc: I am very curious why you have your blow off container height equal to the carboy? Seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

[fun4stuff]

Water is fine if there’s no chance for suck back (e.g. not cold crashing with a short, narrow tube). I’ve occasionally used water for years and never had a problem.

 

[kh54s10]

I use Starsan just for the assurance of extra protection. I know it is not necessary. I put about 3/4 inch in a margarine container. Only enough to keep the end of the tube submerged. There is no need for more, certainly not a bucket full. It is also on the bottom of the chamber thus there is no possibility of suck back. There is not enough liquid to fill the tube.

 

[Jag75]

One this to be mindful is keeping the blow off container below the level of the fermenter.

 

[Bubbles2]

 

[Jag75]

Good stuff ^^^^

 

[Carolina_Matt]

I've always used Starsan because that's what I read I needed to do, but it looks like there's no harm for me to switch to water. I ferment in kegs and only use a blowoff for about 3-4 days. At that point I put on the spunding valve. So I can't imagine any suckback in 3-4 days at ~67 degrees.

 

[Staticsouls]

Star san is so cheap, why risk a dumper?

 

[Jag75]

Star san is so cheap, why risk a dumper?

Just dont allow suckback and your good. But yeah it is cheap

 

[shetc]

Are you filling through your blow off tube?

This is a secondary fermentation being done on fruit so there is like an inch or 2 of beer in the tube. It's sitting on my work bench and I am not going to cold crash. No way StarSan is going to flow back through that curve [emoji38]

 

[shetc]

Shetc: I am very curious why you have your blow off container height equal to the carboy? Seems like a recipe for disaster.

I haven't used carboys and big ass blow off tube in years. In the past, this would have been done in a chest freezer such that the jar would be sitting on the compressor hump, and be quite secure. This is a mixed culture fermentation that is in a secondary fermenter, sitting on fruit -- there wasn't enough room in the primary carboy. I used the old carboys to avoid cross contamination with my usual gear. The whole thing is a hack cuz it's sitting on my work bench. No cold crash so it'll be fine.