blowoff tube for bucket

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bdaddy

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I have the basic 6.5 gallon buckets that are sold from midwest. The lid has a small hole (within the rubber gasket) for the airlock.

I'm wanting to brew Biermuncher's SWMBO slayer and understand it can kick up quite a bit of fermentation activity. I may be safe with 6.5 gallon fermenter (thoughts?), but if I'm not...what do people use for a blowoff when the lid hole is so small? On the better bottle/carboys you can insert a properly sized stopper or tube, but I haven't seen such a thing for these bucket lids.
 
Bottom part of a 3 pIece airlock with some 5/16" (i believe) inner diameter tubing. It will slide over the post of the airlock and make a decent blow ofF. Make sure that the bottom doesnt have the 4 way cross piece. either break or dremel that off.

i do all my brews that way. Works great.
 
The cheapest and easiest way is to push a small tube through the opening and then fit a larger longer tube over it. But, I've just seen it done and never used one myself. I thought that with a 6.5 even a gallon of headroom was enough for most krausens. Here is a Youtube link to this guy who says he always uses a blow off with his 6.5's... hard to tell exactly how his blow off rig is made but I picture a small tube inside a larger one.

 
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I had a hefe start blowing through the airlock and replaced it with the tubing from my racking kit. The tube fit pretty snug through the hole in the lid. Worked like a charm.
 
Quickly pull it out and clean and re sanitize it, then rig up an airlock blowoff tube...take your bottling wand, put a small slit in it...Heat it for a few minutes in hot water to soften, then do this.

Airlockbo2.jpg


Ailockbo1.jpg


then you'll be fine.
 
Eureka! Thanks Revvy. So what are the conditions that require a blow off tube? Or do you just do it all the time? If I have 5.5 gal of 1.051 an AG stout in a plastic 6.5 do I need one?

Thanks and HNY!
 
Eureka! Thanks Revvy. So what are the conditions that require a blow off tube? Or do you just do it all the time? If I have 5.5 gal of 1.051 an AG stout in a plastic 6.5 do I need one?

Thanks and HNY!

Well there's really no way to tell what conditions. I've only really ever had one blowoff, and that was pitched on a yeast cake, but I've pitched other beers on top of other cakes and never needed one.
 
I brewed a stout yesterday. no blow off on the fermenter. got an explosion overnight. I now highly recommend a blow off. I'll use fermcap S next time.
 
The 3/8" supply tubes, either copper or cross linked polyethylene, for faucets, dishwashers, and toilets, will fit inside the grommet rather snugly. Either get several feet of the tubing, or a short piece and slide your 3/8" tubing that you use for bottling over that and use a small ziptie to cinch it down.
 
I had a hefe start blowing through the airlock and replaced it with the tubing from my racking kit. The tube fit pretty snug through the hole in the lid. Worked like a charm.

I started doing this too. Rather than attaching the rubber hose to the airlock, just stick it in the rubber grommet in the lid. It does the same thing and isn't a pain in the rear disconnecting the hose from the airlock if/when you want to use it next.
 
I use a blowoff tube for the first week of fermentation, then switch it out for an airlock for weeks 2 and 3. It's easy and covers your bases for when/if something happens.
 
Ok, so after reading this and other threads and with advice from my good friend Captain, I checked on the Oatmeal Stout I brewed earlier this week which had been fermenting fine. Low and behold the airlock was clogged with kreusen and the thing was about to blow! I didn't take a pic of the clogged airlock with the "X" on the bottom, but I can, though I will be either tossing that lock or cutting it off.

Anyhow, I rigged a blowoff tube and sanitized everything and swapped the airocks out real quick. Fermentation contined as normal, getting about 4-5 bubbles/second.

However, when I got up this morning it looks like the kreusen has moved its way up the blowoff tube and I am in the middle of intense fermentation, at least 6 bubbles/second.

IMGP0216-1.jpg


Closer shot:

IMGP0217.jpg


Is this normal or cuase for concern. I can take everything off, clean, sanitize, and replace, but as this is my fist blow off tube I am unsure.

Also, the gallon growler I used as the bottom of the system is now kinda off color and bits of kreusen are also in there, as seen here:

IMGP0218.jpg


I am curious as to what I should do here, sit tight or clean/replace? Any help would be very appreciated.
 
I use some 5/16 hose and put it right into the grommet or stopper, depending on which fermenter I'm using.

The blowoff you're having looks to be a normal blowoff. I've been brewing big beers lately, and my last 3 have blown off. I usually change the sanitizer in the blowoff container when it gets some stuff in it, but I don't know if that's even necessary. I wouldn't worry about constantly cleaning the inside of the blowoff tube. If you sanitized in the first place, it shouldn't be a problem. If it gets really gunky, you could remove, clean and replace it. I'd leave a blowoff tube on until it's obvious that your fermentation has slowed and you're not getting anything going into the tube. Then you can simply remove the tube and replace it with an airlock.

Be careful of your temperatures, as the inside of your bucket is probably several degrees higher than the outside. I'll usually start in the low end of the temperature range of the yeast to account for the differences in the internal/external temps. Then I'll move it to a slightly warmer area when the violent fermentation has slowed, to help maintain a constant temperature. However, if you have a temperature controlled system, then you can just adjust.

Hope this helps.
 
I use some 5/16 hose and put it right into the grommet or stopper, depending on which fermenter I'm using.

The blowoff you're having looks to be a normal blowoff. I've been brewing big beers lately, and my last 3 have blown off. I usually change the sanitizer in the blowoff container when it gets some stuff in it, but I don't know if that's even necessary. I wouldn't worry about constantly cleaning the inside of the blowoff tube. If you sanitized in the first place, it shouldn't be a problem. If it gets really gunky, you could remove, clean and replace it. I'd leave a blowoff tube on until it's obvious that your fermentation has slowed and you're not getting anything going into the tube. Then you can simply remove the tube and replace it with an airlock.

Be careful of your temperatures, as the inside of your bucket is probably several degrees higher than the outside. I'll usually start in the low end of the temperature range of the yeast to account for the differences in the internal/external temps. Then I'll move it to a slightly warmer area when the violent fermentation has slowed, to help maintain a constant temperature. However, if you have a temperature controlled system, then you can just adjust.

Hope this helps.

Yes, very helpful thank you!
 
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