Brew bucket Suckback Q's

[bbenesh]

Hey everyone. I've been using a couple SS Brewbuckets for two years now and I do love them for their ease of use, but I have one problem with them and I'm hoping someone out here has an easy solution or quickfix.

The blowoff tube adapter kits is a 90-degree elbow that goes where the bung normally would go to house an airlock. I use a blow-off tube exclusively because there simply isn't a way to use an airlock on the bucket without popping the lid off and unscrewing the adapter.
Where this becomes a problem is when the temperature drops 2 or 3 degrees after the heavy fermentation is done you will get suck-back, or enough suckback in the tube so that if you mistakenly lift the outlet side of the tube out of the blowoff bucket, it will suck whatever is in the tubes directly into the bucket. Has anyone found any easy solutions to this problem? I would love to pull the tubes after two or three days and pop an airlock on there.
Thanks!

 

[flars]

Fitting a larger diameter tube over the existing tube would might keep an air space in the larger tube eliminating the vacuum. Leave three or four inches of the existing tube attached to the elbow. Fit the larger tube over this short piece and down into the blow off bucket. Use a minimal amount of sanitizer in the bucket to lessen the height of the sanitizer inside the tubing.

 

[cannman]

I had the same issues too, just not with the Brewbucket but a glass carboy, but the problem and solution are the same: You really need to remove the blowoff tube from the brew bucket and replace it with an airlock after the blowoff is over, preferably the OG S lock type. There's very little liquid that will leave the chamber *if any* with this device, and even if it did, it's only a couple of mils.

After about 3 days of aggressive fermentation, or when I stop seeing blowoff, I immediately switch to a stopper.

Say, are those Brewbuckets much bigger than a carboy?

 

[bbenesh]

Hi Cannman, I would love to do what you suggest, but you can't fit an airlock into the brewbuckets without removing the giant lid and disassembling the blowoff tube adapter. It's the same size as a paint bucket lid, so lots of oxygen exposure. That's my problem.

It's a little bit less narrow and just about as tall. They both fit in my kegerator just fine.

 

[cannman]

Hi Cannman, I would love to do what you suggest, but you can't fit an airlock into the brewbuckets without removing the giant lid and disassembling the blowoff tube adapter. It's the same size as a paint bucket lid, so lots of oxygen exposure. That's my problem.

It's a little bit less narrow and just about as tall. They both fit in my kegerator just fine.

Ahh poop

Then inline sani filter: pull the blow off tube off and attach this with a 3/8" tube. If that elbow is 1/2", usually you can stick a 3/8" tube into the 1/2" tube and they'll snug up. Otherwise, clamp them shut.:rockin:

 

[bbenesh]

Perhaps you're right. I've got a few of those hanging around, too. Thanks for the tips!