Bucket Blow Off

[teeotee]

Hi all, possibly a newbie question but i did use the search for a while and couldn't find anything.

All i have for fermenting right now is buckets (tight budget). But after reading several threads i am thinking i may need to have some kind of blow off assembly for a bucket for some of the beers i want to brew in the future.
I am more than willing to modify a lid and was wondering if anyone has ideas/suggestions on tubing size, components etc. Any and all advice welcomed.

 

[Revvy]

Do you have any tubing from your bottling setup? Either try to fit it in the airlock hole. If it doesn't fit, take the cover off your 3 piece airlock and fit the hose over that.

 

[metal850]

3/8 inch tubing stuck through the lid and into a pitcher of sanitizer works for me.

 

[teeotee]

Do you have any tubing from your bottling setup? Either try to fit it in the airlock hole. If it doesn't fit, take the cover off your 3 piece airlock and fit the hose over that.

Thanks and yes, i got some 3/8 tubing for my bottle filler (which i don't like using) so could use that. I also have a 3 piece airlock, looks like i will be experimenting later .

 

[teeotee]

3/8 inch tubing stuck through the lid and into a pitcher of sanitizer works for me.

Will try this too, i am looking at doing a wheat beer and adding some raspberry honey at the end of the boil, or doing some fruit addition later. By all accounts that can lead to some vigorous fermentation. Want to be prepared for it

 

[metal850]

Will try this too, i am looking at doing a wheat beer and adding some raspberry honey at the end of the boil, or doing some fruit addition later. By all accounts that can lead to some vigorous fermentation. Want to be prepared for it

Good luck. Being prepared is not as fun as running around like a madman after the top blows off!

 

[teeotee]

Good luck. Being prepared is not as fun as running around like a madman after the top blows off!

Oh i'm sure, i just know my wife would be pissed if i let it blow out all over our basement.

As an update, i tried all the tubing i have and it's either too larger to go through the grommet, or not large enough to go over the spout on the 3 part airlock. Will get something figured out though.

 

[Lennie]

They sell tubing at Lowes or Home Depot.

You probably won't need a blowoff unless you are brewing with a Belgian yeast strain. Brewing buckets are typically 7gal and that is enough head space for most krausens. But I'd agree with the better safe than sorry method.

 

[HawksBrewer]

You probably won't need a blowoff unless you are brewing with a Belgian yeast strain.

Or an intense top cropper like Wyeat 1010 American Wheat yeast. That sucker clogged and blew a blow-off tube/lid assembly off... I love mopping the ceiling

 

[Lennie]

Oh yeah a lot of the wheat strains are pretty active too.

A ceiling mop might be a good item to sell at a homebrew store.

 

[teeotee]

Got the brew into the primary yesterday, and as it happens i pitched Wyeast 1010. I think i best be getting to Lowes next weekend . BEFORE it goes into the secondary.

 

[TAK]

I just blew the lid on my bucket and I was using siphoning tubing for blow-off. I pitched Wyeast Belgian Abby II into a 1.110 RIS at 5pm on Sunday and Monday morning I was an hour late to work cleaning up the basement.

Anyone have any setup suggestions for a large carboy sized blow-off tube for a bucket lid?

 

[deflagratio]

I learned my lesson after 2 brews blew the airlock on my better bottles. I use blowoff tubes for all my primary fermentation. Since I'm lazy they tend to stay on for the whole fermentation. I use 2 liter soda bottles for my sanitizer I find that NB standard blowoff assembly fits perfectly in it with just enough room for the C02 to escape.

 

[teeotee]

I just blew the lid on my bucket and I was using siphoning tubing for blow-off. I pitched Wyeast Belgian Abby II into a 1.110 RIS at 5pm on Sunday and Monday morning I was an hour late to work cleaning up the basement.

Anyone have any setup suggestions for a large carboy sized blow-off tube for a bucket lid?

Here is my setup, i did use it on the strawberry wheat after adding the puree but it didn't get too crazy. I didn't have a plug for the airlock hole so i put in an airlock and put some cling film under the cap.

Parts came from Lowes, hose is 3/4" ID, 1" OD ($1.61 per ft), i got 3' should of got 4'. 3/4" by 3/4" barb fitting ($2.58).

My lid had a dimple in the middle so I drilled that out with a spade bit then screwed the fitting in.

 

[TAK]

Nice setup, I might try that myself. I'm starting to lean towards a bigger bucket though. I think I almost lost a gallon and would rather have seen it settle back in rather than blow off in the first place. Even with a bigger bucket, I'd still feel safer with a beeffy blowoff tube.

 

[nickelmcgee]

1/2" ID tubing from Lowes will fit over the stem of a three piece airlock. I leave some sanitize water in the airlock and run the tubing to a small (2 gallon) bucket with more star san. Works great and surprising how much trub and yeast I get in the blow-off bucket. After a few initial days of heavy fermentation I pull the modified airlock tubings and replace with 3 piece airlocks. it's essential for fermentation of high gravity brew. Started using this procedure after I blew the lids off two primaries in the master bedroom closet; SWMBO was not very happy.

 

[TAK]

1/2" ID tubing from Lowes will fit over the stem of a three piece airlock. I leave some sanitize water in the airlock and run the tubing to a small (2 gallon) bucket with more star san. Works great and surprising how much trub and yeast I get in the blow-off bucket. After a few initial days of heavy fermentation I pull the modified airlock tubings and replace with 3 piece airlocks. it's essential for fermentation of high gravity brew. Started using this procedure after I blew the lids off two primaries in the master bedroom closet; SWMBO was not very happy.

This is what I did with my RIS but I still blew the bucket lid. I cut the crosshairs off the airlock but it still clogged. I figure the bigger the tube, the better.