Can trub stop the airlock from bubbling?

[jonbomb]

I brewed a hefe the other day. I used safbrew WB-06. After it was done I put the fermentor in my basement in a bin filled with water. The next morning I threw in some frozen water bottles.

Temperature came down to the mid 60s and the fermentation kinda slowed it seemed. I opened the lid this morning and the hop leaves were at the top I couldn't siphon them out when i was siphoning from the pot to fermentor. So I just dumped it in the fermentor.

Is it possible the hop leaves are stopping bubbles in the airlock?? I can see there is some type of fermentation going on because there are definetly some bubbles from the krausen peeking through the hop leaves.

 

[jonbomb]

I just relized something!!! Of corse the airlock isnt bubbling! I think i forgot to put the third piece in the aurlock. You know the little cap that goes on top of the stem??

So air is just pushing out and not puching down into the vodka thats in the airlock itself . :cross:

Can this effect my overall product?

 

[RedGlass]

The airlock is just a valve on your bucket. It could be that there isn't a perfect seal on the lid and CO2 is getting out somewhere else. Hops in the bucket wouldn't stop a gas from acting like a gas...

 

[RedGlass]

You'll be fine. RDWHAHB.

 

[broadbill]

Temperature came down to the mid 60s and the fermentation kinda slowed it seemed.

How long was fermentation going before it slowed? Without hydrometer readings, its hard to tell what is going on. Airlock bubbling isn't an indicator that fermentation, its just an additional confirmation. It not bubbling doesn't means anything...

As to your question, I'm not sure how hop leaves could stop your airlock from bubbling.

 

[jonbomb]

It was only eight hours after the fermentor was put in my basement. Well isnt it possible for the hop leaves to sit on top of the krousen and cause a type of seal that stops the krousen from releasing air or c02 (whatever it does when the krausen is on top) to give me a less vigorous airlock activity.

 

[jonbomb]

I know its gonna be alright. I'm just not used to having this problem and I like to know a reason why its happening.

 

[broadbill]

Well isnt it possible for the hop leaves to sit on top of the krousen and cause a type of seal that stops the krousen from releasing air or c02 (whatever it does when the krausen is on top) to give me a less vigorous airlock activity.

I don't think so. The only possibility is that the krausen got high enough without you knowing it and plugged the airlock itself with hop debris (is it clear of obstructions?). If you have a plugged airlock and fermentation is still going on, then it's going to vent elsewhere, perhaps somewhat explosively/violently.

Barring that possibility, I'd go with RedGlass's suggestion that you have a leak elsewhere in your fermenter and the gas is leaking out that way....and that's OK too.

 

[jonbomb]

I'll check when I get home from work... what about me not puting the third piece on the airlock?? That cap that goes inside it.

 

[broadbill]

I'll check when I get home from work... what about me not puting the third piece on the airlock?? That cap that goes inside it.

Well, its kinda hard to see activity in a three-piece airlock when the third piece isn't there! Also, its probably not acting as an airlock either....

 

[WVBeerBaron]

Well, its kinda hard to see activity in a three-piece airlock when the third piece isn't there! Also, its probably not acting as an airlock either....

I agree....you won't see bubbles without the airlock's third piece. The CO2 is just pushing out the top. If you have a good krausen then it sounds like it's chugging along.

 

[jonbomb]

I'm assuming thats what the problem was...Dam im gonna have to go home and throw that thing on.