Close the pail for primary?

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Scarthingmoor

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I have a basic setup for my primary - pail with no room for an airlock. My instructions with the kit said to just leave the lid on but not closed. I'm worried this is opening up my batch to infection. Any suggestions to fix this? Can I just cut a hole in the lid for a bung/airlock? Anything else I can do, or should I just buy a new primary? Can i just close the pail after a day or two?
 
Yes you can drill a hole put a grommet on with an airlock,and seal your lid.What do you mean no room for an airlock? Oh you talking mr.beer,then? I dont think you can fit an airlock on side ways, but you probably could make a blowoff, otherwise i wouldnt really worry about it.
I would feel pretty confident sealing it after a week, i had a problem with some wooden lids i was using molding, so i just took them off after a week or two and wrapped sirran wrapp around them tightly taped even rubberbands maybe. Worked fine.
Im shure with a lid you could just burp it, i wouldnt seal it til after a week or complete fermentation though.
 
Yeah, I shouldn't have said no room for an airlock. It's just a pail with no airlock. I've had a few homebrews today. :)
 
There's nothing wrong with the equipment you were sold, or the instructions you were given.

There are several fermenters out there that don't have airlock bungholes added, and don't need airlocks on them.

And are perfectly fine.

Some you do need to drill, while others don't and the lids don't sit all that tight on them.

There's nothing wrong with that at all, And the mr beer fermenter doesn't even have an airlock, and SOMEHOW beer manages to still ferment in those things. :)

An airlock is nothing more than a valve to keep the lid from blowing off and painting your ceiling with your beer.

The bad stuff are not ninja acrobats, they really can't get into stuff. The co2 coming out will prevent anything getting in.

The airlock is one of the most superfluous things in brewing, that new brewers seem to put the most stock in.


You really don't want an airtight seal on your fermenter. The co2 coming out of there would protect your beer. In fact many folks with arthitis and other issues don't snap the lid down on their buckets anyway, and may folks just put tinfoil, plastic wrap, metal cookie sheets or even plexiglass sheets on top of the bucket instead. It's really not crucial to be tight. The bad stuff are not ninja acrobats, they really can't get into stuff. The co2 coming out will prevent anything getting in.

In fact you don't want a "pressurized" bucket, if you have one, then at some point you will end up with a ceiling full of beer. I've had that happen when the vent (airlock) gets blocked by a freak hop cone, and it wasn't pretty.
 
I've been experimenting with "open fermentation"; no airlock, just leaving sufficient headroom and loosely placing the lid on top of the primary. I've had no issues, and once fermentation slows after 4-5 days, I snap the lid in place and let it sit until day 14 or so when I bottle. No issues so far. The positive pressure from the escaping C02 keeps the bad stuff out.

Cheers!
 
I don't have airlocks either and I just rest the lid on top of the bucket. Works great. No snapping down.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJmchDK46mY]15 Gallons of EdWort's Haus Ale - YouTube[/ame]
 
I've been experimenting with "open fermentation"; no airlock, just leaving sufficient headroom and loosely placing the lid on top of the primary. I've had no issues, and once fermentation slows after 4-5 days, I snap the lid in place and let it sit until day 14 or so when I bottle. No issues so far. The positive pressure from the escaping C02 keeps the bad stuff out.

Cheers!

I dont think that really qualifies as open fermentation because your pitched yeast will keep anything out during fermentation,as far as wild yeast.Its pretty safe during fementation really for invaders.Spontanious yeast is a differnet story,like letting natural wild yeast take over.Probably not even pitching any yeast, but i have never done this with beer yet. Im not shure if this is your interpetation of open fermentation,though.
 
I guess in the literal definiton, you'd be right.

But by the definition of the overly germaphobic views of this board I'm a borderline heretic...RDWHAHB! It's all goodness!
 
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