HELP!!!! How did this happen?

[brewawan]

Well, I made a bad mistake I guess. I brewed a B3 German Hefe, with WLP300 yeast, on Thursday and left out of town on Friday. I just came back to the house and went to see how things were going. (I'm sure most of you know where I'm going with this.) My 7.5 gal plastic fermenter EXPLODED and shot all the wort about 4 feet all over my shower. Luckily, it was a shower that doesn't get much use anyway.
I brewed 5 gal and it fermented at 74 deg. My SG was 1.056 of an expected 1.052. When I brew the next Hefe, how do I handle the wort when it begins overflowing into the airlock? I know next time brewing a Hefe not to leave it unwatched, but why did this happen? I knew Hefes ferment VERY vigorously but I did know it would blow the top off and detach the rubber seal of the lid.

I guess these are the aches and pains of being a new homebrewer. Thanks for your help.

 

[Beerrific]

Yeah, if you make a hefe with WLP300 and pack it with nails you could kill a few people.

Next time attach a blow off tube from day one. If you have a 3 piece airlock it is as easy as attaching a piece of 3/8'' tubbing to piece 1. Put the other end of the tubbing in a jug of sanitizing liquid.

 

[ProfLight]

Wow... that's quite an adventure. I had quite an overflow with my Imperial Stout, but it didn't blow up. I run a hose into my secondary from the top of my primary, and put the dry air lock on my secondary. While this isn't for blow off normally, it's fortunate that it was in place like that. I think at least 1-2 cups of my stout ended up in the secondary. It looks gross, too.

Thank goodness your hefe was in the shower, dude, and not in your kitchen.

Tony

 

[Dark_Ale]

About a year ago I had this happen to me also, I had no temp control on a 1.090 brew. Those lids are pretty tough to get off, I would have thought it would have blown the stopper out first....But it did'nt I still have yeast on my walls. I had to dump it all, not because of contamination, but because of the high ferment temp, I ferment most of my ales at 68 now in a 6.5 gallon carboy for 5 gallon batch I dont even need a blow off most of the time, but my barley wines get close so on high gravity brews I use an blow off tube. Also on those three piece air locks break the end off or it will stop up on you. Good luck

 

[FSR402]

Also on those three piece air locks break the end off or it will stop up on you. Good luck

Do you mean to cut the tip off?

 

[Dark_Ale]

Ya if you look at the bottom of it I think it has three pices that come together. I looks like yeast would push through it but it wont it will stop up. So cut the tip off then take your regular siphon tubing and stick it down in the other end...Its a very tight fit which is good. If you get the hose soft in some hot water it will go right in. Then run the other end of your hose in some sanitizer.

 

[FireBrewer]

Next time attach a blow off tube from day one. If you have a 3 piece airlock it is as easy as attaching a piece of 3/8'' tubbing to piece 1. Put the other end of the tubbing in a jug of sanitizing liquid.

Sound advice.

I've brewed a few hefe's and only one didn't blow the lid off the fermenter. The hefe yeast is crazy!

 

[CBBaron]

Use a blow-off tube if there is any question. I just stick a 3/8" hose into the rubber gromet and put the other end in a bottle of sanitizer.
As for the stopper vs the lid. The total force on a object like that is the pressure times the area affected. The lid is many times larger so the pressure is many times greater. resulting in lid explosions.
[edit] so the force is many times greater (thanks for the catch marosell)

Craig

 

[marosell]

^The pressure has to be even everywhere in the bucket.

I think you mean "the force is many times greater" on the lid because it has more area then the stopper.

 

[Hopleaf]

I've found that I always need to attach a blow off tube to any recipe with wheat in it.

 

[brewawan]

Thanks!!! I'll be running to B3 on Wed to purchase a new fermenter and airlock. And this time...a blow off tube. I appreciate all your help.