I should have used a blow off tube ...

[MajorJC]

My last batch was 5 gallons, plenty of headspace ...

My current batch is six gallons, I've got a mess to clean up when I get home from work. I rigged up this contraption as I was headed out the door to go to work to try to keep it closed till morning. SWMBO has informed me that it has blown the lid up again and sprayed krausen all over the inside of my chamber. I almost used a blow off tube for this batch, but the one i have is nasty and I didn't want to drive to home depot to get a new one.

 

[JohnSand]

Your batch got over excited. It happens to young yeast.

 

[AlexKay]

On this topic, once you've got krausen all over the inside of a three-piece airlock, does anyone have a method for getting it clean again? I've thrown out two that I just couldn't scrub the gunk out of.

 

[DBhomebrew]

On this topic, once you've got krausen all over the inside of a three-piece airlock, does anyone have a method for getting it clean again? I've thrown out two that I just couldn't scrub the gunk out of.

A 3-piece? Just a good Oxy or PBW soak seems to work well for me. An s-type double bubble? Yick.

 

[hotbeer]

Even laundry detergent works well for cleaning such stuff as dried on yeast and trub when it's in places you can't get to well with a brush or something to scrub on it.

 

[BrewZer]

Is that fermenter glass or plastic?

 

[MajorJC]

Is that fermenter glass or plastic?

It is plastic, I've got a glass one on order. I really like these big mouth bubblers.
I've also ordered a roll of blow off tubing from Home Depot.

 

[505-Brewer]

Bummer.
Fermcap S is your friend. It kills the krausen by breaking the surface tension so it makes it harder to monitor the fermentation but prevents these issues. Pros use it all the time in the kettle and again in the fermenter highly recommend.

 

[MajorJC]

Bummer.
Fermcap S is your friend. It kills the krausen by breaking the surface tension so it makes it harder to monitor the fermentation but prevents these issues. Pros use it all the time in the kettle and again in the fermenter highly recommend.

Yep, I've got some of that coming in with the new fermentor that I ordered.