ijm2007

[ijm2007]

I'm just starting out with a wine kit supplied with 2 piece clear plastic airlocks. These have to be half filled with water or sterilising fluid then inseted into the primary fermenter. The mix has been on the go for 24hrs now but the airlock over time empties the liquid out of the top. Is this a design fault with the airlock or is it over fermenting or something? The cupboard the fermentor is in started at around 19.5 degrees C but now is around 23 degrees. Is there a better method to keep the oxygen out? Any help would be appreciated......

 

[EvilTOJ]

The fill line on the airlock is more of a guideline, and you don't have to fill it right to the top of that line. Sounds like you're getting a vigorous fermentation and it's bubbling the water out of the top. Just use a little less water in the airlock. Also, 23º C (73ºF) is getting to the higher end of good fermentation temps, you'd better cool it off a little.

The airlock isn't to keep oxygen out, its to keep unwanted microbes out and release the CO2 as a byproduct.

EDIT: and welcome to the forum!

 

[BlueMoon]

I had exactly the same issue with two batches of homebrew. I actually assumed that there was no fermentation since I was not getting bubbles. The airlock emptying was actually a siphon sucking the water back into my fermenter.

The issue turned out to be a tiny crack on the seam of the airlock that would vent the CO2 before it could bubble, but which would not relieve the pressure quickly enough to prevent sucking the water back into the fermenter.

I replaced my airlock and have not had the problem since.

Good luck, and happy wine making.

 

[ijm2007]

Thanks for that. I have reduced the temp to around 20 and the fermentation seems alot less active. Just out of interest, does anyone know how often these things are normally topped up?

 

[EvilTOJ]

Topping up airlocks really depends on your relative humidity. The drier it is, the more water will evaporate. I almost never have to top it up since we get rain about 11 months out of the year in the Pacific Northwest and it's frickin humid all the time.