Immediate help needed! I don't have a carboy cap that fits.

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MarcJWaters

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I went to a new store, and picked out a 6.5 gallon carboy and the cap they advertised that fits. Got it home, and silly me for not checking because the sucker don't fit. Now I have a batch of beer sitting in the fermenter with nothing to seal contaminants out.

Ideas?

Thanks.
 
I am assuming this is a temorary solution, then sit airlock on top? Or wrap the tinfoil around the cap that doesnt fit? The cap I have is too big...
 
Serious, wrap it in Tin Foil, you will soon have more things coming out of your fermentor than can come in.
RAHAHBDWAI.
Dave:)
 
Just curl it loosely over the top of the carboy to keep the nasties out, but also to allow the CO2 to escape. It can be temp or permanent.
 
I've been using just tin foil on my primary for a while, and swap out for an airlock after the first week or when krausen drops. Seems to give me lower FGs, maybe because of less head pressure? No need to worry about it immediately.
 
Use a balloon stretched over the mouth of the carboy, with a small hole in it. Once fermentation is complete, it's best to transfer the beer to a sealed or airlocked vessel to prevent oxidation.

The law of partial pressures in gasses means that any time the vessel is open to the air, oxygen will infiltrate. there is no such thing as a "CO2 blanket" unless there is an airlock preventing gas exchange.
 
Just put foil over the top of the carboy. Pull it down around the sides but don't use a rubber band or anything. Basically same rules as a condom.
 
If you do not have a balloon handy, just use a baggy. Same idea.

FYI: Do NOT screw a cap on loosely. I did this with my wine at first. Krausen over flowed, dried, sealed and blew up the jug. We were gone thank God. We had wine all over the walls and glass shards stuck in the sheet rock 20 feet across the room. After that I started using a rubber band to hold a baggy over the top.
 
Sandwich bag with sanitizer sprayed on the inside. Rub the bag together to cover the entire inside with sanitizer. Place bag over the carboy opening.
 
Just put foil over the top of the carboy. Pull it down around the sides but don't use a rubber band or anything. Basically same rules as a condom.

i thought the rule of condoms was, "don't try and use saran wrap (or tinfoil) as a condom"
 
I have a friend who used to ferment beer in a plastic trash bucket with a garbage bag over it. You're just trying to keep stuff from falling in, while letting the pressure out. Many ways to do that.. ;)
 
Use a balloon stretched over the mouth of the carboy, with a small hole in it. Once fermentation is complete, it's best to transfer the beer to a sealed or airlocked vessel to prevent oxidation.

The law of partial pressures in gasses means that any time the vessel is open to the air, oxygen will infiltrate. there is no such thing as a "CO2 blanket" unless there is an airlock preventing gas exchange.

+1,000 Finally there's someone who understands what's really happening with the physics.

I normally use the carboy caps with an airlock, but I have also used some plastic wrap very lightly secured with a rubber band. This works like a crude check valve allowing CO2 to escape by pushing past the rubber band, but provides a good seal when the fermentation slows. When lagering I use a carboy cap, but instead of an airlock, I just leave the small caps on the nipples. As the wort cools going into lagering it contracts and a slight vacuum forms when it's sealed like this, but that hasn't caused any problems and I think this is better than having air sucked back into the fermenter at that stage.
 
Use a balloon stretched over the mouth of the carboy, with a small hole in it. Once fermentation is complete, it's best to transfer the beer to a sealed or airlocked vessel to prevent oxidation.

The law of partial pressures in gasses means that any time the vessel is open to the air, oxygen will infiltrate. there is no such thing as a "CO2 blanket" unless there is an airlock preventing gas exchange.

As long as it's fermenting actively enough, the escaping CO2 will prevent O2 from getting in.
 
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