Level In airlock/stopper!

[rickim]

Hey everyone,
I just started brewing and I'm on my second batch, which is a nut brown ale. "Very Exciting!" So I'm in the complete learning stage and apologize if this is a stupid question, but I need to know.

On with my question.....
So after doing all my stove top action I put it in my primary, pitched the yeast and put my airlock/stopper in and when I checked on it a few days later the water level in my airlock/stopper has gone down. What the heck does that mean? Should I fill it to the line again?Have I ruined anything? What can I do different to not let that happen again?

Thanx for your feedback ahead of time!

 

[Tilldeath]

it's normal I think, I put starsan in mine and the level lowers after about 2 weeks. My guess is it's just evaporation. While water should be fine, better to use starsan/vodka in the airlock just in case of suck back, otherwise RDWHAHB all will be good.

 

[Chudz]

If your primary fermentation is pretty vigorous then it may actually push some of the liquid out of your airlock. Also if there is a pressure difference then some of the liquid from your airlock may be sucked back into your fermenter.

Perhaps the best question at this point is, what liquid did you use in your airlock?

 

[Stuntman]

If your primary fermentation is pretty vigorous then it may actually push some of the liquid out of your airlock. Also if there is a pressure difference then some of the liquid from your airlock may be sucked back into your fermenter.

Perhaps the best question at this point is, what liquid did you use in your airlock?

+1 I am using vodka (cheap) just to make sure, if it does suck into fermenter, it only improves my alcohol content by a fraction. Definitely add more vodka to lock so that it will keep atmosphere out

RDWAHAHB

So after doing all my stove top action I put it in my primary, pitched the yeast and put my airlock/stopper in and when I checked on it a few days later the water level in my airlock/stopper has gone down. What the heck does that mean? Should I fill it to the line again?Have I ruined anything? What can I do different to not let that happen again?

When level goes down, definitely fill it back up. During the initial stages of fermentation, when action is at it's best, there is so much CO2 comming out, that nothing is comming in, you will be fine.

 

[dvdfnzwbr]

When you put your wort into the fermenter and the wort is not cooled down to room temperature what happens is your wort heats the the air locked in the fermenter. As the wort cools down it cools the air that is locked into the fermentor and contracts it which causes a vacuum effect and pulls the water thats in your airlock into the fermenter. This happens in reverse if your wort is cooler than room temperature and when the wort warms to room temp the air in the fermentor expands and gives a false sense of early fermentation as the water in the airlock moves outward. This changing of air mass temps also happens when cold crashing a secondary fermenter into a colder temperature when lagering. Yes refill your air lock. Next time try to pitch your yeast with your wort at room temperature or lower.

Store bought airlocks like the bobbing cap design are known for siphoning water in. A better choice would be the pretzel like sink trap version. But the best fix is to extend the distance the water in the airlock travels to the fermenter by using a foot long poly hose from the fermenter to a bottle of water.

 

[rickim]

Thank you guys for all the good info..... When it comes to the liquid in my airlock I am using H2O but, next time I will go with (cheap) vodka now that I know you can. I appreciate all the quick/detailed responses to my question and will probably be asking a ton more as my obsession with beer brewing grows... Cheers!

 

[TipsyDragon]

I checked on it a few days later the water level in my airlock/stopper has gone down. What the heck does that mean? Should I fill it to the line again?Have I ruined anything? What can I do different to not let that happen again?

the air in the carboy cooled and contracted and as a result sucked the water from the airlock back in to equalize the pressure. as far as ruining anything i really don't think so. what did you have in the airlock? just refill the airlock and move the carboy to a warmer place. get a fermwrap, thermowell, and some sort of temp controller. this will keep the carboy at a constant temp and there will be no more water suckage.

 

[mojotele]

The vacuum others have talked about is indeed the most common reason. Happens to me all the time when I crash cool my beers. It's really no big deal assuming you used sanitizer or vodka in your airlock. As long as I can see that no air can get in, I forget about it until the pressure equalizes.