I got some of the hard stoppers and they work perfectly fine. I brewed an Irish stout and fermented in this bubbler for my first batch. I saw plenty of airlock activity, so I think I had a good seal. All in all very happy with the design, I do need to get haulers for them as I now have a dedicated fermentation chest freezer. Need a way to lift in and out.
Plastic Big Mouth Bubbler Sealing Problems
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I put 2 layers of sanitized saran wrap between the opening and the white lid on my plastic 6.5g BMB. Seemed to get a better seal.
I spread the wrap tightly over the opening, put the white lid on, and then pulled the wrap up so that I could get the screw down lid on. After tightening it up, it seemed like the seal was good. At least better than without the saran wrap. Then I took a knife and made a decent hole in the wrap so gas could be released.
So far so good on my first batch. It's been 3 weeks since pitching and I just did my first round of dry hopping.
It looks like it is keeping its seal. When I push in the sides a little on the BMB, the air goes out of the 3 piece airlock and the water levels on the inside and outside of the center post don't go back to equilibrium. Before I used saran wrap, the water would find equilibrium in just a few seconds so there was clearly air flowing both in and out of the fermentor.
I spread the wrap tightly over the opening, put the white lid on, and then pulled the wrap up so that I could get the screw down lid on. After tightening it up, it seemed like the seal was good. At least better than without the saran wrap. Then I took a knife and made a decent hole in the wrap so gas could be released.
So far so good on my first batch. It's been 3 weeks since pitching and I just did my first round of dry hopping.
It looks like it is keeping its seal. When I push in the sides a little on the BMB, the air goes out of the 3 piece airlock and the water levels on the inside and outside of the center post don't go back to equilibrium. Before I used saran wrap, the water would find equilibrium in just a few seconds so there was clearly air flowing both in and out of the fermentor.
ndlancer54
Member
Used keg lube between white top and plastic fermenter and I was able to see the airlock work the way I like without needing to make any further adjustments. Able to get activity within 12 hours 
I'm late to the party, but I just got a plastic 5-gallon BMB to use as a secondary when I dry hop. I have an IPA in it, inside a mini-fridge right now, I get a strong hops hit whenever I open the door, so I'm guessing it's leaking a little.
I like the keg lube idea (although that stuff is a real pain to get cleaned up), but it's a little late for this batch.
I ordered this strap wrench from Amazon for $4.99 - it's large enough to go around the lid (on the 5-gallon BMB anyway). I tried it tonight and I was able to tighten the lid a little more. I'm not sure if it's enough to get an air-tight seal, but it's better than I can do by hand.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J4DGIKA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I like the keg lube idea (although that stuff is a real pain to get cleaned up), but it's a little late for this batch.
I ordered this strap wrench from Amazon for $4.99 - it's large enough to go around the lid (on the 5-gallon BMB anyway). I tried it tonight and I was able to tighten the lid a little more. I'm not sure if it's enough to get an air-tight seal, but it's better than I can do by hand.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J4DGIKA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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Bluemarshbrewery
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I also have had sealing issues with my plastic BMB's. I like the ease of cleaning and light weight. NB and midwest have to be aware of the issue. Disappointed they have not recognized or addressed issue. What has worked for me is using a 1 gallon zip lock bag. I cut the bag into 2 panels, trace out the seal using the white lid and sanitizing. I make the seal about 1/2" larger then the white lid. You can put a hole before or after sealing the bubbler closed. The hole does not have to big, just enough to let the air through. I like the idea of using silicon food grade lube and will try that out on my next brew.
I know during primary it does not make much difference but I like to know my processes are under control. Gives me confidence in my brewing. Just my 2 cents.
I know during primary it does not make much difference but I like to know my processes are under control. Gives me confidence in my brewing. Just my 2 cents.
I see that Northern Brewer has a new, re-designed glass big mouth bubbler. It sounds like they addressed most, if not all of the issues that I had with the old design. It is more expensive, but if the improvements were done right, I might be interested in trying the new design.
Ostrich_Egg_Brewing
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A proper seal with the BMB will become a major issue if you cold crash like I do. As the CO2 condenses, it will begin to create a vacuum. If you have a poor seal, your BMB will begin to draw air (oxygen) from outside. I'm sure everyone knows, this will not be good for the long term life of your beer.
Has anyone tried to put a bead of a food grade sealant around the rim of the fermenter? I'm thinking like a food grade silicon or RTV or similar. Then when you screw the lid down, it would seal better. I'm thinking of getting one but haven't come to a conclusion on how to better seal it as some of my beers condition for quite a long time.
BlackDog-Brewery
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I just received a notice there was a new post to this thread. I started I similar thread awhile back when the plastic Big Mouth Bubblers first came out.
I was hoping there was someone that finally posted a solution. But unfortunately not.
These fermenters are a piece of crap. They do not seal, and show no signs of air lock activity even after a few days of pitching US-05 !
They are only good for fermenting wine kits (which aren't so critical when it comes to inlet leakage of ambient O2)
After running out of fermentation vessels to prepare for my Fall Seasonal brews back in August, I reached for the large mouth again, but this time I tried to wrap 1" wide Teflon tape around the edge of the white disk before tightening down on the blue retainer ring. It was a complete waste of time.
Cheers
I was hoping there was someone that finally posted a solution. But unfortunately not.
These fermenters are a piece of crap. They do not seal, and show no signs of air lock activity even after a few days of pitching US-05 !
They are only good for fermenting wine kits (which aren't so critical when it comes to inlet leakage of ambient O2)
After running out of fermentation vessels to prepare for my Fall Seasonal brews back in August, I reached for the large mouth again, but this time I tried to wrap 1" wide Teflon tape around the edge of the white disk before tightening down on the blue retainer ring. It was a complete waste of time.
Cheers
I am currently cold crashing in one right now. I followed the suggestion of making a seal by cutting a ring out of a Styrofoam plate. I placed that ring on top of the white plastic lid (between that and the blue ring). I also used the strap wrench I had posted earlier to really crank the lid down before I filled the BMB, and based on the one-piece air-lock I installed, I have an air tight seal.
I agree that it is difficult to seat a rubber stopper perfectly, especially if it is wet from sanitizer (I have the same issue in my glass carboys). I have a silicone stopper that really fits tight, even when wet. Does anyone know if they make a drilled silicone stopper for air-locks? I think that would work well if I could find one.
The main reason I wanted to post was because I just received a catalog from Midwest Supplies, and they are now showing a replacement lid for all the Big Mouth Bubblers (plastic and glass). This one sits inside the throat of the Bubbler and has a silicone seal. I can't tell exactly from the picture, but I assume it replaces the white portion and you still use the blue ring to tighten it down. I haven't ordered one yet, but I plan to for my next batch.
I agree that it is difficult to seat a rubber stopper perfectly, especially if it is wet from sanitizer (I have the same issue in my glass carboys). I have a silicone stopper that really fits tight, even when wet. Does anyone know if they make a drilled silicone stopper for air-locks? I think that would work well if I could find one.
The main reason I wanted to post was because I just received a catalog from Midwest Supplies, and they are now showing a replacement lid for all the Big Mouth Bubblers (plastic and glass). This one sits inside the throat of the Bubbler and has a silicone seal. I can't tell exactly from the picture, but I assume it replaces the white portion and you still use the blue ring to tighten it down. I haven't ordered one yet, but I plan to for my next batch.
Since Midwest and Northern Brewer are all the same now, I checked the NB site and there's the same product. I might just pull the trigger on the plastic version of this fermentor now.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/big-mouth-bubbler-universal-lid-single-port
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/big-mouth-bubbler-universal-lid-single-port
I just bought some of them. We'll see. I am not feeling good about the future of better bottles, and I need to replace mine with something - they are showing some wear.
patchedboard
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Instead of using a bung I bought extra petcocks for my blow off tubes. Then I sealed them by trimming the gasket that comes with them to fit in the bung hole. I noticed that the bmb still seemed to leak, so I used some food grade silicone on the top of the blue ring where the plate mates up to it and then on the top of the bmb where the plate mates to the carboy. In retrospect I could have probably just used the silicone on the carboy. Hope this helps anyone in the future.
But ya, they leak like a siv. Probably not a big deal during primary, but in secondary if you have any temp drop they will suck air in, which might draw in wild yeast/bacteria.
But ya, they leak like a siv. Probably not a big deal during primary, but in secondary if you have any temp drop they will suck air in, which might draw in wild yeast/bacteria.
Hmm.... food-grade silicone on the top.. makes sense. I bet you could make a ring of food-grade silicone on the underside of the white "plate" and it would work as well.
Hi guys. I worked out a solution to the sealing problem with the BMB (using that thing above, which didn't work on its own dammit).
Big Mouth Bubbler- Solution to the bad lid seal problem
Big Mouth Bubbler- Solution to the bad lid seal problem
Bummer about the new lids. I guess they are meant to be pushed in place like a bung? I had the impression they replaced the white plate of the two piece lid. I thought you still had to use the blue ring with the new lid.
I have some edge trim from McMaster that my company uses. I tried it various ways (line the top of the carboy, around the white plate, etc) but seems stuffing it inside the blue ring might work best. I had to really crank down on the lid to get it screw onto the carboy's threads as the trim is thicker than a flat gasket (another idea I have). Here's a pic.
I'll try it this weekend when I brew and report back. I'm sure Passedpawn's method is easier, but I already had the trim on hand.
Anyone know of a work around with the old gaskets for the original glass BMBs? NB states those gaskets won't work with the universal lid. I was thinking of using them between the white plate and the blue ring.
I have some edge trim from McMaster that my company uses. I tried it various ways (line the top of the carboy, around the white plate, etc) but seems stuffing it inside the blue ring might work best. I had to really crank down on the lid to get it screw onto the carboy's threads as the trim is thicker than a flat gasket (another idea I have). Here's a pic.
I'll try it this weekend when I brew and report back. I'm sure Passedpawn's method is easier, but I already had the trim on hand.
Anyone know of a work around with the old gaskets for the original glass BMBs? NB states those gaskets won't work with the universal lid. I was thinking of using them between the white plate and the blue ring.
I recently kegged the Altbier I had in my siphonless bubbler. That's the one I made a gasket out of a Styrofoam plate and I put on top of the white plastic portion of the lid. I had also tightened it down as much as I could with a strap wrench.
When I first opened the spigot, it started sucking air rapidly through the one-piece airlock I had installed. If it wasn't 100% airtight, it had to have been very close.
I think making the Styrofoam gasket and cranking the lid down created a nice seal. I still plan to check out the new lid, however.
When I first opened the spigot, it started sucking air rapidly through the one-piece airlock I had installed. If it wasn't 100% airtight, it had to have been very close.
I think making the Styrofoam gasket and cranking the lid down created a nice seal. I still plan to check out the new lid, however.
BlackDog-Brewery
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Hi J2W2,
As one of the founding fathers of this thread, I applaud you for finally finding a solution to this ongoing problem.
Just like Volkswagen has lied on its emissions reports, I can believe a company would mass distribute a product (before doing at least a few months of testing within the brewing community) knowing that their best customers would jump on it.
I'm not saying your solution doesn't work. Thank you for sharing. Its just that they beat me down to the point where I am willing to spend the $6 to try the 6 gallon fermenter for something other that wines.
My next order with Northern Brewer will also include their solution to the problem. I'm not happy that I have to pay to try it, but for $6 do we really have any choice?
Thx again J2W2 for sharing your solution.
Cheers & 17
Owly055
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I agree with this......... I used to fret about fermenters that didn't seal well, and I've had more that didn't than I have that did, and I've not had a single infected brew in 106 batches, so I simply don't let it worry me anymore. That said, it is a commercial product, and it should work.
H.W.
I agree, it's not a big deal, but all things being equal, I'd like to have the fermentor that seals. I agree with not letting it worry you (all of you). But I don't agree with settling for less than perfection. OCD is a *****!
If you buy those new universal lids, make sure to check out my "fix" thread. I linked it somewhere above.
Owly055
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The first Walmart ice tea jug I used for a fermenter was round and tapered gently to the top. The lid had a matching taper and slid down inside without a shelf. Because the taper matched, it created a very tight seal. It was a shallow taper, and it sealed tightly enough that it was just a tad difficult to get loose. The BMB people might look at this as a solution and do away with the threads. Threads in my experience just created more of a cleaning issue. The projecting thread has an accompanying recess on the inside, and these recesses collect dried krausen........ I don't like anything that collects gunk, weather it be cutsy decorative bubbles, logos, names, ribs, etc. There is no reason for the interior of a fermenter to have ANY "features". The exception probably is the large ribs which provide reinforcing. The lid should be close to the size of the fermenter with only enough reduction to provide stiffness.
H.W.
H.W.
No. There are no threads on the inside of the fermentor. It is perfectly smooth.
Owly, I think it's a good policy to either 1) let us know when you're guessing, or 2) only comment on things you're familiar with.
Owly055
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Good point............ Most plastic products with threads have internal features mirroring their external features. It's a function of the forming process, which is usually blow forming using an external mold only..... for obvious reasons. Take a look at If you take a look at various plastic items with threads you will see this is common if not universal. I assumed based on what I've seen of other plastic products.... Obviously I was wrong.
Be that as it may, a taper seal is worth looking at when designing something like this. A taper makes a very effective seal with no need of a gasket of any sort, and the angle used can give easy release, requiring something to hold it down, or it can give a positive grip like a Morse Taper.
H.W.
the problem with a Morse Taper is all those darned dits and dahs!
They should send out a replacement lid FREE OF CHARGE to everybody who got ripped off buying a plastic BMB in the first place. That piece of junk cost me 10 gallons of good fruit juice before I shelved in forever.
21st Century Product Development
Get customers to buy your initial prototype, and then use their gripes/complaints to gain free product testing.
It's happening all of the time in home-brew, and it's the sole reason I don't jump on any of these "new products" anymore.
Don't buy a concept - buy a quality product. Patience pays.
Get customers to buy your initial prototype, and then use their gripes/complaints to gain free product testing.
It's happening all of the time in home-brew, and it's the sole reason I don't jump on any of these "new products" anymore.
Don't buy a concept - buy a quality product. Patience pays.
Owly055
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I agree with the previous comment about using customers for product testing.... STUPID!! It's a great way to start out with a lot of dissatisfied customers and negative advertising.
That said, I ordered a 5 gallon BMB the other day, as I'm retiring two of my ice tea dispenser fermenters due to concerns about the apparent fact that these two are polycarbonate instead of acrylic, as shown by surface erosion. The BMB is a bit over $50 including freight for one with a spigot. I insist on clear fermenters, and refuse to use carboys, and for me a spigot is a must. The BMB is the only purpose built fermenter that meets all my criteria. I don't care about lid leakage..... to me it's a non-issue. Lots of fermenters vent around the lid, including many of the popular brew buckets.
H.W.
That said, I ordered a 5 gallon BMB the other day, as I'm retiring two of my ice tea dispenser fermenters due to concerns about the apparent fact that these two are polycarbonate instead of acrylic, as shown by surface erosion. The BMB is a bit over $50 including freight for one with a spigot. I insist on clear fermenters, and refuse to use carboys, and for me a spigot is a must. The BMB is the only purpose built fermenter that meets all my criteria. I don't care about lid leakage..... to me it's a non-issue. Lots of fermenters vent around the lid, including many of the popular brew buckets.
H.W.
Do you think it's possible for fruit flies to get into the gaps? That was my primary concern.
If I did long-term fermentations I'd also worry about oxygen ingress, but I don't do sours anymore, so it's not a concern for me.
Owly055
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I've been using Walmart Ice Tea dispensers which don't inherently seal decently. The solution for me has been very large rubber bands from Dykema Rubber Bands. I bought a pound of 15" x 2" rubber bands (30" if you were to cut them and lay them out flat) They unfortunately don't seem to have extra wide bands in a suitable size for the BMB, however it would not be difficult to find an inner tube of a suitable size and cut one out. Tape works of course but makes a mess.
I used a Brew Demon briefly, and it would not seal..... though it never caused a problem. What fermenter seals well? A carboy is about the only choice until you get to the high dollar fermenters. I don't see oxygen ingress as being a real issue unless you have radical temp changes.
H.W.
Owly055
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Just got my BMB the other day, and they sent me a 6.5 gallon one instead of the 5 gallon one I ordered. I don't need 6.5 gallons of capacity for 3 gallon brews, and I have no intention of scaling up, so I traded it to my friend who I just started in brewing and does 5 gallon brews, and he's going to order a 5 gallon unit and trade. The thing is HUGE!!
H.W.
H.W.
My big mouth bubblers seal VERY well with the modification I made. How do I know? The airlock on one of them got clogged and when I screwed the top off there was a lot of pressure in there.
I previously used better bottles with universal bungs and 3-piece airlocks. These were airtight seals as well.
If it's not important to you, then ignore, but it's a concern to me.
Owly055
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I wouldn't say "it's not important to me"..........But I've learned not to stress about it. Perhaps the climate is less "hostile" here as I've had zero issues related to sealing.
H.W.
BlackDog-Brewery
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I'm happy to report that as far as I'm concerned this problem of the lid design flaw (which I was like one of the founding fathers of) can be finally closed out.
Unfortunately years ago, I was one of the first brewers that jumped on the chance to buy the Big Mouth Fermenter that I could easily reach into and clean the dried up krausen on the side walls.
Within the 1st couple of brews, I knew that the lid was leaking because all of the air lock activity stopped after 3 or 4 days. I trust my records, so the CO2 by-product of fermentation had to be going somewhere . . . It was obviously going right out the design flaw in the lid.
Despite numerous attempts to get lid to seal, I conceded defeat and only used this fermenter for long-term aging of wines where the ABV is typically too high to let in an infection.
Now that the manufacturers of the Big Mouth Bubbler have come up with a solution that is not only cheap but effective, I can now trust the fermenter for my home brews.
The new universal lid comes standard on late 2015 models of the Big Mouth Bubbler, or can be purchased for about $6 if you already have the fermenter. According to the manufacturer, it is backwards compatible with all versions, both glass or plastic.
(thus the reason for the tapered rings of flexible silicone)
Hope you enjoy the video. Here is the link !
Cheers
Unfortunately years ago, I was one of the first brewers that jumped on the chance to buy the Big Mouth Fermenter that I could easily reach into and clean the dried up krausen on the side walls.
Within the 1st couple of brews, I knew that the lid was leaking because all of the air lock activity stopped after 3 or 4 days. I trust my records, so the CO2 by-product of fermentation had to be going somewhere . . . It was obviously going right out the design flaw in the lid.
Despite numerous attempts to get lid to seal, I conceded defeat and only used this fermenter for long-term aging of wines where the ABV is typically too high to let in an infection.
Now that the manufacturers of the Big Mouth Bubbler have come up with a solution that is not only cheap but effective, I can now trust the fermenter for my home brews.
The new universal lid comes standard on late 2015 models of the Big Mouth Bubbler, or can be purchased for about $6 if you already have the fermenter. According to the manufacturer, it is backwards compatible with all versions, both glass or plastic.
(thus the reason for the tapered rings of flexible silicone)
Hope you enjoy the video. Here is the link !
Cheers
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Glad it worked for you, but if you check the NB site and reviews, you'll see others have had problems with this lid popping completely out of the fermentor. Mine did.
BlackDog-Brewery
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Hi Passedpawn
Good reason to keep this thread going !
Was your fermenter the glass or PET version?
And is it possible that the universal lid popped out because of the slippery surface that was created when you sanitized it, and maybe we should have let the StarSan dry before inserting the lid?
Cheers
Plastic. Yep, the "popup" issue was a lot worse when wetted with starsan. If you look at the first pic in my "fix" thread, posted above somewhere, you'll see exactly how far it popped up when wet. I was very uncomfortable with that. Anyway, for me the fix was really easy and I have no complaints now. Love this fermentor.
edit: Here: Big Mouth Bubbler- Solution to the bad lid seal problem
__________________
BlackDog-Brewery
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God dam Passedpawn, that's an incredible fix.
Yes . . . . I believe you that the jig saw modification is the perfect solution.
But honesty . . . . Can you believe we are still talking about this even after the release of the $6 universal lid?
I guess I just got lucky with the huge blow-off shown in my video. Maybe my lid was moments away from popping out to, and coming home to a total mess.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers
I've used them through 3 batches and lately the universals don't seem to pop up at all. Odd. I still screw them down, but when I stick them in there they stay pretty good. So I dunno, maybe they are OK without the crazy fix.
But srsly, check out the reviews on them here. Others are having the same issue.
But srsly, check out the reviews on them here. Others are having the same issue.
After fighting with Big Mouth Bubbler and their incredibly shoddy customer service, return policies, quality control, and inability to design a functional plastic carboy, I have solved the problem of the non-sealing cap.
1. Drill a 1" hole in the thing about 1" from the bottom.
2. Get yourself some silicone aquarium sealant from Home Depot or Lowe's and an Italian spigot from Amazon.
3. Stick the spigot in the bubbler and tighten it up with a pipe wrench.
4. Smear silicone around the inside and outside of the spigot's entry hole.
5. Use the thing strictly for hard cider - when you put the piece of junk lid on, give it a tight wrap with 1" electrical tape and screw the blue piece of junk down onto the piece of junk bubbler.
6. Mine held a good enough seal for 2 weeks and by then it was time to bottle the cider.
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, USE THIS PIECE OF JUNK FOR ANYTHING ELSE AND IF YOU HAVEN'T PURCHASED ONE, DON'T.
1. Drill a 1" hole in the thing about 1" from the bottom.
2. Get yourself some silicone aquarium sealant from Home Depot or Lowe's and an Italian spigot from Amazon.
3. Stick the spigot in the bubbler and tighten it up with a pipe wrench.
4. Smear silicone around the inside and outside of the spigot's entry hole.
5. Use the thing strictly for hard cider - when you put the piece of junk lid on, give it a tight wrap with 1" electrical tape and screw the blue piece of junk down onto the piece of junk bubbler.
6. Mine held a good enough seal for 2 weeks and by then it was time to bottle the cider.
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, USE THIS PIECE OF JUNK FOR ANYTHING ELSE AND IF YOU HAVEN'T PURCHASED ONE, DON'T.
