Plastic bucket seal quality

[Goodlander]

The plastic bucket that I usually brew in has an o-ring in the lid and I always have lots of bubbles coming through the airlock during active fermentation. I bought an extra bucket from a different vendor and found out after I received it that it had no o-ring.

I've brewed two batches in it, and both times there have been no (I mean zero) bubbles through the lock. This is true during active fermentation (you can see enough through the side of the bucket to see signs of krausen and movement). If I put a little pressure on the top of the bucket, the water in the airlock moves and a bubble comes through. So I know the airlock isn't just clogged or something.

My question is whether this is normal for non-gasketed plastic buckets. Is there is anything I can do to improve the seal? Find a lid of the same diameter with an o-ring? Or just not worry about it for quick primary fermentation, even though I know that if air is going out of the lid, air and bacteria may be coming in...

 

[GodsStepBrother]

Your going to get many different answers, but if it where me I would tie a rope around the bucket to encourage a better seal. That being said, there are a lot of brewers that brew with poorly sealed buckets and some that brew with just a piece of plastic on top of the bucket.

You should be fine either way, just keep the room you ferment them in really clean.

 

[unionrdr]

I'd contact the seller & ask WTF? I've never seen/bought one without a seal. Hell,even the homer cheapo $5 bucket I use for cleaning bottles,emptying PBW from soaking fermenters,etc have a seal in them. He must be getting them from food bucket suppliers. I've seen some of those with no seal,just a really tight lid. Not tight enough seal for our needs,imo.

 

[eastoak]

this has been discussed once or twice before but you don't need to have an airtight tight seal on a fermenter. it's nice to watch the bubbles in the airlock but if the CO2 is escaping through the crack between the bucket and the lid it won't harm your beer. if you have a clean, draft free room you could leave the lid off and it would be ok.

 

[unionrdr]

I've had a leaky lid on my cooper's micro brew FV,do to molding flash. That leak around the rim made for stick wort runs down the side of the FV. I timmed it off,& the airlock is doing it's job properly now. As soon as the wort is done with initial fermentation,it causes some reverse pressure. Then air & nasties can be sucked in slowly. I'd rather have a good lid seal & airlock...

 

[paraordnance]

I don't know why would you want it sealed, I don't even use airlocks anymore they are useless. I just throw some sanitized foil over the top of carboy and and walk away

Sent from GT-I9100M

 

[eastoak]

I don't know why would you want it sealed, I don't even use airlocks anymore they are useless. I just throw some sanitized foil over the top of carboy and and walk away

Sent from GT-I9100M

people just starting out are all panicked (heck,some long time brewers are panicked too:cross about an infection, i was, so it will take them awhile to work up to that. good sanitation practices are critical to brewing but it can cross into OCD behavior pretty easily. once you start boiling your starsan....

 

[jaycount]

Not a problem, you really don't need a good seal.

 

[Clann]

You guys that don't worry about sealing your fermenters don't have fruit flies do you.?
I do wine and beer both and if I did not have a good seal and airlock I'm sure the fruit flies would get in.
I have a bucket from MoreBeer and it did not come with alid with a rubber seal so I got me a GammaSeal lid and havent looked back. It is absolutley airtight and spins off easily to take gravity measurements and such.

 

[eastoak]

i ferment in a fridge so no fruit fly problems for me.

 

[paraordnance]

Fruit flies are not ninzyas, they would have hard time to sneak under foil, it's still wrapped tight around carboy neck, so they don't have a chance to sniff on my brew

Sent from GT-I9100M

 

[unionrdr]

I'm neither paranoid about infections,nor a noob. I just don't flirt with disaster being so arrogant as to think it just can't happen to me. And pale/cooper's fermenter lids have a heck of a lot more opening to cover than the 1 1/4" opening on a carboy. And yes,you'd be surprised what fruit flies & small moths can get into! They can crawl up under things with tiny openings we think are to small. Moths can chew through freezer bags too. They ruined 5lbs of rice I had bagged up. Don't like my bagged up brewing stuff for some reason. So don't think they can't get into things that look too small to you.

 

[eastoak]

I'm neither paranoid about infections,nor a noob. I just don't flirt with disaster being so arrogant as to think it just can't happen to me. And pale/cooper's fermenter lids have a heck of a lot more opening to cover than the 1 1/4" opening on a carboy. And yes,you'd be surprised what fruit flies & small moths can get into! They can crawl up under things with tiny openings we think are to small. Moths can chew through freezer bags too. They ruined 5lbs of rice I had bagged up. Don't like my bagged up brewing stuff for some reason. So don't think they can't get into things that look too small to you.

(sounds paranoid)

 

[Goodlander]

Thanks for all the responses.

I wasn't going to say it before, but I did order the pail from MoreBeer, and I did call to ask about the lack of an o-ring. I'm not particularly paranoid, and my first batch in that bucket did turn out fine, but I really like to see the bubbles.

 

[kevokie]

I have two Brewers Best buckets from Midwest supplies, and neither of them have a seal. They do fit very tight though.

 

[Beezy]

I just bought one of those and I am pretty impressed with how tight the lids are. The other buckets I have aren't near that tight.

 

[unionrdr]

(sounds paranoid)

Not paranoid at all. This comes from personal observation,& experiences of others over time. Never say never,shizz happens sometimes.

 

[AdvGroo]

Fruit flies are not ninzyas, they would have hard time to sneak under foil, it's still wrapped tight around carboy neck, so they don't have a chance to sniff on my brew

Sent from GT-I9100M

Two days ago in my 3 piece airlock I noticed a fruit fly in my airlock, floating of course. Yesterday, there is a second one in there. It amazed me that they could fit thru those small air holes in the lid of the airlock.

 

[eastoak]

Not paranoid at all. This comes from personal observation,& experiences of others over time. Never say never,shizz happens sometimes.

i was kidding.