Regular airlock vs. Duplex airlock

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Brew2Be

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Hi everyone. I am about to order some airlocks and other brewing equipment. I stumbled over two different airlocks:

the "regular"

bung-airlock-home-brew.jpe


and the duplex:

Attach-Airlock.jpg


Can anyone tell me what the differences between them are? The duplex kind seem to be more expensive.

Thanks alot.
 
Typically called a bubbler and a three-piece, respectively. They both work. Some like the three-piece because they are easier to clean; some like the bubblers because they sound and look cooler. I use bubblers.
 
Typically called a bubbler and a three-piece, respectively. They both work. Some like the three-piece because they are easier to clean; some like the bubblers because they sound and look cooler. I use bubblers.

Thanks for the reply. That pretty much answered my question. So easy cleaning is the only difference?
 
I like the S curve because if I cool down the carboy and there's a vacuum, then only air is sucked back into the carboy. With the 3 piece, the liquid goes in. This is only an issue when I cold crash.

Also, when I drop the airlock on it's side, the S curve leaks less, the 3piece spills out. Sometimes when accessing the carboy to add clarifiers, I'll just set the S curve on it's side, with the stopper off the ledge.
 
I use the duplex (have both) when space is an issue when carboy is placed on shelf where height is an issue..
 
I use both.

The "easy cleaning" is most important for those times when you used an airlock, but should have used a blow off tube, and now your airlock is plugged with beer and hops and trub and the only way to get it out is to run a pipe brush through it.
 
I use both.

The "easy cleaning" is most important for those times when you used an airlock, but should have used a blow off tube, and now your airlock is plugged with beer and hops and trub and the only way to get it out is to run a pipe brush through it.

I just started making cider and bought both. I use the three piece for the primary, when it might get kinda gross, cause it's easier to clean. I'm gonna use the bubbler for the secondary where it might sit for months and possibly go backwards.
 
I like the S curve because if I cool down the carboy and there's a vacuum, then only air is sucked back into the carboy. With the 3 piece, the liquid goes in. This is only an issue when I cold crash.

I thought the entire point was to keep air out of the carboy. If you're getting suckback on cold crash wouldn't it still be better to have what's getting sucked into your carboy be star san or a cheap vodka than O2?
 
Three piece are more popular. Main reason is they are easier to clean.but most brewers use three piece and I see more wine makers use the double bubble, it all comes down to preference.. Just my outlook on the topic,from owning a homebrew shop and see who buys them everyday..
 
Airlocks are for wine. They have no use in beer brewing.

When I use airlocks at all (like for wine) I like the S-curve one piece. They are simpler. If I'm worried about germs I just boil them.
 
I'm sorry, how can you argue that airlocks have no place in beer brewing? The process of fermentation and vessels in which that happens are the same. Why wouldn't the process for sealing be the same? I use my bubblers and airlocks for both beer and wine.
 
I'm going to have to agree with rabegetragen.. They really are a must ( or something equivalent) if your doing either process correctly..
 
I use the S lock bubbler due to vacuum issues. The 3 piece will suck liquid back into the carbouy, the S lock will only suckback air. I find the "harder to clean" issue only comes into play when you get some foam way up into the chambers; even then, a good soak will usually take care of that.
Regards, GF.
 
I thought the entire point was to keep air out of the carboy. If you're getting suckback on cold crash wouldn't it still be better to have what's getting sucked into your carboy be star san or a cheap vodka than O2?

The amount of air that would be sucked into the carboy during a cold crash would be minimal. I wouldn't worry about it.
 
The vacuum drawback (or movement drawback) is usually only a little bit of air. Pretty minimal and won't normally cause oxidation issues, unless you're that close to having one anyways.
Wierd floating things in my airlock tends to be my biggest annoyance (even if starsan or vodka is used). Also, there are times where it seems to just take all the liquid and still pull in air anyways.
I could leave the airlock off while it cools, but I'd be more concerned there. I'd use a full closure, but I just wasn't sure how the vacuum and container would react yet.
 
I'm sorry, how can you argue that airlocks have no place in beer brewing? The process of fermentation and vessels in which that happens are the same. Why wouldn't the process for sealing be the same? I use my bubblers and airlocks for both beer and wine.

Beer doesn't need to be sealed like wine does. Wine ferments slowly, gently, for a long time. Air locks are a good idea for wine to let out the small amount of gas that needs let off, and to help keep oxygen out for the long fermentation time.

Beer ferments quickly, generating huge amounts of foam, and is done in a couple weeks. There is no need for an airlock because you can use about any technique you want for letting C02 out. I just set the lid loosely on the bucket. When I use a carboy I either put aluminium foil over the top or just leave one of the carboy cap tubes open. If you are worried about beer literally expanding out of your container you can use a blowoff tube, but I just use a big enough container and control my temps so it all stays in the fermenter. You can even ferment in a completely open bucket if you want.

It's not that you can't use air locks in beer brewing, but you don't need to. If it wasn't for wine, I don't think anyone would have invented these tiny air lock things for beer brewing, and if anyone did they wouldn't have caught on because people would be like "who would buy that".
 
I'm sorry but you've obviously never brewed beer. Beer is far more likely to spoil due to contamination than wine. Doing the methods you described would be tantamount to killing your batch. All of the literature says that keeping the entire batch sterile for as long as possible will create a quality brew. By leaving the lid loose you leave it susceptible to contamination by bacteria and wild yeast cultures. I would challenge you to site any reputable source that says beer doesn't require some sort of fermentation lock.
 
Fruitflies like my beer too much, I *NEED* airlocks or a blowoff tube.

They haven't gone near my wine yet oddly enough. But it could be because they're from kits, I dunno.
 
I find the three-piece ones to be a bit sturdier - perhaps that's just the ones my LHBS stocks, but I've busted two S-types so far where they must have broken along the seam and leak :(
 
I'm sorry but you've obviously never brewed beer. Beer is far more likely to spoil due to contamination than wine. Doing the methods you described would be tantamount to killing your batch. All of the literature says that keeping the entire batch sterile for as long as possible will create a quality brew. By leaving the lid loose you leave it susceptible to contamination by bacteria and wild yeast cultures. I would challenge you to site any reputable source that says beer doesn't require some sort of fermentation lock.

here is a video I found of the open fermenters at Anchor Steam Beer in[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaFuaub4b-c]Anchor Brewing - YouTube[/ame] San Francisco
 
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