Ugh... bad equipment

[thezepster]

Just did my first brew in NZ (10th overall) and it looks like I got some bad equipment. The airlock doesnt seal completely with the fermentation bucket. They gave me a grommet that acts as the rubber seal and im thinking thats the issue. I got some pvc duct tape and tried sealing around it but its an awkward area and I cant get a good seal. The airlock isnt bubbling but its definitely fermenting correctly. I dont think its going to be that big of an issue, but i just wanted to see if theres any ideas that people have other than tape that doesnt work.

 

[Kaz]

I wouldn't worry about it, as long as you don't have a big gap around the airlock you'll be fine.

 

[Fid]

Could you wrap the bottom part of the grommet in some sanitized aluminum foil or something and shove it in its home? Poke a little hole out of it so the gas can still escape into the airlock. Not sure if the foil would be enough to bridge the gap but it might be worth a shot.

Otherwise you could just cover the hole completely and crack a side of the lid a little bit. Obviously you won't have an airtight seal for your bucket if you do that but in theory the lid should sit deep enough around the rim of the bucket to keep anything unwanted from getting in while still allowing some gas to escape. I know that method seems to help in plastic buckets if you've got a hyper-fermentation that wants to blow your airlock off. Besides that, the amount of gas being expelled should create enough of an updraft to keep anything from floating into your bucket. Keep an eye on it for a few days and once fermentation settles down a bit you can reseal the lid completely and then crack it every day or so to burp it and relieve some of the built up pressure.

Good Luck.

 

[Fid]

Or take Kaz's advice... It honestly probably isn't that big of a deal... I guess the only issue might be that if airlock isn't seated real securely it might get dislodged easier from the built up pressure... then again if there's a gap thats allowing more of that pressure to escape you probably won't need to worry about that either. I guess the best advice is probably to just RDWHAHB!

 

[petey_c]

zepster, I don't think you'll have a problem either. The CO2 building up during fermentation will push stuff out rather than let stuff in. That lid reminds me of my Coopers fermenter. After you bottle it, why don't you bring it back to where you bought it and exchange it (the lid) for another, or a different grommet? You could also make the hole larger and use a rubber stopper. Pete

 

[aggiejay06]

A lot of people don't seal up their fermenters. You'll be totally fine.