Uh-OH!!!

[DuallyBrew]

Ok - I brewed a hefeweizen last night, so about 24 hours into fermentation the activity is insane!

This is a bucket fermenter, I can see "stuff" on the lid of the fermenter and the water in airlock is discolored and it's foaming out of the top of the airlock. It obvious the wort has feremented to the top of the bucket...

Also - it's not just bubbling, but hissing out of the airlock!

Is this, in anyway, normal?

Should I expect this thing to pop at somepoint?

It's in an unused shower, so if it pops it would get too messy...

Thanks for any info!

 

[Kephren]

Is this, in anyway, normal?

Somewhat normal. Definitely not uncommon

Should I expect this thing to pop at somepoint?

It could. Make yourself a blowoff tube. You can just stick the short end of a racking cane through the stopper, then put the other end in a container of sanitizer. By now, though, the risk is mostly gone.. you can just clean out the airlock and replace it.

It's in an unused shower, so if it pops it would get too messy...

Good thinking!

 

[SwAMi75]

Yes, most likely your airlock will get plugged up with goo and the top will blow. I recommend pulling it now, cleaning it out, and replacing it.

If it does blow, no big deal....clean up the mess on your fermenter using santizing solution and paper towels. Clean the junk out of your airlock and replace. If you have the tubing to make a blowoff, go ahead. But if an airlock is the best you can do, do it. You might have to replace it again, but no biggie if you're prepared for it.

Edit: I typed this up before Kephren replied.....then my internet connection died. I hate it when one person replies with virtually the same info someone else posted, as if they didn't read anyone elses' responses.

 

[Sir Sudster]

You need to replace the air lock with a blow off hose into a big jar of water.
Use the hose you use to rack with . It should fit in your Primary's airlock hole.

Better hurry!

 

[DuallyBrew]

Thanks guys! I cleaned out the airlock. I don't really have a good way to do a blowoff line as I don't have a racking cane.

The airlock was pretty gunked up. I'll probably clean it a few more times as the few seconds it took me to clean it up and resanitize it was already foaming up through the hole...

This will be exciting!!

 

[DuallyBrew]

also - just got off the phone with my pops, he recommened cooling it down a bit because the fermentation temp is probably too high. Stands to reason as it's a few degrees hotter today then it's been. So I dropped a 1 gallon ice jub in the tub of water I use with the fementation to help cool it down to a reason temp.

Hope that helps too.

 

[SwAMi75]

also - just got off the phone with my pops, he recommened cooling it down a bit because the fermentation temp is probably too high. Stands to reason as it's a few degrees hotter today then it's been. So I dropped a 1 gallon ice jub in the tub of water I use with the fementation to help cool it down to a reason temp.

Hope that helps too.

Sounds like your old man knows what he's talking about.

 

[homebrewer_99]

also - just got off the phone with my pops, he recommened cooling it down a bit because the fermentation temp is probably too high. Stands to reason as it's a few degrees hotter today then it's been. So I dropped a 1 gallon ice jub in the tub of water I use with the fementation to help cool it down to a reason temp.

Hope that helps too.

Cooling it down a bit is a good idea, but I would have taken a temp reading first to see if that really is the problem.

Not that we were given all the information to make an exact guesstimate for his situation, could be his yeast has fast attenuation in an overfilled (more than 5 gals) fermenter and not a temp problem at all.

All good input though considering we don't have all the facts.