Uh Oh

[teachtim]

I brewed my first batch in a few years today. I noticed about an hour after putting my fermenter in a cool dark place that the rubber gasket in the lid was no longer there. So the air lock was loose. Should I go into the fermenter and get it out of there? If so, what type of contamination risk do I have?

Thanks in advance

 

[Revvy]

You wouldn't believe how many first time posts, including one from someone who became a mod began like this.

No, I would leave it in there, the risk of infection is greater if you try to fish for it. What I would do (I actually have a lid that doesn't have a grommet, and I keep forgetting to get a grommet from the hardware store) is to sanitize some tinfoil and wrap it around the stem of the airlock a few times, and then wedge it into the hole in the lid.

 

[teachtim]

Thanks!

 

[Revvy]

Oh the other option is to forget the airlock and just rig a blowoff tube, if you have a hose that can fit in the hole.

LOL actually in the picture you can see the fermenter on the left is the one with a tinfoil "grommet" for the airlock.