I wasn't sure where to pose this question. I made a batch of mild gravity (1.048) beer on Monday. Just as a precaution, I used a blowoff tube with my 6.5 gallon bucket. However, after a day I did not see any bubbles in the sanitizer solution that the blowoff tube emptied into. However, when I changed from a blowoff tube to a regular airlock, the airlock started bubblign away about once per second right away. Why did the blowoff tube not produce any bubbles, but the airlock did. I just like to see evidence of fermentation, but without any activity from the blowoff tube, I wasn't sure if my fermentation was under way. Now I know it is, but I still want to be able to use a blowoff tube in the future knowing there is active fermentation. Advise please.
Why bubbles in airlock, but not blowoff tube?
- Thread starter eadavis80
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dobes
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With your blow-off tube it may not have a perfect seal so the CO2 is escaping somewhere else. Or possibly you may have a hole in your blow off tube. Not to worry if you put the air lock and seen bubbles then obviously you have activity. Another thing you can do is put less solution in your blowoff tube container. If there is to much head pressure in your container it could be forcing the CO2 out elsewhere but can overcome the head in your bubbler.
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What Dobes said. If you are pushing the tube into the carboy bung hole they often don't seal well. If you are willing to part with a cheap airlock take 5/8" OD tube and slip over the interior post of the airlock. Cut the bottom of the airlock where the 4 small holes are so you have a full open pipe. You can then insert this rig in the carboy hole and the rigid plastic of the airlock should seal. Run the tubing to the blow off water container.
Thanks guys. I have 5/8" OD tubing over the interior of the airlock as Paradingbull says, but I did not cut the bottom of the airlock where the four small holes are. Also, my sanitizer solution is an old jelly jar and I filled it to the top with the solution, so maybe that was part of it? Although I've used this setup on other beers and did have bubbles appear at the end of the blowoff hose in the jar of sanitized solution and I think that jar was just as filled with solution as this one was. Whatever. I guess at the end of the day as long as it's fermenting, that's all that matters. As a side question, is a "fast and vigorous" fermentation always good? My bucket is at 64 degrees now and I made a 1L starter and used WYeast 1098. However, the OG was only 1.048. So, do you usually only get "blowoff tube necessary" fermentations on gravities of 1.060 and higher? I thought I'd get more activity with a starter, but maybe airlock activity is more 'gravity-based' rather that 'starterb-based.'?
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You pose good questions. Every fermentation is different. I use the blow off for at least the first 2-4 days on any size beer, because I do believe that the one time you don't use a blow off will be the one time you wish you did............. I would fill the jar less full, the head pressure of the tall fill of liquid is likely making the CO2 push out somewhere else.
dobes
Well-Known Member
See in your last post you are using a bucket. I noticed a few of my buckets leak around the seal where the lid meets the bucket. That is common as I have read many posts about that. Two of my buckets leak enough that I wont see any activity in the airlock let alone a blow-off tube. Instead of opening the lid though I just spray some star-san under the lid and I will see activity in the airlock/blow-off for a few seconds or some bubbles were I spray.
As for amount of activity I never used the 1098 so not sure about the characteristics of that yeast.
As for amount of activity I never used the 1098 so not sure about the characteristics of that yeast.
As said it is likely that the co2 is escaping somewhere else.
Every fermentation is different. Unless you have a lot of headspace in your fermenter I suggest starting every batch with a blow off tube installed.
I would also suggest cutting the X off the bottom of the airlock body. If that clogs you could blow the top off your bucket. Then you will be cleaning krausen off the walls and maybe ceiling.
As to activity, the amount of yeast you pitch will have a little effect but the fermentation temperature will have more. Warmer will most likely be more active and faster but this is not usually better depending on how hot. Fast and vigorous is only good if your temperatures are in the yeasts temperature range. I prefer just under the midpoint of the range.
I suggest you dump out 3/4 or more of your sanitizer in the blow off jar. You only need enough to submerge the end of the tube. Then, if you get an atmospheric pressure change and get a reverse siphon it will only suck up a little bit of sanitizer.
Every fermentation is different. Unless you have a lot of headspace in your fermenter I suggest starting every batch with a blow off tube installed.
I would also suggest cutting the X off the bottom of the airlock body. If that clogs you could blow the top off your bucket. Then you will be cleaning krausen off the walls and maybe ceiling.
As to activity, the amount of yeast you pitch will have a little effect but the fermentation temperature will have more. Warmer will most likely be more active and faster but this is not usually better depending on how hot. Fast and vigorous is only good if your temperatures are in the yeasts temperature range. I prefer just under the midpoint of the range.
I suggest you dump out 3/4 or more of your sanitizer in the blow off jar. You only need enough to submerge the end of the tube. Then, if you get an atmospheric pressure change and get a reverse siphon it will only suck up a little bit of sanitizer.
Thanks for all the tips guys - it's bubbling away now via the airlock so I'm sure it'll be fine. Next weekend when I brew my chocolate stout though, I'll cut off the bottom part of the airlock where the X is and use less sanitizer solution in my jar. I also noticed that when I rigged up my blowoff tube, the airlock was not perpendicular to the top of the bucket's lid. Instead, it was SLIGHTLY leaning to one side, so I suspect that some CO2 was escaping there.
