dangers of blowoff ?

[brydo]

hi guys, i started a wheat beer yesterday and the fermentation is going well, however the wort is bubbling up and out of my airlock. i dont have a tube to make a blow off tube so is it ok just to leave it till it calms down and leave it just to ferment out ? the water i had in the air ock is gone but its full of bubbles so will they protect the beer from infection ? Also its a glass demi john so should i eave the lid off incase the pressure builds up to much ? is there a risk of the glass breaking ? cheers guys

 

[baggybill]

It's a good idea to have a second air lock on standby. That way, you can swap them out quickly, then clean/sanitise the first one and have that ready in case you need it a second time. Only a couple of quid from Wilkos... :

 

[Tony1951]

When my 'Volcanic Stout' went mad and started crawling out of the hole in the lid, All I could do was cover the hole with two clean tea towels to stop air going in and to mop up the mess. In fact all the movement was outwards so I doubt anything could have got in anyway as foam was constantly pushing out at about a cup full a minute.

It was a warm night and the brew had reached 24c so I took the FV and stood it in a bath of cold water as deep as nearly up to the level of the brew inside. It all calmed down and early tasting suggests no problem. I tried early on cleaning the air lock and replacing it, but it was overwhelmed again in a minute or less. The whole thing was like something off an 'Alien' film - had a life of its own and seemed malevolent. :)

 

[brydo]

yeah tony the same for me, no point in cleaning it cos it constantly outpouring. you guys have put my mind at ease about infections though cheers lads

 

[LarryF]

When I had this with my stout, with kitchen towel at the ready I gently cracked the lid of the FV to release the pressure. The next stout I did I had a blow off tube at the ready though.

 

[Tony1951]

When I had this with my stout, with kitchen towel at the ready I gently cracked the lid of the FV to release the pressure. The next stout I did I had a blow off tube at the ready though.

That's a good tip. I won't get caught like that again. Wiping sprayed foam off the walls in my brewing cupboard (slum that it is anyway) was not funny at 11pm. I'd only checked on it before bed and I didn't bargain for what happened when I pulled out the blocked air lock and foam wooshed up the wall as the pressure vented out of the hole on the lid.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

i dont have a tube to make a blow off tube

Do you have a syphon tube?

 

[durangokemre]

Do you have a syphon tube?

Blowout happened to me last night. I just used a syphon (from wilko) and a bottle. The wand part of the syphon fits perfectly in an airlock bung.

 

[Tony1951]

Blowout happened to me last night. I just used a syphon (from wilko) and a bottle. The wand part of the syphon fits perfectly in an airlock bung.

That's the kind of creative thinking that got Apollo 13 back home.

:)