Fermenting help

[cqout]

Ok - how do I stop the water being sucked out of the container from my blow off tube on my chronical when cold crashing?

Also it just sucked up about 1/2 liter of water from the blow off - will my beer be ok? Thoughts please

Cheers

Chris

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Use thicker tube or a longer drop

Also leave less headspace in the fv

[cqout]

Will try the thicker tube

[IronBlue]

I have the exact same issue. I'm now using thick silicon pipe into a very small amount of starsan just in case (less than in the photo below, maybe 15mm). I've found it doesn't make it much more than 3 inches up the tube, and the starsan often partially freezes in the jar!

(I would use starsan rather than water, and you only need enough to create the air lock)

[guypettigrew]

My chronical has the SS Brewtech temperature control system. When it's time to cool the beer I take the blow off tube out of the bucket, bend it into a 'U' shape and pour some Starsan into it. The Starsan never gets sucked into the FV and any air which gets in will, hopefully, be sanitised. Picture below.

Guy

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Will try the thicker tube

You have more Volume in the tube. You are giving yourself more of a buffer between the blow off fluid and the beer

[scotsloon]

Simplest thing to do is take off your blow off tube and replace it with a normal u tube bubbler. the fermentation is not so active at this point in the fermentation cycle so won't be a problem.

[IronBlue]

Simplest thing to do is take off your blow off tube and replace it with a normal u tube bubbler. the fermentation is not so active at this point in the fermentation cycle so won't be a problem.

People with conicals are allergic to rubber bungs. Me included.

[BenB]

How about a simple option- a jam jar with two tubes glued through the lid- one going to the bottom of the jar, the other just into the jar itself. Silicon on the lid and partially fill with water. Put the hose on the bottom tube when fermenting and the top tube when cold-crashing.

[AdrianTrace]

How about a simple option- a jam jar with two tubes glued through the lid- one going to the bottom of the jar, the other just into the jar itself. Silicon on the lid and partially fill with water. Put the hose on the bottom tube when fermenting and the top tube when cold-crashing.

If you're worried about missing the changeover, or having to faff about with tubes, you could have 2 jam jars with an out-in-in-out configuration: it will bubble through the liquid (starsan) as fermentation goes on. Then when the direction changes it will suck the liquid back into the other jar where it will bubble through in reverse.

But none of this stops oxygen getting in during the cold crash ... How about filling an fv with co2 and putting the end of the tube into that? you shouldn't suck up 25 litres of co2, no matter how cold you get the conical

[BenB]

Attach a balloon full of CO2 to the unused pipe? Or use a dual chamber manometer box with one chamber full of CO2?

[darkonnis]

Just use less water/starsan in the jar, you literally need enough to cover the tube by what, half an inch and inch?

Other option, pressurise it slightly, toward the end of fermentation just close the valve/seal it up and if in doubt use a PRV (you can buy screw on ones as spares as per the morebeer bottle guns for example)

[Fil]

just pull the tube out of the airlock liquid, any air sucked back in will be drawn in gradually and not with great turnulance, so will simply sit above the protective co2 blanket.

if totally ocd about ambient airborne mircolife a bit of cotton wool in the tube end will act as a filter, but it shouldnt be necessary imho