Foam in airlock

Jack B. Badd

Probably a noob worrying for no reason...

I started my first beer kit this Saturday & it's fermenting away happily. However I noticed this evening that there was foam in the airlock & most of the water had bubbled out. I had a quick google & some homebrew sites suggest removing the airlock, re-sanitising & replacing it however it's jammed in tight & chances are I'll pull the lid off before I get the airlock out. So I just topped it up with more sterile water...

Is there anything else I should/could do or should I just quit fussing?

Cheers

BeerNut

Quit fussing :cool:

WallsToTheBall

Out of interest: what is the volume of your fermenter and how many litres did you brew to? I have heard horror stories and seen pictures of some pretty mad kreusen-explosions from using 25L tubs for 23L brews

Not trying to worry you here by the way, if it was going to blow off the lid and spill everywhere it would have done that already by now.

Jack B. Badd

23L in a 30L vessel so I'm not too worried about an explosion - unless the airlock blocks because I can't remove it to clean it :eek: It's calmed down a bit now, still bubbling happily but has stopped expelling all the water from the airlock every few minutes. I might pick up some tubing for the first few days of the next batch.

BeerNut

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

I might pick up some tubing for the first few days of the next batch.

Ditch the airlock. Just leave the lid of the fermenter on loosely, and cover the airlock hole with a bit of tin foil or something.

Jack B. Badd

So...apart from giving random noob's something to worry about, what is the point of the airlock? I get that it's supposed to stop infection but once fermentation starts & the pressure builds, isn't that a minimal risk anyway?

BeerNut

I doubt it's meant to protect anything. It just indicates that fermentation is happening. Maybe it all feels more sciencey with the lid on tight. I dunno. The beer doesn't care.

RasTa

Airlock is there to let out the c02, so it doesn't explode.

BeerNut

Except, if you put a lid on tight without an airlock it doesn't explode, the lid just comes ajar. Clever technology, lids.

Carawaystick

BeerNut wrote: »

Except, if you put a lid on tight without an airlock it doesn't explode, the lid just comes ajar. Clever technology, lids.

doesn't the CO2 just come out the hole in the lid where the bung/airlock isnt?

The worst thing about krausen in the airlock, is that its hard to clean dried krausen in a airlock....

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

Except, if you put a lid on tight without an airlock it doesn't explode, the lid just comes ajar. Clever technology, lids.

Huh? Like not sealing the lid?

BeerNut

Carawaystick wrote: »

doesn't the CO2 just come out the hole in the lid where the bung/airlock isnt?

I meant an undrilled lid.

RasTa wrote: »

Huh? Like not sealing the lid?

Even if you seal the lid, on a standard homebrew fermenter the seal is the weakest point and will pop open harmlessly before anything else ruptures.

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

I meant an undrilled lid.

Even if you seal the lid, on a standard homebrew fermenter the seal is the weakest point and will pop open harmlessly before anything else ruptures.

Or explode, depends on the beer I guess. The words harmless and Imperial stout don't go together.

drumswan

RasTa wrote: »

Or explode, depends on the beer I guess. The words harmless and Imperial stout don't go together.

A plastic fermenter is not going to 'explode'. The lid will simply open.

Lids dont need to be sealed tight and you dont really need an airlock either. Lids help prevent stuff falling into your brew and keep fruit flies out in warmer climates I guess.

RasTa

drumswan wrote: »

A plastic fermenter is not going to 'explode'. The lid will simply open.

Lids dont need to be sealed tight and you dont really need an airlock either. Lids help prevent stuff falling into your brew and keep fruit flies out in warmer climates I guess.

By explode I mean this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgfubawsrcM

drumswan

Nasty. I had a couple of those in the wardrobe, the resultant irate missus situations resulted in me setting up a blowoff tube

BeerNut

I have a big tub that I set my fermenter in.

WallsToTheBall

I have heard the fermenters-in-a-big-tub-of-water-with-an-aquarium-heater method is a great way of keeping temperatures steady alright (and avoid a spillover if it ever happened!) but is it not a bit of a headache having to take off lid & pipette samples out for readings rather than just turning a tap?

BeerNut

WallsToTheBall wrote: »

I have heard the fermenters-in-a-big-tub-of-water-with-an-aquarium-heater method is a great way of keeping temperatures steady

No water, just an empty tub.

WallsToTheBall wrote: »

is it not a bit of a headache having to take off lid & pipette samples out for readings rather than just turning a tap?

It's a bad idea to take samples from a tap because they're so difficult to clean. I don't use taps at all. Or pipettes. I sanitise the trial jar and just dip it in to get a sample.