# Cling Wrap Lid On Fermentor -what To Use As Airlock?



## Yeastie Beastie (25/6/10)

Okay, basically my fermentor lid broke right down the guts which rendered it unusable and my other 2 are being used.

I was reading a topic on fermenting fridges and saw someone using clingwrap and the lid o ring as a lid, so I did this. Question is what do I use for an airlock, obviously nothing is going to get in so no dramas there but looking at the photo you can spot the obvious drama I have.

What should I use as an airlock/vent.

At the moment I have put a pin prick in the wrap and covered it in one of those medical patches (can't remember the name but it is sure to end in "ermic") that only let air go out and not in.

Also is it a good idea just to scrape off the krausen with a big 'ol sanitized spoon. Assuming (being the mother of all mistakes) the yeast I sprinkled on 2 days ago has settled into it's new home pretty well.


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## Wolfy (25/6/10)

You don't need an airlock, vent or hole, the CO2 will escape around the seal where the o-ring holds the cling wrap down.
I also don't see any point in scraping it either, you'd not scrape the underside of a lid or the sides of your fermenter and mix it back in, so don't do it with cling wrap either.


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## manticle (25/6/10)

Generally no need for an airlock - the gas will escape because it wants to. However looking at the photo it seems as if you may not have left enough headspace for the yeast you are using.

Don't worry too much - I have often had leaking krausen. At this point of fermentation, microbes have little chance with the yeast being so active. In the case of leaks, I normally remove the glad, give a quick wipe with a new, clean sponge around the edges, quick spray with starsan (probably useless) around the area, then replace the glad. Your krausen doesn't look like it's leaking - just threatening so I'd not worry till/if it does leak. My main reason to do so is to clean up stuff around the fermenter that will become manky and attract either vinegar flies or bacteria. The stuff inside the fermenter I regard as pretty strong and resistant but the stuff outside is best removed ASAP.

I never prick my glad wrap. Once it subsides, put another, non-pricked sheet over it.


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## RdeVjun (25/6/10)

Good, glad to hear your most useless piece of equipment is now buggered- if you haven't already then toss it in the bin, that's the best place for it. Happy to see you've harvested the only thing good about them: the o- ring.

Forget the pinprick and patch, it is not really necessary- replace it with a fresh sheet of film and just leave it be. How is anything going to get in there? Who cares if the krausen touches the film? 

In this situation I've just left it, the krausen should eventually subside and everything will be fine. 

Only get the spoon into it if you want to top crop. What would be achieved by reducing the yeast population? I don't know why these novel things need to be interfered with, there's no need to bother it unless something is about to infect it, and there's nothing threatening in this case. :icon_cheers:


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## bulp (25/6/10)

I'm going to +1 too

Leave it alone, relax its all good, only time i'd worry is if the krausen pushed the gladwrap and o ring off the fermenter which has happened to me before just keep an eye on it.


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## Yeastie Beastie (25/6/10)

manticle said:


> However looking at the photo it seems as if you may not have left enough headspace for the yeast you are using.



Yeah miscalculated the depth of my pot on the boil (used the measuring stick to measure) hence I finished with about 27 litres of wort.
Also it made it's escape out the back out of the photo.

Replaced the wrap with afresh sheet and wiped the outside down as suggested.

Cheers to all. :icon_chickcheers: 

YB.


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## RdeVjun (26/6/10)

Yeastie Beastie said:


> Also it made it's escape out the back out of the photo.
> 
> Replaced the wrap with afresh sheet and wiped the outside down as suggested.


Ah, I see. Had that very situation just recently myself, I was wondering what that really naff smell was (thinking it was an infection), had a closer look at all the fermenters and there it was running down the back of one fermenter of ESB, growing a few nasty foreign cultures, dang it... <_< I did the same as you, fresh film and a bit of a tidy up. 

Should be fine! :beer:


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## Bandito (26/6/10)

I dont even bother with the o-ring, I just take the cling film and lay a flat length over the opening (jerry can or round fermenter), then rotate and stretch the roll around the lip a few times. It creates a nice seal, and unless there are sharp pieces of plastic on the lip that puncure the film, it puffs up during fermentation, and I can tell when it has slowed when it isnt puffed out like a balloon.

A closeup of a current brew in full fermentation, and another one that is more advanced, and not producing so much CO2 now. It may look like a dogs breakfast, but yesterday it was bulging like the one that is currently bulging. The trick is to do it up tight, but not real tight! As in 'steady on dude! you have to let some air out!' Just tight enough to get a reasonable seal, but not protect it from radiation.

No need for an o-ring other than to save on glad wrap IMO.


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## bjay (26/6/10)

I would do what a few of the others have said and clean up the slops,,, Then put a new bit of glad wrap on 

Is this the brew you made from the grain from the paddock ?

cheers
bjay


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## Yeastie Beastie (26/6/10)

Bandito said:


> I dont even bother with the o-ring, I just take the cling film and lay a flat length over the opening (jerry can or round fermenter), then rotate and stretch the roll around the lip a few times. It creates a nice seal, and unless there are sharp pieces of plastic on the lip that puncure the film, it puffs up during fermentation, and I can tell when it has slowed when it isnt puffed out like a balloon.
> 
> A closeup of a current brew in full fermentation, and another one that is more advanced, and not producing so much CO2 now. It may look like a dogs breakfast, but yesterday it was bulging like the one that is currently bulging. The trick is to do it up tight, but not real tight! As in 'steady on dude! you have to let some air out!' Just tight enough to get a reasonable seal, but not protect it from radiation.
> 
> No need for an o-ring other than to save on glad wrap IMO.



the same way I re-cover the dog food lol.
PS that's a nice amount of beer on the go. How do you go fermenting in a 20L can?



bjay said:


> I would do what a few of the others have said and clean up the slops,,, Then put a new bit of glad wrap on
> 
> Is this the brew you made from the grain from the paddock ?
> 
> ...



Nah thats well bottled...


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## Florian (26/6/10)

Yeastie Beastie said:


> How do you go fermenting in a 20L can?



I have fermented my last two brews in these cans, and can't see any disadvantage. It saves plenty of space in the fridge, especially if youre not using a tap but syphon into secondary instead.

Florian


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## juzz1981 (26/6/10)

Glad Wrap + Rubber Band for me

Airlock and fermenter lid ---> Bin


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## Yeastie Beastie (26/6/10)

juzz1981 said:


> Airlock and fermenter lid ---> Bin




+1. Built weak as piss


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## Murcluf (26/6/10)

I've found gladwrap and o-ring so much easier to use and observe whats going on in the fermenter then the lid and an airlock which used to frustrate the buggery out of me.


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## Yeastie Beastie (26/6/10)

OMG I didn't realize soooo many people use this method.
Seeing as now my glad wrap lid has been on there for a couple of days now you are right about ease of observation, this will be standard practice here now.


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## michael_or (26/6/10)

"It saves plenty of space in the fridge"

+1 for 20l cubes. I do all my brews like this now.


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## MeLoveBeer (24/7/10)

Contemplating using gladwrap for my next brew but was wondering if everyone just uses the standard stuff from the supermarket or the catering cling wrap?


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## bjay (24/7/10)

I just use the standard stuff from the supermarket

bjay


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## kelbygreen (24/7/10)

i use catering stuff only coz we bought 600m of it but if we had supermarket stuff i would use that its all the same just smaller rolls


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## Ducatiboy stu (24/7/10)

Ummm... whats an airlock... :unsure: 

I ferment in 25ltr cubes and screw the lid on so it is tight enough to let air escape ( using the sqeeuze the sides methods )

Them bloody O ring are mould magnets


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## Wolfy (24/7/10)

MeLoveBeer said:


> Contemplating using gladwrap for my next brew but was wondering if everyone just uses the standard stuff from the supermarket or the catering cling wrap?


I use the standard supermarket stuff, but would use catering stuff - if we had any - since it's cheaper ... not sure I'd go so far as to use industrial pellet wrapping tho.


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## earle (25/7/10)

I use the catering wrap as it was the only way I could get it 45cm wide, a bit easier to use for wider opening fermenter. Had to buy a 600m roll though so it should last a while.


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## manticle (25/7/10)

MeLoveBeer said:


> Contemplating using gladwrap for my next brew but was wondering if everyone just uses the standard stuff from the supermarket or the catering cling wrap?




Supermarket stuff is fine but if you have a good cheap source for catering wrap then grab that and use it for everything. So much easier to work with and one roll lasts forever (minus a bit of time)


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## TidalPete (26/7/10)

Pretty much :icon_offtopic: YB but with regards to the pic in your OP interested to know where you got that box for your controler from, the dimensions of the box & what the damage was? A quick flick through the Dick Smith website catalogue yielded just one borderline box size-wise.  

TP


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## Bribie G (26/7/10)

Since I got my lagermaking fridge from Mark^Bastard I have been doing lagers with just a new crown cap sitting over the o-ring as there is not enough headspace in the wee fridge to fit an airlock. I've done three or four brews so far, just set and forget for 3 weeks and they turn out fine.
In Czech breweries they traditionally ferment in open vats in damp dark cold cellars dripping with spiders and bat shyte etc and seem to produce drinkable beers :icon_cheers:

Edit: here's one where they have obviously just cleaned up the bat shyte  





Edit: they obviously don't use Beersmith to keep track of their brews - a stick of chalk seems to do the job just fine


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## Wolfy (26/7/10)

BribieG said:


> Edit: they obviously don't use Beersmith to keep track of their brews - a stick of chalk seems to do the job just fine


I think with larger batches and the ability to mix/combine multiple brews in an industrial setting makes the the micro-managment that many home brewers get obsessed with a little bit redundant.


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## Bats (17/7/12)

I have never tried the glad wrap method but going to experiment today as I rack to secondary.

I have a screw lid fermenter and will chuck the lid as the damn thing always locks on to the fermenter and I end up disturbing the yeast bed just to get the bloody thing off!

My questions are:

1. How loose must the O ring be to allow Co2 out but not air in? (I don't want badness getting in if too loose. And I don't want to carbonate in the fermenter if it can't escape. I doubt I'd get a fermenter bomb).

2. Is there any need to sanitize the glad wrap before placing over the fermenter?

Cheers, Bats.


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## Yob (17/7/12)

Bats said:


> I have never tried the glad wrap method but going to experiment today as I rack to secondary.
> 
> I have a screw lid fermenter and will chuck the lid as the damn thing always locks on to the fermenter and I end up disturbing the yeast bed just to get the bloody thing off!
> 
> ...



1: it will fit snug, no worries about that, Co2 will escape as it needs to

2: someone posted something a little while ago, something about the heat it's extruded at or something? No is the general train of thought, but most pull out a bit and discard and then wrap her up mate.

and keep the lid for cleaning purposes 

:icon_cheers:


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## manticle (17/7/12)

Doesn't need to be loose. I rarely use barrel fermenters anymore but if/when, I wrap the glad tightly around the opening. Gas gets out.

No need to sanitise the glad wrap. Just keep the part adjacent to the roll facing the beer for peace of mind.


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## Bats (17/7/12)

Awesome.

What a quick response. Thanks guys. 

I may start using this method on my cubes. Seems to be more advantages to doing it this way.


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## Yob (17/7/12)

Here http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showarticle=197


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## manticle (17/7/12)

Bats said:


> Awesome.
> 
> What a quick response. Thanks guys.
> 
> I may start using this method on my cubes. Seems to be more advantages to doing it this way.




If fermenting in a cube, all you need to do is put the lid on, screw it up then back it off a couple of turns.


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## kahlerisms (17/7/12)

I use glad wrap on my fermenters and hold them on with the rubber o-ring from the lids. Occasionally I'll sanitise a pin and prick a single hole if I think my yeast is going to get excited but sometimes I don't bother. Enough CO2 is created that it creates a positive pressue either way and prevents stuff from being sucked in while CO2 can still escape.


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