Blow-off Cap

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Wolfy

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Woke up this morning to find the yeast (pitched 12 hours ago) crawling out of the top of the jerry-fermentor and making a mess of the fridge:
blow_off1_zps7e0e3d02.jpg

Theakston Old Peculier clone/Brewlab F40 yeast.

... so I figured it was time to make a 'proper' blow-off cap.
More details/pictues on my Blog ... if you need them.

Cap from cube or jerry, plus a 13mm barb to 15mm BSP poly elbow or director:
blow_off2_zps5065b4b8.jpg


Drill a very-slightly too small hole in the middle of the cap, the 20mm hole saw is ideal, but a step-bit will work too.
Cut a thread with a 1/2 inch stainless nipple (or similar).
Screw in the elbow/barb:
blow_off7_zps880d4917.jpg


... and we're done:
blow_off6_zps7fed1232.jpg


Would be much nicer if we could embed video, but here it is in action less than 5 mins later:


... takes long to clean up the mess in the fridge than to make the blow-off-cap.

If you wanted to get pedantic and make a totally air tight seal, you could use a 15mm F-F Coupling and silicon washer to screw the barb into:
blow_off8_zps612dadc3.jpg

... or use a stainless barb and nut (but since everything else is plastic ....).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
are they just garden bits from the big green shed? ive been looking for extra lids but they are not located in the same section as the cubes I guess.
 
Feldon, yep but the poly barb costs about 50c - and I have an abundance of normal-lids. ;)
Charst, the poly barb/elbow are from the irrigation section of the big green shed.
 
Irrigation section at Bunnings?

Also, is that just vinyl hose?
 
an alternative is to use a senior airlock, you leave the top bit off it, and a length of silicone hose fits straight onto the shaft


photo from
http://www.homebru.com.au/images/BEQAIRSENM.jpg
BEQAIRSENM.jpg


then, after the krausen has subsided, you can remove the silicon hose, and then insert the top bit, add some sanitised water and it's functioning as a normal airlock, handy if you are then cold crashing etc
 
tiprya, yep garden/irregation section and yep some old vinyl hose I found laying around, silicon hose would fit/work just as well, but I don't plan to re-use the yeast so didn't see the point.

donburke using the airlock without the top is a good idea. I did try one of those in the cap of the jerry, but (even when the hole was just the right size) it tended to leak a bit, so fiddling with airlocks is not something I bother with now. The blow-off is required since cling-wrap can't contain the yeasty-mess! :)
 
donburke using the airlock without the top is a good idea. I did try one of those in the cap of the jerry, but (even when the hole was just the right size) it tended to leak a bit, so fiddling with airlocks is not something I bother with now. The blow-off is required since cling-wrap can't contain the yeasty-mess! :)

the hole for the rubber grommet can be drilled a millimetre smaller, makes fitting the airlock a little tighter, but after everything gets soaked in starsan it tends to be slippery enough to fit and makes the sealing nice and air-tight
 
Feldon, yep but the poly barb costs about 50c - and I have an abundance of normal-lids. ;)
Charst, the poly barb/elbow are from the irrigation section of the big green shed.

sorry wolfy and the caps? also the irrigation section?
 
sorry wolfy and the caps? also the irrigation section?
Not sure if they sell them sorry, I got a stack (cheaply) last time I visited Crown Concepts (or somewhere like that), think most LHB's have them too (but you tend to pay more).
 
About 6 hours after attaching the blow-off, seems there is more than enough yeast collected to pitch into a new batch:
blow_off9_zps3e585f9d.jpg

F40 is not on Brewlab's retail list, but they suggested it for a clone of Theakston Old Peculier saying: "yeast is clean and allows the malt and hop characters to totally dominate". Likely useful in similar beers, Scottish/Irish Ales, and probably (according to the AABC guidelines) an Australian Bitter Ale.
 
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