Blow Off Tube - Am I Doing Something Wrong?

[Uncle Fester]

All,



I have commenced using my newly acquired 100 can cooler for a Scottish Strong Ale. As per the recomendations on this site, I constructed a blow off tube in lieu of the airlock, as the airlock won't fit under the lid.

However, the blow off tube does not appear to work. (No gas escapes into the water).

here is what I did......

I cut of about 1" off of the bottom of an old airlock, as this fits snugly into the gromet at in the lid of my fermenter. This then press fits (with the aid of a vice) beautifully into a 13mm garden spray right angle elbow. This in turn has 13mm poly tube on it (about 18" long), which slips through the top of the cooler, and then into a jug of iodophor solution.

My brew is currently sitting at 16 degrees.

Looking at the blow off tube, there appears to be some pressure, as the level of the liquid starts to push out the end of the tube. However, after about half an inch, it stabilises.

Does this mean that my fermenter has a dodgy seal, and the CO2 is now escaping elsewhere? If I replace the blow off tube with athe airlock, then the brew bubbles as expected, albeit a little less vigorously than normal.

I am not concerned with the brew, as there is obviously a positive pressure in there. Once the bulk of the fermenataion is over, I will take the lid off of the cooler, and let the brew rise to room temp, and replace the blow off tube with the airlock.

Has anyone else has issues with blow off tubes not sealing, or problems with the length of blow off tube?


Cheers,

M

 

[Ross]

Mandraker,

Don't stress about it mate - The airlock is there purely to stop bugs getting in. I only loosely fit my lids as the yeast performs better if not pressurised. I don't even use airlocks unless I'm expecting "blow off" from a big beer - I simply place a soft drink cap over the grommet hole...

cheers Ross...

 

[Uncle Fester]

Thanks Ross.... this is me not stressing.



I guess that I will employ the bottle cap (Could this be another "Ross Method"?). When I open the thing up twice a day to change the chilled bottles over, I can bung the normal airlock in to get a gauge of how active the ferment is. once it starts slowing, I can resort to the hydrometer to work out when it is all finished.


M

 

[Ross]

I can bung the normal airlock in to get a gauge of how active the ferment is. once it starts slowing, I can resort to the hydrometer to work out when it is all finished.
M

[post="115318"][/post]​

Mandraker,

Just leave it alone for 10 days unless you are in a big hurry or like drinking wort samples - then take a reading...
The less you play around with your brew, the better...

cheers Ross...

 

[sintax69]

If your useing one of the 100can cooler from kmart, all i did was sliced a X where the airlock wants to come out of the cooler and slip the airlock thru. Then I get a damp towel and wrap it around the air lock to seal the X up a bit if not then it loses to much temp.This has been working fine for me for a year now

 

[PistolPatch]

Mandraker, you will love your 100 Can Cooler! As Ross said the blow off tube is not a worry. If you like to see the action though do as Sintax said with one possible modification. Here's a post I made somewhere before!

Re Blow Off Tube in 100 Can Cooler...

As to what I wrote in that post re the blow off tube (Post #119 of this thread), forget that! I ended up having a lot of problems with the blow-off tube kinking or not sealing. I have since just cut a straight slit about 5cm long in the centre of the top of the cooler through which my airlock now goes. This has been a much better solution and there is no additional cooling loss that I am aware of.

I use nothing to cover the slit and still have not noticed any heat loss. I am wrapped with this solution. Cheers PP.