Hazards Using Glad-wrap Instead Of Lid.

[Crambo]

I have been warned that using gladwrap instead of the lid with my fermenter can lead to problems with the condensation etc. I currently have a batch of dark lager going in the fridge sitting at 13DegC and am gettig paranoid about it. There is no way i can fit my fermenter in the fridge using a bubbler airlock. Can someone elaborate on the problems with gladwrap and how to prevent them? Cheers

 

[.DJ.]

nil problems...

what are the "problems" that you have been advised about?

 

[Crambo]

LHBS said to be careful as the condensation can lead to contamination of the brew ?

 

[Yob]

nil problems...

what are the "problems" that you have been advised about?

+1

condensation will occur wether or not you use a lid..

cling wrap and relax

 

[Florian]

There is no problem with condensation. The condensation that builds up on the glad wrap comes from the air which is already in your fermenter. It's pure water, so no harm if it drops back into your wort/beer. Same thing happens with a lid anyway.

 

[.DJ.]

there is condensation, however condensation comes from the wort/air so if your wort isnt infected to begin with I cant see where an infection would come from if your sanistation is up to scratch...
Happy to be corrected....

 

[keifer33]

The condensation is from inside the fermenter so will be the same no matter what 'lid' you decide to use. The only way to garuntee no condensation is to use no lid. Use gladwrap and relax watching your brew.

 

[pimpsqueak]

LHBS <----- PROBLEM IDENTIFIED said to be careful as the condensation can lead to contamination of the brew ?

 

[Goofinder]

The biggest hazard with using glad wrap instead of a lid is that little people can poke their fingers through glad wrap. That and if you drop something on the fermenter it won't bounce off the lid.

If it's in a fridge you shouldn't have either of those problems.

 

[Pennywise]

LHBS said to be careful as the condensation can lead to contamination of the brew ?

Maybe he/she was talking about condensation from the fridge, dripping onto the gladwrap making it heavy, and then falling into the brew?

 

[Tim F]

LHBS said

there's your problem!
I cant see why condensation is a problem. It came out of the beer in the first place. Unless your fermenter or glad wrap isn't clean in which case you have problems any way. You get condensation in a fermenter with lid just the same, glad wrap doesn't attract moisture more than other plastics or anything.

 

[drtomc]

For a different perspective, consider than when I sanitise my fermenter, I put some no-rinse sanitiser in (e.g. Iodophor or StarSan), pop the lid on and give it a good shake. This means that the inside of the lid is sanitised, and will harbour a minimal number of bugs.

Do you sanitise your cling film before you put it on, or do you do it straight off the roll? If the latter, then there is a *possibility*, depending on the manufacturer, that it might be harbouring bugs. If there are bugs on the cling film then if you get condensation, the bugs will stick to the water and drop in to your beer.

Doesn't sound like a big problem, but I'll keep using my lid thanks.

T.

 

[QldKev]

LHBS said to be careful as the condensation can lead to contamination of the brew ?

I think your LHBS sounds retarded

or was he showing you his new super fermenter?


I would be trying to find a new LHBS

 

[hsb]

Falling in is possible with gladwrap. Secure footing before checking Krausen.
There must be a poster here somewhere who has done a Krausendunk.

Given the original intent of clingfilm, I'd say you should be OK.

You're probably better off worrying about plasticizers and the environment than rogue condensation bombs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_wrap

 

[stef]

Heaps of LHBS bashing in this thread!

 

[pimpsqueak]

For a different perspective, consider than when I sanitise my fermenter, I put some no-rinse sanitiser in (e.g. Iodophor or StarSan), pop the lid on and give it a good shake. This means that the inside of the lid is sanitised, and will harbour a minimal number of bugs.

Do you sanitise your cling film before you put it on, or do you do it straight off the roll? If the latter, then there is a *possibility*, depending on the manufacturer, that it might be harbouring bugs. If there are bugs on the cling film then if you get condensation, the bugs will stick to the water and drop in to your beer.

Doesn't sound like a big problem, but I'll keep using my lid thanks.

T.

I also don't sanitise my clingwrap before I wrap up a bit of cheese or half a tomato. Never seen/smelled/tasted any problem there.

 

[QldKev]

Heaps of LHBS bashing in this thread!

If the LHBS makes that kind of statement they deserve it.

mmm, hsb has initials very close to LHBS. lets pick on him now


QldKev

 

[Malted]

For a different perspective, consider than when I sanitise my fermenter, I put some no-rinse sanitiser in (e.g. Iodophor or StarSan), pop the lid on and give it a good shake. This means that the inside of the lid is sanitised, and will harbour a minimal number of bugs.

Do you sanitise your cling film before you put it on, or do you do it straight off the roll? If the latter, then there is a *possibility*, depending on the manufacturer, that it might be harbouring bugs. If there are bugs on the cling film then if you get condensation, the bugs will stick to the water and drop in to your beer.

Doesn't sound like a big problem, but I'll keep using my lid thanks.

T.

You'd best brew in a laboratory with HEPA filtered air, deionisers, filtered breathing apparatus, full body suit, gloves, autoclaved ferementer and an aluminium foil hat (just to mention a few precautions). You would possibly emit more 'bugs' from your breath and/or exhaled particulate matter than would be on the cling film. Acknowledged that you said it would not be a big problem. I'm just saying it is not scary enough to not try it.

Bugs on cling film? They'd probably be plastic bugs. But choice eh bro, they've bin banned in Sowth Ozstrayleah. :lol:

 

[bum]

I also don't sanitise my clingwrap before I wrap up a bit of cheese or half a tomato. Never seen/smelled/tasted any problem there.

Do you store your cheese at 18degC? You might see an issue if you did.

Not saying a gladwrap lid is a bad idea (I do it myself) - just saying drtomc's suggestion isn't a ludicrous one.

 

[drtomc]

Bugs on cling film? They'd probably be plastic bugs. But choice eh bro, they've bin banned in Sowth Ozstrayleah. :lol:

Plastic bugs... For some reason you immediately conjured the memory of the plastic spacemen "ad" from the Goodies.

I work with DNA for a living, so, yes, I am paranoid.

T.