How Can I Fix My Airlock?

[Samma3l]

Hi all,

I join the throng of people who have received the wonderful gift of homebrew this christmas in the form of a Coopers Homebrew kit.

I've already put one on and while the hydro says that the fermenter is working, I'm getting no action through the airlock. I have since put another batch on and this time with a brand new airlock, taking care to make sure that this one does not have any mold marks that could cause a gap.

In the time that it has started, the brew has foamed and I can smell that its working, however yet again there is now airlock action.

Does anyone know how I can fix this?

Thanks,

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Hi all,

I join the throng of people who have received the wonderful gift of homebrew this christmas in the form of a Coopers Homebrew kit.

I've already put one on and while the hydro says that the fermenter is working, I'm getting no action through the airlock. I have since put another batch on and this time with a brand new airlock, taking care to make sure that this one does not have any mold marks that could cause a gap.

In the time that it has started, the brew has foamed and I can smell that its working, however yet again there is now airlock action.

Does anyone know how I can fix this?

Thanks,

Check grommet in bung hole properly.
Ensure rubber ring in lid on properly.
Ensure airlock in right spot.

Squeeze sides of fermenter - does water level in airlock move ?

 

[SJW]

Forget the airlock. OH, Welcome to our umble little site. Also add in where your from to your profile so we know where your from. Just incase your from Tassie or somewhere like that and we need to spell everything out E X T R A S L O W.
Now that I pissed everyone off from the Apple Island back to your problem.
Forget the airlock. You will know if its fermenting by a thick foam layer on top of the beer called the Krusen or as u said take a hyro sample. The air lock would be fine, unless it has a big hole in it. Try screwing the lid on tighter and gently push on the lid and see if that gets the air lock moving. Eitherway no big deal.

Steve

 

[SJW]

Beat me to it Fat!

 

[Doogiechap]

Often the airlocks have a seam where the two halves are joined. If it is poorly trimmed in manufacture then that is another possibility. Just a careful trim with a sharp knife will do the trick. I like the airlock, even if it's for the romance of the bloop bloop sound :wub: .
Cheers
Doug

 

[KGB]

Often the airlocks have a seam where the two halves are joined. If it is poorly trimmed in manufacture then that is another possibility. Just a careful trim with a sharp knife will do the trick. I like the airlock, even if it's for the romance of the bloop bloop sound :wub: .
Cheers
Doug

The OP said he replaced the airlock to one without any mold seams, but this is a common cause for not getting a good seal. I've always shaved the sides of mine with a super sharp blade to make sure they're smooth.

As stated already, its not vital to have the airlock bubbling, but everybody loves that bloop-bloop sound, hahaha.

 

[Samma3l]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies!

When I squeeze the fermenter, the water level does move however, I also hear a slight wheezing sound.

Is there a particular brand of silicone grease that I should use?

 

[Simon W]

It could be the fermenter barrel itself, the rim on my coopers one is way way way out of whack. It's a product defect and I'm surprised they still have the balls to sell them and tell people the airlock will bubble.

To get it to seal I'd have to remove more plastic from the rim around the mold seams than there is plastic = no more rim.
Try sitting something flat(a sheet of glass or a tile...) on the rim to see what I mean, it will see-saw a lot.

Edit: Pic. Have a laugh.
It's actually not as bad as it used to be 'coz I've had a go at leveling it out. The gap on either side is now about 3-4mm but was about 5 or 6mm!
There's no way the rubber seal in the lid can compensate for that because it is compressed to it's limit at the seams of the barrel(either that or the lid bottoms out- no more thread) before the seal even touches the low sides.

 

[staggalee]

Forget the airlock. OH, Welcome to our umble little site. Also add in where your from to your profile so we know where your from. Just incase your from Tassie or somewhere like that and we need to spell everything out E X T R A S L O W.
Now that I pissed everyone off from the Apple Island back to your problem.
Forget the airlock. You will know if its fermenting by a thick foam layer on top of the beer called the Krusen or as u said take a hyro sample. The air lock would be fine, unless it has a big hole in it. Try screwing the lid on tighter and gently push on the lid and see if that gets the air lock moving. Eitherway no big deal.

Steve

"Krusen"?
What is Krusen?
You might need to go to Tassie for some spelling lessons :lol:

stagga.

 

[blackbock]

"Krusen"?
What is Krusen?
You might need to go to Tassie for some spelling lessons :lol:

stagga.

Krusen is actually plural, as well.

 

[staggalee]

The only krusen I know of is Dave Krusen, the Pearl Jam drummer

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies!

When I squeeze the fermenter, the water level does move however, I also hear a slight wheezing sound.

Is there a particular brand of silicone grease that I should use?

Ignore the silicone grease idea - I've never seen it or heard of it - you may need it if there is a defect,,but just for the moment, ignore it.

The wheezing sound is air getting in / out of what is supposed to be an airtight container. Could be something simple. Where is the wheezing sound coming from. try tightening lid and squeeze again - problem solved, easy. Problem not solved, PANIC.

No on second thoughts, don't panic.

First things first. Take lid off fermenter. Cover fermenter top with gladwrap. You don't need the lid. (Alternatively, leave lid on and bottle beer after 10 days (check fermentation with the hydrometer.) Almost no problems will happen with this beer.

Either way, with lid off, remove the rubber ring. Check it was in properly, check it for defects. If nothing seems wrong, out it back in. Put lid back on fermenter, screw tight and see if you here the wheeze again. If yes PANIC.

No on second thoughts, don't panic. It's not a crisis, either get a new fermenter or use gladwrap instead of a lid.

And don't listen to Pearl Jam. Music too loud, will hurt your ears. Lousy drummer with a rough head !!!

 

[staggalee]

I agree- they`re hopeless- but not as hopeless as the Coopers type fermenters with the screw on lids.
Just use the pail type fermenters and all that drama about lids not sealing is history

stagga.

 

[AlwayzLoozeCount]

I use a coopers screw lid type thingy and it works fine for me, bloop bloop every time. I think you gotta screw the lid down pretty hard tho, when you think its tight enough screw it down some more, it should work.

btw my second head can't stop laughing at those tassie jokes.

 

[matti]

Take out the o-ring seal of lid and place loosely in again.
Only tighten the lid 3/4 hard.

Often the airlocks have a seam where the two halves are joined. If it is poorly trimmed in manufacture then that is another possibility. Just a careful trim with a sharp knife will do the trick

.
Spot on there.
I also put a couple of layers insulation tape around air-lock that goes through the grommet.

Bubble bubble bubble

 

[imellor]

Hi Samma31,

I have 3 Coopers fermenters and none of them seal correctly with the original O ring after the first couple of uses. I have tried screwing down the lid till just sealing and the air lock starts to move, but after almost getting it to bubble it levels out again. I have slightly increased pressure on the lid until I can not make it any tighter and it still leaks. You may have found if you tighten the lid you can still rock the lid slightly as the threads don't seem to grip evenly alround. I have heard on another thread that the seal was replaced with a black seal and this worked.
I run 2 seals on my fermenters and haven't had a problem since. I position 1 seal on the rim and 1 in the lid, then I push the lid down and tighten but it does not need too much pressure to seal.
Even if you buy the black seal ( I think it is a VB fermenter type. Your local HBS will know. ) and it does not fix the problem, just add the original seal as well and you will get bubbling through the air lock.

Happy Brewing
Ian

 

[albrews]

I use a coopers screw lid type thingy and it works fine for me, bloop bloop every time. I think you gotta screw the lid down pretty hard tho, when you think its tight enough screw it down some more, it should work.

btw my second head can't stop laughing at those tassie jokes.

hi,
i use a piece of timber to fit in the fins of the lid to provide extra leverage for a very tight lid fit. it might work for you as well. re, silicon grease, some body
lube from the supermarket, or chemist, lifestyle brand will do.

cheers, alan

 

[pcmfisher]

I had great problems unscrewing my lid on the last brew.
I used the bit of wood across the fins trick only to snap some of the fins off.
Finally got it off just before I got the axe out.
I have smoothed off the ridges on the top of the fermenter to see if that makes it seal with less pressure.
I might try the two seal idea.

 

[staggalee]

PAIL :lol:

 

[recharge]

You could pull the seal out and use it for a lacky band to hold some glad wrap on. Thats all i do and i keep the lid for draining fermenter on after cleaning.

Rich