More On That Leaky Fermenter

[cpsmusic]

Hi,

A while ago I posted a question about my fermenter which seemed to have a leak. The brew worked out really well, however now that the fermentation has finished I've had a chance to investigate the leak further.

After much squeezing and pressing, I've discovered that the lid does not seal properly, mainly due to the thread being too wide on one side. Even with the lid screwed down tightly, there's about 5mm of play on one side, which explains why my first brew did not bubble!

The fermenter is from a Coopers kit so I'm going to contact them and see if they will replace it. Anyway, for those of you thinking of getting a kit, beware of the Coopers fermenters.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[KHB]

Lots of people on here will tell you thats normal for those fermenters, i borrowed a 60lt fermenter from a mate which did not seal properly so i slopped a bit of keg lube around it and problem fixed.

KHB

 

[Spartan 117]

I have a Coopers kit fermenter and it works brilliantly never had any problems wiht the seal but i reckon getting in touch with them and letting them know is a good idea, especially now that more people are buying there kits they don't wanna get a bad name with dodgy its now do they.

Aaron

 

[raven19]

Best not to trust the airlock in any case!

Screwed on tight will eliminate nasteis getting in just with the positive pressure from the CO2 coming from the yeast.

 

[brotom7]

I use of them as well, first brew was ruined because the lid didn't seal and it got very stale.
Turned out a pretty large bit of plastic was caught under the o-ring and no matter how hard I screwed the lid on there was no way it would seal.
Removed it and now it seals.

However, I just use a plastic film held in place by the o-ring instead of the lid, more fund to see what goes on in there

 

[Pollux]

I have stopped screwing mine on so tight as they seal and the lid tend to dry over the course of the 7-10 days that I have a brew in either primary or secondary and then become virtually impossible to open again....

 

[Fermented]

If you wet the o-ring before you screw the lid down (usually gets wet during cleaning anyway), when you screw the lid down you can see it make good contact with the lid and therefore presumably the lip of the fermented. It should give a pretty reasonable, for brewing purposes anyway, seal.

For fermenting, we're not looking for a gas-tight or water tight seal as the ferment is pressure positive anyway. When the wort is warm, the heat makes the air inside expand. When fermentation is going there is gas production. After fermentation, there is CO2 on top of the beer. We're just trying to keep insects and microbes out.

Likewise, check for any flashing from the moulding process. Flashing = overfilled mould, bits of plastic on the seams or moulded apertures. Trim them off with a sharp knife to make a smooth edge.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[flattop]

Vaseline is good for helping them seal. To open a fermenter with a stuck lid put it on it's side on the ground and kneel on it, it helps loosen the lid. Of course that's only good if you drained the beer first. Not much help if you are dry hopping in the primary.

 

[Hillbilly]

Toss the lid, cover with glad wrap and hold into place with the o-ring, have done this for the last 60 brews and have never looked back.

 

[cpsmusic]

Lots of people on here will tell you thats normal for those fermenters, i borrowed a 60lt fermenter from a mate which did not seal properly so i slopped a bit of keg lube around it and problem fixed.

KHB

What's "keg lube"?

 

[Fourstar]

I follow the following method (i think Ross got me doing this.)

Pull out the o-ring from the lid seal, screw it up fully and fit you're airlock. All the positive pressure of CO2 production will keep the nasties out. As for the bloop bloop of the airlock. I need not worry. Its the Hydrometer that tells me when fermentation is finished.

 

[theMISSIONARY]

I have a coopers and a west brew fermenter the coopers never bubbles even with new seals but the westbrew always bubbles.......i like bubbles but as Fourstar said its the hydrometer that tells the true story ive had three good brews with no bubbles B)

 

[dpadden]

I have a coopers and a west brew fermenter the coopers never bubbles even with new seals but the westbrew always bubbles.......i like bubbles but as Fourstar said its the hydrometer that tells the true story ive had three good brews with no bubbles B)

Yeah my Cooper's fermenter would only bubble if I put a heap of lube on the thread. No probs now with the glass carboy!

 

[sinkas]

3rd worst thread in forum history

 

[KHB]

What's "keg lube"?

I bought it from GMK i use a little bit on a new keg going in the fridge on the gas connect just to be sure i get no leaks when the disconnect is attached.

KHB

 

[dpadden]

3rd worst thread in forum history

Why so sinkas?

 

[matti]

This was the conclusion from Grumpy's Forum when it still existed.

There is nothing wrong with using plastic Coopers fermenters.
For those who like to see their airlock bubble away do this!
Take out the black O-ring between brew and sanitize as usual.
Replace the now clean 0-ring but only push it in 1/2 way.

Once you close the lid to leave the fermenter, tighten it only 3/4 of the way and it should seal.
Avoid opening the lid during.

Airlock out of plastic has a sharp ridge where it is fused together. sand it down so it doesn't rear airlock seal.

When you are tired of all this fiddling about and not concerned about bubbling, use glad-wrap!

 

[peted27]

i stopped using my screwn on lid..... now i sanitise my hydrometer, drop it in the brew..... cover the hole with a couple of layers of glad wrap and use the rubber seal from the lid to hold it in place... 1 pin prick in the top does the trick....

now i can watch my brew and take readings every day, and no more worries about airlocks as i dont use one

 

[Jase71]

My Coopers fermenter is as tight as a nun's ladybits, but i think its an older style than the one you guys are talking about. Not that it really matters, the last few brews Ive not bothered with the airlock, and taken to simply laying a tissue over the hole and covering it with an inverted pint glass.

The secondary fermenter gets a glad wrap lid.

 

[cdbrown]

When I saw the title I thought it had something to do with a leaking tap or something else, not a leaking lid. I've done completely away with the lids and just use glad wrap and an o-ring. Means I can see through the top to check on krausen and condensation. I don't worry about the pin hole as excess pressure will seep past the o-ring anyway.