No action through airlock - age old question

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apoole

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Hey all,

I know this has been asked a thousand times but I can't find the info I'm after in the forum history.

I have a black rock cider that's been in the fermenter for 2 and a bit days with no activity through the air lock but if I look through the top the brew seems to be fizzing away quite happily.

I'm guessing this means fermentation is happening and the airlock might not be sealed 100%?

Adam
 
I see a question mark but no question.

Check SG if you're worried. Sounds like things are as they should be though.

RDWAHAHB
 
Question is implied Bum. You're a cynical ******* aren't you?
 
Somebody said this yesterday, when the same question got asked, it's a good answer!
A airlock is a crappy $3 piece of plastic with some liquid in it. A hydrometer is a $10 precision engineered scientific instrument. Trust the hydrometer!
 
Droopy Brew said:
Question is implied Bum. You're a cynical ******* aren't you?
I see a question mark but no question.

Apoole, your deduction is correct. There are visible signs of fermentation and there is most likely some gas escaping. Hopefully you have some brews ready to drink whilst waiting for this one to finish.
 
Econwatson said:
Somebody said this yesterday, when the same question got asked, it's a good answer!
A airlock is a crappy $3 piece of plastic with some liquid in it. A hydrometer is a $10 precision engineered scientific instrument. Trust the hydrometer!
yep that was my answer

it could be finished or you have a leak that the co2 is escaping through
 
The airlock (which I'm old enough to remember when they were glass) was a device from the venerable world of winemaking, and when inserted into a hole drilled in a rubber bung and inserted into the neck of a demijohn, was an absolutely foolproof method of monitoring the rate of fermentation and keeping the wine free of oxygen.

Home brewing was long a side hobby dabbled in by winemakers (as opposed to the other way round today) and as home brewing became more popular the airlock hitched a ride into the new hobby. A bit like early motor cars had a socket near the front door where you could keep a whip, or even later models still had a little opening in the radiator grille for insertion of a crank starting handle.

In the USA a lot of brewing is done in huge glass demijohn style vessels and of course the airlock IS a good piece of kit in those circumstances, and as a lot of HB writing originates in the USA then airlocks are mentioned often and their migration from the winemaking tradition is understandable.

In Australia on the other hand, HB is nowadays done in plastic drums, barrels and jerrycans which are often not too well sealed, and the airlock isn't really a fit device for our purposes any more. As post after post confirms it's more a source of fear, confusion and doubt. I haven't used one for years. Let Clingwrap be your friend.
 
Mine never bubbles. I've replaced the seal on the fermenter lid three times to no effect. I ceased to care. As long as nothing falls into your fermenter you should be fine. Bacteria cant normally ninja their way in even though it might not be air tight.
 

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