No airlock, good idea?

[panspermian]

Reason: my second hand fridge stinks like ashtray. Made two brews in it but I can't be sure if my brew has taken up 'ashtray' like flavours or if it is just in my head. These two brews both used Windsor yeast when I usually use S04, so it might be just the yeast.

I'm sure I read on here once that someone tapes over the airlock hole of the fermentor.
So I am thinking of doing this too. I will be fermenting 20L in a 30L fermenter.
I am a bit concerned about the pressure build up. Maybe I can just monitor regularly and loosen lid as needed (if I see any sign of a bulge).

All in all, is this a good idea or am I playing with fire?

 

[Kingy]

glad wrap is your best friend,once you take the leap youll never look back. Do a search on glad wrap as an airlock.

 

[QldKev]

where will the kittens play?


IMHO you are better off to under pressure a ferment than over pressure it. But to answer the direct issue. If the fridge stinks, fix the problem and don't look for symptomatic fixes. Maybe try cleaning it with bicarb?

 

[panspermian]

where will the kittens play?


IMHO you are better off to under pressure a ferment than over pressure it. But to answer the direct issue. If the fridge stinks, fix the problem and don't look for symptomatic fixes. Maybe try cleaning it with bicarb?

Tried that. Recently tried vanilla essence in spray bottle. Got every nook and cranny I could get to.
Actually found a dead mouse when replacing power cable.

 

[panspermian]

glad wrap is your best friend,once you take the leap youll never look back. Do a search on glad wrap as an airlock.

Read good and bad things on here about glad wrap.
Not game enough yet.

 

[Kingy]

Read good and bad things on here about glad wrap.
Not game enough yet.

I wont try and convince ya then.
Evertime a new beer goes in my ferm fridges I spray with starsan and wipe every nook and fanny as it will grow mould and **** at ale temps. Don't want any bacterial **** hanging about to dribble in your fermenter.
Same goes when I take hydro samples, I spray the tapand wipe all the condensation off the roof and walls. Don't want that **** dripping in the beer somehow either.
You have to embrace cleanliness to make nice beer.

edit: and trust me on the glad wrap, wrap it over one way then wrap it over the other way, secure with your lid o ring and leave.
Less washing up and sterilizing and small parts. You can look in to see the progress of fermentation in the way of krausen building up and dropping out when done.

 

[Rocker1986]

I use the tape over the airlock method and just don't screw the lid on super tight; it works perfectly fine. However, my fridge doesn't smell like an ashtray either. I'd also be looking to fix whatever is causing that issue.

Not a fan of glad wrap myself, tried it once and the beer turned out ******* ****. Never again. But, don't let that discourage you because plenty of others are using it with no problems at all so at least give it a go at some point. Maybe I just didn't do it properly or something else got into it during the mixing stage, I dunno.

Anyway, point being, tape over the airlock hole works fine. My airlock never bubbled when I used it anyway so the gas must have been escaping elsewhere.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Not a fan of glad wrap myself, tried it once and the beer turned out ******* ****. Never again.

I would doubt that the reason for that was the gladwrap

 

[Rocker1986]

I dunno, it was the only batch that ever turned out that way. Bit much of a coincidence given it wasn't really any different to any other recipes I'd done at the time. I reckon it got infected. In any case, I prefer the lid and it works so that's the main thing.

 

[TheWiggman]

If you think the fridge is putting flavour into your beer why do you think it's coming through the airlock? It's plastic, the fermenter's plastic... I think you're chasing a ghost focussing on the airlock.

 

[thylacine]

I dunno, it was the only batch that ever turned out that way. Bit much of a coincidence given it wasn't really any different to any other recipes I'd done at the time. I reckon it got infected. In any case, I prefer the lid and it works so that's the main thing.

No airlock? No lid? No gladwrap?

No worries... ;-)

 

[Benn]

Give your fridge another full scale clean, I took the doors of my second hand fridges, set them up on saw stools and scrubbed all the crap out from the folds in the seals. It's the only way I could get to all the nooks and crannies. You should be able to get rid of the ashtray smell. Perhaps try using your regular yeast next brew and maybe even a different fermentation vessel (if you've got one) that hasn't been potentially absorbing the odour from the fridge. That should eliminate the problem, then maybe try different yeasts once you know you're Ferm fridge is all good.

 

[Rocker1986]

Yes I'm aware of open fermentations although I'm guessing most of them are done in a much more sterile environment than my garage...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Yes I'm aware of open fermentations although I'm guessing most of them are done in a much more sterile environment than my garage...

And your blaming poor old Gladwrap....Shame on you...shame....

 

[Dan Dan]

I've never used an airlock, and I've never died.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I've never used an airlock, and I've never died

Have you ever lived on the edge and fermented a full airlock beer....you should

 

[Dan Dan]

But what if I die????

 

[manticle]

Only then will you truly have lived.

 

[jyo]

I've used tape for years and it's great. Glad wrap is for food, not fermentation. :-D

 

[sponge]

Beer is practically food.. Jusssayinn..

Gladwrap FTW. Simplest solution by a long way. No cleaning, no fuss - all with a clear view of the ferment.