Do Speidel airlock bungs seal the fermenter efficiently?

[Andrew Leighton]

I have four Speidel fermenters and back in November pressed the bungs in as far as I could. Some of them sit lower than others but I was confident I'd squeezed them down hard enough. But I'm worried how effective they are at sealing the fermenters. Do they do a good enough job of keeping the cider well? All fermenters have virtually nil headspace.

[John Metta]

I use them in my production facility for bench trials. 60L and a 120L models, never had any issues at all. I spray a bit of sanitizer on the bung for lubricant and twist it in.

[J Davis]

I've only got one 30l and I've never used the original airlock. It was recommended that I use a standard airlock in a similarly sized bung with a smaller hole drilled for a standard airlock - so that is what I use. To paraphrase - the larger airlocks are bulky, clumsy and leaky and it is easier to see the fluid level in a more common smaller airlock - plastic or glass.

Jim Davis

Mi Queso Es Su Queso y Mi Sidra Es Su Sidra y Mi Aguamiel Es Su Aguamiel

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[John Metta]

Who called them bulky, clumsy, and leaky? How are they clumsy? How do they leak? I've never noticed any such issues. I use them all the time in a production facility successfully on barrels, 50-80 gallon tanks, and on my Speidels. I have Speidel factory ones, and ones like these, which are big enough that they won't foul incessantly with barrel-sized ferments. Also don't know why it would be easier to see the fluid level in a smaller one. If anything, I'd argue that seeing the fluid level on a bigger one is easier– and the level fluctuates less as well.

You might not need such volumes if you're doing 5-10 gallons at a time, but I see no reason to not use a bigger airlock for anything over 15 gallons, and in fact I'd recommend it.

-J

[J Davis]

Who called them bulky, clumsy, and leaky? How are they clumsy? How do they leak?

At least for the new 30l model I have, I found that the factory stopper doesn't seal well and gas escapes around it. I verified that by spraying star san around the bung and watched little bubbles form. Maybe it is defective - I'm not sure. I found a reasonable softer silicone bung to use with the typical LBS plastic airlock that I can actually see through. The lighting in my fermentation room isn't the best. I find that the factory airlock is opaque but not transparent and I can't easily see where the liquid level is. I do like the one you linked to - its clear. Maybe that would be a better choice to try but I'll have to get a new bung no matter what. Two other people that I know use several Speidels for their beer aging and another person for his cider recommended to not use the factory airlocks for the same reasons I don't. I think it comes down to personal preference with the smaller tanks. When I eventually get to the larger volumes, I'm surely going to have to reconsider the airlock size. The smaller airlocks liquid evaporates faster. I appreciate your experience and recommendation with the larger barrel sizes and up!