S.O.S. (Save Our S-shaped glass airlocks)
Andy Spragg
airlocks like Boots used to sell when they still sold homebrew stuff?
All I can seem to find are tall plastic ones. Apart from the fact that
I intrinsically prefer the glass ones, I also reckon they have three
distinct advantages:
i) nice snug fit in the cork without over-compressing it (I find the
plastic ones inevitably lead to leakage around the stem once the rate
of gas production slows down after a few weeks)
ii) easier to clean (ever tried getting the last bit of air out of the
plastic ones when sterilising them?)
iii) if inter-shelf space is limited (as it is chez moi), the glass
ones add almost no height to the basic height of the demi-john,
whereas the plastic ones add three or four inches.
Hopefully,
Andy
Andy
--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk
If you interrogate your data for long enough,
she will tell you almost anything.
Simon Singh
godfrey
in...@northdevonhomebrews.co.uk
Unit A, Cross Street, Bradley, Bilston, West Midlands,
WV14 8DL, United Kingdom
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1902 353352
Fax: + 44 (0) 1902 354852
Email:enqu...@youngshomebrew.co.uk
try these if they are unable to help they may be able to
direct you .
Stephen
"Andy Spragg" <spa...@globalnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3f60cb90...@news.global.net.uk...
Tim McNally
fit fine after that.
Tim
vincent p. norris
instead of air locks.
I tear off about 5 to 6 inches of plastic wrap (that's about 10 inches
wide), double it to make a square, put it over the top of the carboy,
and put a rubber band around it.
Voila, an air lock. One that will never dry out!
When fermentation slows to a crawl, I remove the plastic wrap, place a
rubber stopper lightly into the carboy, and replace the plastic wrap.
When fermentation stoops, I tap the rubber stopper into a tighter fit.
Been doing that for decades, with never a problem.
vince norris
Negodki
> This is not what you asked, but you might consider using plastic wrap
> instead of air locks.
>
> I tear off about 5 to 6 inches of plastic wrap (that's about 10 inches
> wide), double it to make a square, put it over the top of the carboy,
> and put a rubber band around it.
>
> Voila, an air lock. One that will never dry out!
>
I agree, with one suggestion. Use TWO rubber bands, and check them
occasionally. Rubber bands do deteriorate and snap with age,
especially if they are stretched a bit.
It also makes sense to put plastic wrap with rubber bands around the
outside of a rubber stopper. If something happens to make the rubber
stopper pop out,the plastic wrap will keep the stopper from flying
across the room, and will also maintain the seal.
They don't make that lovely bubbling sound though. :(
Rex Franklin
Regards,
Rex Franklin
"vincent p. norris" <vp...@psu.edu> wrote in message
news:1rrhmvoqb0583pq6t...@4ax.com...
vincent p. norris
>occasionally. Rubber bands do deteriorate and snap with age,
>especially if they are stretched a bit.
I stretch the rubber band only slightly in the early stages of
fermentation. Just enough to make a snug fit. A local office-supply
store has just the right size for that.
If the band fits too tightly in the early stages of fermentation, the
plastic cap will be blown off.
It is a good idea to use a second band later, when a tighter fit is
appropriate.
>It also makes sense to put plastic wrap with rubber bands around the
>outside of a rubber stopper. If something happens to make the rubber
>stopper pop out,the plastic wrap will keep the stopper from flying
>across the room, and will also maintain the seal.
Yes, that's what I meant. But since I merely drop the stopper in at
first, it is able to rise slightly when necessary to allow gas to
escape, and then drop back into place.
At least I assume that's the case, and I've never seen evidence it
doesn't work that way.
vince norris
Andy Spragg
the queue on 17 Sep 2003 09:03:50 -0700, and nailed this to the shed
door:
^ Try sanding off the rough seams of the plastic airlocks and they will
^ fit fine after that.
A good idea. One that I never thought of, and will use in future when
I do use plastic airlocks. Doesn't solve the problem of the DJ+airlock
being too tall to fit between the shelves I have available, though :-(
Andy
--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk
Revenge is sweet, but it's also a dish best served cold.
Basically, it's a cheesecake!
Jon Thompson, uk.rec.sheddizen
Andy Spragg
on 17 Sep 2003 23:33:24 -0700, and nailed this to the shed door:
^ vincent p. norris <vp...@psu.edu> wrote:
^ > This is not what you asked, but you might consider using plastic wrap
^ > instead of air locks.
^ >
^ > I tear off about 5 to 6 inches of plastic wrap (that's about 10 inches
^ > wide), double it to make a square, put it over the top of the carboy,
^ > and put a rubber band around it.
(snip Negodki's 2nding, with double rubber band amendment; thanks to
Rex for 3rding the suggestion, too)
^ They don't make that lovely bubbling sound though. :(
Yup, that would be a bummer indeed. I lurve that sound. In principle,
it sounds like the perfect solution, but I have a more fundamental
misgiving. The airlock has two functions, doesn't it - it keeps air
out, so the fermentation makes alcohol and not just more yeast, but it
also lets carbon dioxide out. Too much carbon dioxide in solution is a
fermentation inhibitor, isn't it? Doesn't the plastic wrap solution
leave too much carbon dioxide in solution?
Andy
--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk
Revenge is sweet, but it's also a dish best served cold.
Negodki
> Yup, that would be a bummer indeed. I lurve that sound. In principle,
> it sounds like the perfect solution, but I have a more fundamental
> misgiving. The airlock has two functions, doesn't it - it keeps air
> out, so the fermentation makes alcohol and not just more yeast, but it
> also lets carbon dioxide out. Too much carbon dioxide in solution is a
> fermentation inhibitor, isn't it? Doesn't the plastic wrap solution
> leave too much carbon dioxide in solution?
The plastic (cling) wrap itself doesn't let anything out, but it is
only held in place by the rubber (elastic) band. Thus, the pressure
from the CO2 pushes against the plastic, which then tries to lift from
the bottle. The rubber band hold it in place, but stretches enough to
allow the CO2 to escape.
If it didn't let the CO2 out, the pressure would eventually cause the
bottle to explode. Which makes a sealed fermenter the perfect
time-bomb. :)
Andy Spragg
^ spa...@globalnet.co.uk (Andy Spragg) wrote:
^
^ > Yup, that would be a bummer indeed. I lurve that sound. In principle,
^ > it sounds like the perfect solution, but I have a more fundamental
^ > misgiving. The airlock has two functions, doesn't it - it keeps air
^ > out, so the fermentation makes alcohol and not just more yeast, but it
^ > also lets carbon dioxide out. Too much carbon dioxide in solution is a
^ > fermentation inhibitor, isn't it? Doesn't the plastic wrap solution
^ > leave too much carbon dioxide in solution?
^
^ The plastic (cling) wrap itself doesn't let anything out, but it is
^ only held in place by the rubber (elastic) band. Thus, the pressure
^ from the CO2 pushes against the plastic, which then tries to lift from
^ the bottle. The rubber band hold it in place, but stretches enough to
^ allow the CO2 to escape.
^
^ If it didn't let the CO2 out, the pressure would eventually cause the
^ bottle to explode. Which makes a sealed fermenter the perfect
^ time-bomb. :)
Yup, I can see that the arrangement would allow carbon dioxide out.
But it's very soluble stuff, so only a moderate partial pressure in
the headspace would correspond to a /lot/ in solution. I'm trying to
picture in my head the relative resistance offered by c. 1" of water
(in an airlock), and by a couple of rubber bands on the other. And
failing. But pragmatically, you and others say it works well, so
that's all I need to know, isn't it?
Andy
--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk
"There's no better way to get to know a man's character
than to get him tight and see how he talks then"
Nevil Shute, "So disdained"
Negodki
> Yup, I can see that the arrangement would allow carbon dioxide out.
> But it's very soluble stuff, so only a moderate partial pressure in
> the headspace would correspond to a /lot/ in solution. I'm trying to
> picture in my head the relative resistance offered by c. 1" of water
> (in an airlock), and by a couple of rubber bands on the other. And
> failing.
I could do the equations, but I'm not sure how helpful they would be.
There are too many variables to consider. Different shapes of
airlocks. Different altitudes, temperatures, etc. Different size and
strength and age rubber bands. Different thicknesses of cling wrap.
Different shaped carboys. Different phase of the moon. How much I had
to drink last night. How much I had this morning.
> But pragmatically, you and others say it works well, so that's all I need to
> know, isn't it?
Yup. Unless we're taken the mick. :)
Another tried and untrue method is putting a balloon around the end of
the bottle, and piercing a small hole in the ballon to let the CO2
out. Theoretically, when the balloon collapses, the ferment has
completed (or stuck).
In practice, the balloon either becomes a space traveller, or the
"small hole" gets larger and larger until it reaches the same size as
the bottle neck.
This is the standard recipe for 1 gallon of Balloon Wine:
6-8 lbs. red or white balloons
2 1/2 lbs. sucrose
2 tsp. acid blend
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
yeast (Montrachet)
water to 1 gallon
To prevent air from reaching your wine, plug the neck of each bottle
with a grape.