Blow off issue. Help needed.

Are you using a glass carboy? If so, 1" ID vinyl tubing (from the hardware store) fits perfectly inside the carboy neck.

 

I recently drilled a second hole in my fermenting bucket lid to accommodate a length of 1/2" tubing. I fitted it with a rubber gasket and it's nice and snug.

So now I use both the the bubbler/airlock and a blowoff tube...

 

Congrats, you have robust fermentation . . . I love watching those bubbles.

Not exactly sure of your setup, but a 1/2"ID hose (Home Depot, $3) will fit on the center stem of a 3 piece airlock. It's a little tight, but it you dip it in hot water it slips on. This should handle most situations. If you really have krasuen (solid particles) coming out of the tube, it may be easier to toss it rather than try and clean. Remember, sanitation is just as critical as before.

 

Definitely clean the bottom of the stopper or airlock. The opening inside your primary can get clogged with krausen and you may end up with a tiny or no opening to off-gas. If your tube is not clogged with particle matter, it should handle just about any amount of CO2. If you are using a jar for an airlock, don't dip the exhaust end of the tube extra deep in your liquid (this minimizes the water pressure the gas must overcome to escape).

As long as you have lots of gas escaping you are probably safe from bacteria creeping in. But please make sure your nasty old hands are sanitized when handling any of the parts that go inside the primary.

Here is what's going on inside your primary:



You do not know if your krausen is still rising or has peaked (which it will within ~24 hours). It is possible for the krausen (solid particles) to fill up your headspace and the CO2 will force them out the airlock. This can become very messy and that's when you will need a bigger diameter tube. As long as your tube is not clogged, the gas will vent.

On the plus side, every time you see a bubble, there is ethanol being created.

 

This is exactly what happened. We used a carboy as the primary. I will look into either using our primary bucket, since there is more space and or get a larger tube.

Okay, I didn't realize you were using a carboy and could see the activity. If all of this is from a kit, I'm guessing the carboy is 5 gallons and you have a 6.5 gallon bucket w/lid. Most kits are set up for 5 gallon brews and these two items work well together. It is meant to use the bucket (at 6.5 gal) for your primary . . . this gives you about 30% of your bucket for headspace for the krausen to play. You can still get krausen to overflow from a 6.5 gal bucket, but that is less likely. Once carbonation starts, a blanket of CO2 forms inside and protects your beer from air.

If your glass carboy is 5 gallons, this is meant to be a secondary. When filled, the brew should take up almost all the space. There will be little (somethings none) CO2 produced in the secondary, so you want to minimize headspace and oxidation problems.

By all means keep some 1/2" tubing around and I find the 3 piece airlock to be reliable for the bucket lid. Also, remember that from this point on, air is the enemy. Take extraordinary means to prevent exposing your precious beer to air.

 

You are very welcome . . . and you are officially a home brewer.

I would suggest you just let the beer ferment in the carboy, and when finished (2-3 weeks), carefully rack to your bucket for bottling. Here are some good bottling techniques: http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11.html

As an aside, I brewed for years before I understood much of what's described in this thread. In spite of that, my first brews were still better than anything you could buy in 7-11. So you are well ahead of the game.

 

One tip I didn't see anyone mention, if you are attaching your blowoff tube to your 3 piece airlock body, make sure to break off the little strainer at the bottom of the airlock. Otherwise it can get clogged with krausen and cause problems.

 

what happens if you just leave it be and don't do anything to your blow off?

 

It makes a huge mess. And you really don't want wild bugs getting into the blown off material and having a path back to your wort/beer.

 

This is what my brew was doing this morning:

Regarding of plastic or glass carboy, this is the tube you need. Without it, mine would have blow its top for sure!!!

 

I disagree I use a 1/2" (or maybe even 3/8") hose over a broken airlock base (no X) and it has blown through it many times without incident. It would take one hell of a chunk of stuff to get wedged in that...

 

What were your Original Gravity and Final Gravity readings? If you're looking at some percentage scale ("potential alcohol" maybe?) on the hydrometer, that's the wrong one. The scale you want is for Specific Gravity. Google up some pictures/instructions if you're not sure.