Bought a cheapo hardware store oxygen cylinder with hose and stone from NB. Question: Anyone have problems determining if oxygen is actually getting into your wort? I know the threading is left-handed on both the bottle and the regulator, but due to the foaming in the wort already from splashing to fermenter, I couldn't really tell if any oxygen made it into the wort. Are these supposed to bubble continuously? If the almost instantaneous airlock activity was any indication...I'd guess some made it in to my lager after a short 30 second opening of the regulator. I just thought I should see some bubbling...I didn't.
I have the same setup and mine usually foams up and out of the neck of the carboy after 30 seconds. There is a lot of bubbles IME.
I usual clean/test in a container of star san first, maybe need to just open a little more on the regulator. You should see lots foaming.
Yes. Test in clear liquid, if no bubbles are coming out your stone then something is wrong. Listen closely and you can hear it. Also, remember that every bubble that appears on the surface is oxygen that did not go into your wort.
I get minimal foaming. If my logic works, if its bubbling out of solution, its not being dissolved. There should, however, be bubbles coming out of the stone.
Well, turns out I think I have a defective regulator...took hose and stone off and put the regulator barb fitting under water...nothing. When disconnecting the regulator from the bottle, I got a quick "pop" which makes me think the bottle has oxygen in it. NB customer service here I come on Monday
With your tank master valve off, disconnect your regulator. Slowly open the tank master valve . . . if it has pressure you can hear it next door. If tank has pressure, reattach reg and crank up the regulator flow. This will not be as loud but you should easily hear the rush of gas. What's in the primary?
This is a small, cheapo, disposable tank (no master valve...regulator valve only) A Schwartzbier is in the primary.
It sounds like you didn't get your tank screwed on all the way, it took me a bit to figure it out too. The best way I was taught was to turn the flow up until you can see visible bubbles on the surface so you know it's working, then dial it back to a slower stream of small bubbles.
I have to turn the regulator nearly all the way open before I see bubbles coming out of the stone. I turn it on in an iodophor solution before putting it in the beer so I can see that it is working first.
I recently got the same setup and I will say you have to open the knob on the regulator quite a bit before you get any O2 flowing. Keep turning and see if it works. I'm sure it will. I had the same thing, thought it was flowing very quietly but it wasn't opened up enough.
