I have one airlock that seems to be empty every time I look at it, if I refill it, the next day when I have a look the thing is empty again! There's no leaks on it as far as i can tell, anyone have any ideas what could be happening?
Airlock mystery
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BeerisGOD
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ill be honest thts got me too, ive only ever had suck back when just after pitching when the temp of the boiled wort is adjusting with top off water (i now wait a couple of hours to attach the airlock.
i did get a fair bit of evaporation from using vodka and a 2 piece though, not sure what airlock ur using but if it is one of these and ur under filling it, this could be the case but apart from that cant see any other reason.
Im sure by evening time theyl be an better answer on here..
ps i hope your using star san or vodka or boiled cooled water.
i did get a fair bit of evaporation from using vodka and a 2 piece though, not sure what airlock ur using but if it is one of these and ur under filling it, this could be the case but apart from that cant see any other reason.
Im sure by evening time theyl be an better answer on here..
ps i hope your using star san or vodka or boiled cooled water.
I've used the old "S" type of air-lock until today and never had a problem despite leaving DJ's for up to three months!
On Monday I discovered that the "S" types on top of the FV wouldn't fit in the new fridge so I cobbled up a small syphon valve with a bit of cling-film wrapped round and held on with an elastic band as a substitute whilst I bought a couple of the two-piece low profile ones.
They arrived this morning and I fitted one of them about three hours ago, unaware that they couldn't operate on "suck"!
Off to double check with the spare one. Thanks for the "heads up"! :thumb:
PS
Panic over. They operate on "suck" and "blow" so in answer to the original query I reckon you must have a leak in there somewhere! :thumb:
I used to have the same problem, it turned out to be the fermentation was so vigarous it was blowing the water out, i now use a blow off tube, no more empty airlock worries and if you do have a vigorous fermentation that enters the airlock the blow off container is a lot easier to empty and clean than having to remove airlocks etc.
How to make a blow off tube - http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=48970
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I'm still puzzled, looked at I this morning and it was empty again, there's no water surrounding it so I doubt it been pushed out, maybe suck back but I don't see how! I'm gonna swap two air locks around on different fv's to see if it does the same thing on another vessel
In this heat any water that left the airlock wouldn't stay on top of the FV for long.
Glad you found out what was wrong, its the first time i have heard of a leaking airlock.
"Liked" the solution Post - but not really 'cos I presume the solution comes as half relief at finding it and half worry for what has dripped into the brew!
Another "memo to self" to check my "S" type air-locks. Many thanks.:thumb:
Another "memo to self" to check my "S" type air-locks. Many thanks.:thumb:
I switched over to the wilko handy airlocks a while ago, they are a lot shorter which means i can stand my DJ's on the kitchen work top and they fit under the overhead kitchen cupboards, (the old bubble type were too tall) ideal if you are pushed for space and have an understanding other half.
None in local Wilco and the "S" type was way too high for the new fridge so got these delivered in one day ...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002KCXV8E/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Not as cheap and no bungs but it beat having a bit of clingfilm wrapped over a small valve and held on with an elastic band! :thumb:
I will stick with this type for beer because they are much easier to clean that the "S" type but for long fermentation periods in DJs I reckon that they would soon dry out and I wouldn't trust one to last three months.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002KCXV8E/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Not as cheap and no bungs but it beat having a bit of clingfilm wrapped over a small valve and held on with an elastic band! :thumb:
I will stick with this type for beer because they are much easier to clean that the "S" type but for long fermentation periods in DJs I reckon that they would soon dry out and I wouldn't trust one to last three months.
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Personal91
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probally a stupid question but why ? wouldnt vodka possibly stunt your yeasts growth if it went into your brew ?
Personal91
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I switched over to the wilko handy airlocks a while ago, they are a lot shorter which means i can stand my DJ's on the kitchen work top and they fit under the overhead kitchen cupboards, (the old bubble type were too tall) ideal if you are pushed for space and have an understanding other half.
BE WARNED!!!
i have had this type of airlock spit the 'hat' off too many times to count, that and i have had little flys ge into the airlock part of it aswell while its still on somehow, so just use with with caution or put some tape around the lid and base of it loosely so it cant rocket off!
When i first started using them i put too much water in (there are no instructions) and the top part used to move over slightly, it didn't allow anything to get in as the gap was tiny, the solution is to only fill it so the water just covers the inside tube by 10mm.
my s airlocks empty of starsan over a period of time, due to increased fermentation rate at the start, i keep topping them up , by day 3 they usually keep the starsan in the airlock
I switched over to the wilko handy airlocks a while ago, they are a lot shorter which means i can stand my DJ's on the kitchen work top and they fit under the overhead kitchen cupboards, (the old bubble type were too tall) ideal if you are pushed for space and have an understanding other half.
I'm a bit disappointed with the air-locks because the one in the fridge dried out after 24 hours and the one on the bench shortly thereafter!
I decided to make a bubble tube for the fridge so I sawed off the bottom of an "S" type air-lock, attached a length of syphon tubing to it (Memo to self - must get more tubing!), sterilised the lot and dropped the free end of the tubing into a clear bottle (with a couple of inches of sterilising fluid in the bottom) and swapped out the empty air-lock with the new device.
It's working a treat. There is no chance that it will dry out and it would catch the first 150ml of any overflow from the FV should that occur.
I use a blow off tube like Dutto on my FV as i found both bubble and handy airlocks used to empty because of the amount of CO2 being pushed through them, they are also handy if your wine, beer or cider decides it wants to leave the FV as cleaning the container is a lot easier than cleaning airlocks - more here http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=48970
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