airlocks - the short, 2" space saving cylindrical types

[mikeyjay84]

I brewed up last night and used a new bit of kit. In the wilko sale, I bought a set of airlocks of the short and stumpy variety (2 inch barrel shaped jobs). I won't bore you with why, suffice to say that they were half price and the aim otherwise was to save space.

anyways - so I brewed up last night and this morning its bubbling away like there's no tomorrow. the trouble is, a lot of water has come out of the airlock. I filled half way with water and placed the top/lid part loosely on top. (didn't want to fit them on tightly as I would imagine they would pop off completely)

there is still water in the airlock, but its very minimal and as such, doing its job, so I won't worry too much. but is this normal? the amount of water actually left in the airlock is barely minimal.

anyone have experience with these? have I missed something?

 

[Will12283]

Had the same thing happen to me, should be fine as long as there is enough water in the airlock.

 

[Moley]

You only need to fill one third with water, and push the top on properly, there are three small ridges on the inside of the cap which are big enough to allow gas to escape but small enough to stop fruit flies.

 

[mikeyjay84]

You only need to fill one third with water, and push the top on properly, there are three small ridges on the inside of the cap which are big enough to allow gas to escape but small enough to stop fruit flies.

Would the three small ridges also be on the wilkos airlocks? I didnt notice anything on them. Will have a look tonight.

 

[BrewDan]

I had a similar problem, no matter how little water I tried to get away with, it would bubble out and the top of the airlock would pop off. I get around that now by filling it around a third if the way with water, putting the top of the airlock on, and securing it in place with a tiny bit of masking tape.

Airlock works fine doing this, and I can write what it is I'm brewing on the masking tape. Not had a problem since doing it this way.

Which reminds me, I started my first batch of wine last night since last year, and I forgot to put the tape on, will see how things look when I get home! :-D

 

[evanvine]

The sticky tape is a good idea, I've always balanced a 2p coin on the top of mine.

 

[PD]

Rich bugger....

 

[mikeyjay84]

Rich bugger....

lol :clap:

 

[mikeyjay84]

I had a similar problem, no matter how little water I tried to get away with, it would bubble out and the top of the airlock would pop off. I get around that now by filling it around a third if the way with water, putting the top of the airlock on, and securing it in place with a tiny bit of masking tape.

Airlock works fine doing this, and I can write what it is I'm brewing on the masking tape. Not had a problem since doing it this way.

Which reminds me, I started my first batch of wine last night since last year, and I forgot to put the tape on, will see how things look when I get home! :-D

cool. i will clip the lid on tonight without tape. I'm home this evening and the fv is my kitchen, so will hear it pop off (if it does).
I have a spare one, might put the lid on and blow through the bottom, see how well air move out of it.

 

[evanvine]

Rich bugger....

 

[mikeyjay84]

Whacked the top on mine properly, topped with a little water and it seems to be doing just fine :thumb:

 

[TRXnMe]

A quiet word of warning to those putting the tops on nice and tight.

I had to redecorate the kitchen ceiling after one of my airlocks 'exploded' while fermenting a stout, the cap flew off with so much force it dented the ceiling (which was pretty manky anyway, so dent was final straw) and nearly scared the wife to death as she was innocently washing the pots when it 'went off'

Since then I've only fitted the lids loosely and subsequent 'stout explosions' have only lifted the lid off the base, not bounced it off the ceiling

 

[Moley]

I don't like the standard bubbler, they are too tall, too noisy and a pain to clean.

I have one large tubular airlock, which came from Boots some time in the 70s, but for some reason the plastic has turned opaque.

Next comes the tubular ‘handy’ airlock which is the subject of this topic. I have lots of those but the tops vary slightly and have been off and on so often that most of them now need weighting down, but I'm not as rich as Jim and only use old washers.

My favourite is the squat, wide-bodied airlock on the right, this runs very quietly and produces a steady stream of smaller bubbles. It also has a rubber valve so that it can be used wet or dry, which is useful if you forget to check them for a few months. Fortunately, I have around ten of these, also from the 1970s.

The ‘exchange rate’ is precisely 3 pops to one bloop from the tubular traps. I have a wine which I mixed up on Tuesday morning, by yesterday morning it was giving 50 PPM, this morning it was up to 4 PPS / 240 PPM (Pops Per Second / Minute). I changed to a tubular trap and got 80 BPM.

Does anybody know if these are still available? I've searched everywhere.

 

[Hawks]

I have no idea if you can still get them, but I LOVE the fact you have worked out an 'exchange rate' :clap:

If I ever see one I'll happily let you know :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

The small one mikey used is the same one the bigger 'barrel' fv's come with, though it's about 5 times bigger...it still suffers with spluttering up everywhere. I used to put about a cm of liquid in the bottom...that stopped the spitting...and also stopped it getting dragged back into the barrel when moving it

 

[Moley]

A quiet word of warning to those putting the tops on nice and tight.

I had to redecorate the kitchen ceiling after one of my airlocks 'exploded' while fermenting a stout, the cap flew off with so much force it dented the ceiling (which was pretty manky anyway, so dent was final straw) and nearly scared the wife to death as she was innocently washing the pots when it 'went off'

Well I thought you must have been exaggerating, but one problem with those short, fat airlocks is that if fruit pulp gets up below the rubber valve, they block quite easily.

So that wine I mentioned which was at 240PPM yesterday morning, well this morning it was simply too fast to count. I had started it off with 16 litres in a 19 litre bottle and thought the foam / pulp scum level was safe for me to top up to 17 litres - wrong!

Shortly afterwards, from another room I heard a bang, then I found my airlock on the worktop behind the bottle and pulpy foam up the kitchen wall and on the ceiling.

I tried my big blooper but that soon needed cleaning or changing, so I gave up and fitted a blow-off tube.

I've never used Gervin universal wine yeast before, and I've never used brewing sugar before (but at a quid a kilo in Wilko's sale I bought a dozen), and I've never seen a ferment go this fast before. Video link.

 

[TRXnMe]

A quiet word of warning to those putting the tops on nice and tight.

I had to redecorate the kitchen ceiling after one of my airlocks 'exploded' while fermenting a stout, the cap flew off with so much force it dented the ceiling (which was pretty manky anyway, so dent was final straw) and nearly scared the wife to death as she was innocently washing the pots when it 'went off'

Well I thought you must have been exaggerating, but one problem with those short, fat airlocks is that if fruit pulp gets up below the rubber valve, they block quite easily.

So that wine I mentioned which was at 240PPM yesterday morning, well this morning it was simply too fast to count. I had started it off with 16 litres in a 19 litre bottle and thought the foam / pulp scum level was safe for me to top up to 17 litres - wrong!

Shortly afterwards, from another room I heard a bang, then I found my airlock on the worktop behind the bottle and pulpy foam up the kitchen wall and on the ceiling.

I tried my big blooper but that soon needed cleaning or changing, so I gave up and fitted a blow-off tube.

I've never used Gervin universal wine yeast before, and I've never used brewing sugar before (but at a quid a kilo in Wilko's sale I bought a dozen), and I've never seen a ferment go this fast before. Video link.

No exageration required Moley.

The wife was looking to kill me as when the thing went off I was out the country on business, good job really as she had a few days to calm down before I got home :)

 

[Cheshire muzz]

Great tip regarding the tape to hold the lid on. I now have a DJ of cider in the process of maturing into a DJ of vinegar. My DJ's are in the broom cupboard and I only noticed at the weekend that one of the DJs of TC is missing its top (I think the wife must have knocked it off when getting the broom out). Don't know how long it's been off for. perhaps a day, perhaps a week.

 

[evanvine]

The layer of CO2 should protect it from the air, just hope nothing fell into it.

 

[screamlead]

Here you go - http://www.brouwland.com/en/ click on airlocks some big ones there

Here too - http://www.hopandgrape.co.uk/public/det ... AR20125032

And here - cheapest i think - http://www.candirect.co.uk/start.php?ke ... _tanks.php
Just google airlock duplex :