phillc
Regular.
About eight times out of ten when bottling I forget to pop the airlock from the top of the fermenter, which results in a quick panic about 5 seconds after starting to bottle as liquid from the airlock starts to be sucked back into the brew. If I do remember to pop the airlock, I have started to wonder about the atmosphere sucked back in on top of the fresh beer.
After some research online, I found that NorCal brewing do a small CO2 harvesting kit. The idea being that CO2 produced from fermentation fills the first jar, displacing the water into the second jar, which displaces the air it contains out of the airlock. Eventually, the first jar is filled with CO2. When it comes to bottling or kegging, the CO2 from the first jar is sucked back into the fermenter, while water flows back from first to second jar.
Anyway, I wasn't about to order these jars from the US, nor pay $50 for them. I decided to make my own with available resources on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe this also links a little with a recent thread about harvesting energy produced during brewing.
Equipment and parts used are two five litre demijohns, two rubber stoppers, an airlock, about 2 metres of silicon hose and a 6-year-old (optional).
Holes were drilled into the rubber stoppers. Absolutely, embarrassingly terrible drilling job. I'm sure I could have done better with a drill press. Maybe.
Two silicon hoses were then cut to length to reach the bottom of the demijohns from rubber stoppers at the top. Another piece was cut to join the two demijohns together. A final piece is cut to eventually connect to the fermenter, while an airlock fills the final hole. The first demijohn, the one to be connected to the fermenter, is filled with water.
As a test, a 6-year-old is used to blow strongly into the tube which would normally be connected to the fermenter. Water is displaced from this demijohn to the second, as can be seen.
The only real drawback I can think of here is that if it's a super vigorous fermentation, the krausen will enter the tube and eventually the first demijohn. I've no idea what effect that will have when bottling or kegging.
Alternatively, if my calculations are correct, a full 5 litre demijohn should contain 9 grams of CO2, or enough to carbonate 2 litres of beer, if there was some feasible way to transfer the CO2. I could also possible use it to purge kegs before filling them.
After some research online, I found that NorCal brewing do a small CO2 harvesting kit. The idea being that CO2 produced from fermentation fills the first jar, displacing the water into the second jar, which displaces the air it contains out of the airlock. Eventually, the first jar is filled with CO2. When it comes to bottling or kegging, the CO2 from the first jar is sucked back into the fermenter, while water flows back from first to second jar.
Anyway, I wasn't about to order these jars from the US, nor pay $50 for them. I decided to make my own with available resources on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe this also links a little with a recent thread about harvesting energy produced during brewing.
Equipment and parts used are two five litre demijohns, two rubber stoppers, an airlock, about 2 metres of silicon hose and a 6-year-old (optional).
Holes were drilled into the rubber stoppers. Absolutely, embarrassingly terrible drilling job. I'm sure I could have done better with a drill press. Maybe.
Two silicon hoses were then cut to length to reach the bottom of the demijohns from rubber stoppers at the top. Another piece was cut to join the two demijohns together. A final piece is cut to eventually connect to the fermenter, while an airlock fills the final hole. The first demijohn, the one to be connected to the fermenter, is filled with water.
As a test, a 6-year-old is used to blow strongly into the tube which would normally be connected to the fermenter. Water is displaced from this demijohn to the second, as can be seen.
The only real drawback I can think of here is that if it's a super vigorous fermentation, the krausen will enter the tube and eventually the first demijohn. I've no idea what effect that will have when bottling or kegging.
Alternatively, if my calculations are correct, a full 5 litre demijohn should contain 9 grams of CO2, or enough to carbonate 2 litres of beer, if there was some feasible way to transfer the CO2. I could also possible use it to purge kegs before filling them.
