Homebrewing Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [airlock]

A device used to prevent back flow of external air into the fermentor.

Because fermentation is anaerobic and oxidation can cause stalling effects in home brew, an airlock is often used allow the expulsion of CO2 created during fermentation while prohibiting the intake of fresh air.

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Airlock: vodka, water, or

I've just started making my first brew, and am using vodka in the airlock, but am hoping for some more detailed info about what is best practice, or if there is not really any difference between using water, vodka, or other things I haven't thought…
Kevin Versfeld
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Homemade airlock

I recently moved to a place that doesn't allow brewing equipment to be imported (But it is legal to brew... don't ask me). I've built a lot of my stuff, but I have a question about airlocks. I've come up with two ideas. 1) Simply running some tubing…
Beaker
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Is it normal for one side of a two-piece (s-shaped) airlock to be empty during fermentation?

I have always used either a blowoff tube or a three-piece airlock (one with the small, floating cap on the exhaust tube) for fermentation. Today's batch is my first using the two-piece (S-shaped) airlock. I filled both chambers to the max line…
Bill Craun
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3 Piece Airlock without Liquid

I was talking with a fellow brewer who has been brewing for many years and found out that he does not put any liquid in his 3 piece airlocks. He claims that next to nothing can get in even without the water that there so he just stopped, and he…
corymathews
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What do you do with the vodka from your ferm locks?

I would've thought the answer was obvious, seeing as how it's alcohol. But I took a whiff, and it smells like fermentation. Now I like fermentation, it means beer is on its way. I don't like fermentation flavored vodka. First, is there some…
Mlusby
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Best way to clean an airlock

I recently did two ale brews in two separate fermenters and in both cases my airlocks got sediment in them, which then dried in. I can't find a way to clean out these airlocks, as I can't get around the bend with a brush. I've tried soaking them in…
roryok
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Airlock won't stay in carboy

This airlock won't stay in my 5-gal glass carboy. https://morewinemaking.com/products/universal-stopper-hole.html I've tried drying out the bung hole and also the bung outer edge, but it still slowly rises and pops out. This is my masking tape…
tarabyte
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Airlock has a bug inside

My airlock today has a bug inside, I think it must have crawled in and died from an overdose of cheap Gin. Anyway, I was wondering, should I wait to clean out the airlock until I move to secondary or is it safe to remove it now, clean it and pop it…
Lucas Kauffman
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Fermenting bin lid bulging

First time brewing a batch of ale and slightly concerned by a potential explosion! Just walked past the fermenting bin and saw the lid is bulging out slightly, at a guess I'd say the gas isn't escaping. I opened the lid and let the gas escape before…
AmenoB
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Water is way past the max level line on airlock

Will this cause a problem in the fermentation process? My first batch was fermenting fine but this batch the water is up way higher and I'm wondering if that's why I'm getting no bubbling so far. Brewed yesterday, temp @pitch 65f. Yeast: Wyeast…
Sarah Tour
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I forgot to put liquid in my airlock!

Without liquid in the 3 way airlock, is my brew now ruined?
Annemieke De Paus
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Will this home-made airlock work?

This is a makedo airlock; I couldn't make it shorter as the loop bends itself and air couldn't pass through. https://imgur.com/gallery/TOA6i7f
Wil
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Airlock and Stopper Rocket

Brewed up a batch of wort yesterday and it all went well. Good sanitation, quick cool down, and yeast activated. Set up the carboy in a controlled temp room (74) and fermentation started within 4 hours and really took off. All good. Took the wife…
Steven Biondo
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What are the Consequences of Removing an Airlock for less than 60 seconds?

I have to remove my airlock to get a temperature probe out of the carboy. I can probably do this in 15-30 seconds. I understand that air shouldn't touch the alcohol, but will this short of a time period hurt? I'm at day 4 of…
Matthew Moisen
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2 year experiment

I put a harvest of green crab apples and water into a brew bucket and left it for 2 years. I heard that there were natural yeasts and of course there is natural sugar so I left it alone. I realized 2 years in that I forgot to add water to the…
Homebrew2222222222222222222222
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