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Bubbler issues

Yeast & Fermentation
#1

So I saw a post on Youtube saying if you throw a little bit more water in your bubbler that it will keep bubbling if it stopped. So I tried it and it worked, now my question is that I did have sanitized water in there to let it burb but it started making bubbles that came out of the top of the bubbler so I am thinking that I had too much sanitizer in the mix.

I guess my question is, can I dump tap water I have boiled first in the bubbler, should I make a new sanitized batch and only add that or just do nothing and let it be?

THANKS EVERYONE!

#2

The purpose of the airlock is to allow C02 to escape without allowing outside air in. If it’s not bubbling, there is no more C02 that needs to escape. There is no need to “make it bubble”. Fermentation is still taking place whether it’s bubbling or not.

#3

awesome, thanks again Matt, like I said before this is my first of many brews I am going to make, just extra paranoid. :shock:

#4

Just to be clear, If your bubbler stops bubbling because the yeast are not producing more CO2, then everything is probably normal, no worries; just like mattnaik says. But if your bubbler stops bubbling because it dried-out, then you definitely want to add more sanitizer.

By “sanitizer” I do not mean just boiled water; you need something that prevents growth of nastiness. If you save some star-san saved after your brew day, use that. If you don’t have star san, cheap booze is the best substitute.

#5

Thanks for the reply JMcK, yeah, I started with Star-San in the bubbler that I used on brewing day but I dumped out that batch. I tried to make a little batch but I think I over did it because there is foam coming out the top of the bubbler so I added more water to the bubbler because I made it too strong.

I am going to brew this weekend, I am thinking of taking off just the bubbler (not the stopper) and covering that with sanitized saran wrap while I clean the bubbler in more Star San and put some fresh sanitized stuff in there that was made right or am I over thinking it?

#6

You’re overthinking it. Foam isn’t gonna hurt. RDWAHAHB

I mentioned booze in the bubbler as the best substitute for star-san. At this point, I would probably recommend leaving the bubbler alone, and adding 3-4 ounces of booze to the brewer. :cheers:

#7

hahahahaha, thanks for the support JMcK, I will be sure to add more than 3-4 ounces to the brewer tonight!

#8

I personally do not use sanitizer at all, I use cheap vodka.

#9

Cheap vodka is the best sanitizer you can use: it kills all microorganisms on contact, and as long as you don’t leave big puddles of the stuff, won’t affect your final product at all. Unfortunately, even “cheap” vodka isn’t very cheap compared to Star San or other sanitizers.

#10

[quote=“tony269”]Thanks for the reply JMcK, yeah, I started with Star-San in the bubbler that I used on brewing day but I dumped out that batch. I tried to make a little batch but I think I over did it because there is foam coming out the top of the bubbler so I added more water to the bubbler because I made it too strong.

I am going to brew this weekend, I am thinking of taking off just the bubbler (not the stopper) and covering that with sanitized saran wrap while I clean the bubbler in more Star San and put some fresh sanitized stuff in there that was made right or am I over thinking it?[/quote]
You don’t need to make up a new Starsan solution each brew day. The solution remains good to use as long as the pH does not go over 3.2 and no gunk gets into it. I keep Starsan solution in one gallon distilled water jugs and a spray bottle.

#11

+1 to saving star san. I routinely save used star san in gallon jugs. When in doubt however, pitch it and make a new batch.

#12

I save some Star San in a cleaned 0.5 liter soda bottle for all of my airlock needs. I save the PBW I use to clean my carboys in a 5-gallon bucket and then reuse it to wash bottles, after which I discard it. I save Star San in a 5 gallon bucket until it either accumulates an unacceptable amount of hair, fuzz, crud and UFOs (Unidentified Floating Objects) or until I need the bucket for something else.

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