Fermenting bucket lid: making the airlock hole larger

Northern Brewer General
1

I want to make the airlock hole on my bucket lid larger to accommodate a larger blowoff tube.
Anyone have luck with this - or am I just tempting fate by hacking my lid?

I figured I could use a rubber grommet the width of a larger length of tubing to cover my man-made widening of the hole. In my mind this would prevent any issues with rough plastic edges that could harbor infection issues.

2

[quote=“pointyskull”]I want to make the airlock hole on my bucket lid larger to accommodate a larger blowoff tube.
Anyone have luck with this - or am I just tempting fate by hacking my lid?

I figured I could use a rubber grommet the width of a larger length of tubing to cover my man-made widening of the hole. In my mind this would prevent any issues with rough plastic edges that could harbor infection issues.[/quote]

Only way this could be a problem is if you are not using a drill and the proper type of bit. I would not try to hack it with a knife

3

Use a forstner bit. They make nice, clean round holes.

Afterward you could lightly touch it with a pencil torch to melt smooth any roughness.

4

[quote=“fightdman”]Use a forstner bit. They make nice, clean round holes.
[/quote]

Thanks!

5

Unibit would also work well.

6

Picked up a set of forstner bits and it worked like a champ. Took a few trials to determine which size I needed, so I accidentally had to sacrifice one of my lids for science.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Added a 5/8" grommet and now my blowoff tube is snug…

7

Here is another option that I use.