I started an IPA on Sunday and now that it’s Tuesday the fermenter is going nuts!
I found a small blow out via the air lock and so I changed it immediately only to have to change it 2 more times in the next hour. The original temp when I found it was at 70 and now it’s dropped to 68.
Do I need to watch it like a hawk for the next few days?
Not sure what yeast you’re using, but you want to try and keep your ambient temps in the mid to low 60’s. Fermentation can raise the temps inside your fermentor 5-10degrees. So if your ambient temp was 68-70, your fermentation most likely was closer to 75F which is high for most yeasts and most likely the cause of the blowoff. Since I’ve been regulating my temps with a minifridge, I rarely get blowoffs.
Next time try a blow off tube. If you’re using a 3piece air lock (if not just buy one, they’re like $2-$3) just insert the main part of the airlock into your bucket grommet, better bottle or carboy bung. Attach a blow off hose to the airlock spout. Run the other end of the blow off tube into another vessel (I use a one gallon jug) with a little water/starsan solution in it. You can leave that for the entire fermentation or when fermentation slows down you can take out the blow off tube and replace it with a little water/starsan solution and the other 2 pieces of the airlock.
[quote=“Jamursch”]I started an IPA on Sunday and now that it’s Tuesday the fermenter is going nuts!
I found a small blow out via the air lock and so I changed it immediately only to have to change it 2 more times in the next hour. The original temp when I found it was at 70 and now it’s dropped to 68.
Do I need to watch it like a hawk for the next few days?[/quote]
Sorry, didn’t really answer your question. Blowoffs usually only last a few hours to a day or so. If you’re fermenting hot (like I assume) it will finish sooner rather then later.
Thanks for the info. My temps were actually from my stick-on thermometer on the side of my Primary Pail, so they were interior not ambient temps.
I ended up changing the airlock 4 times today and moved it to a cooler room where the internal temp dropped to 66 finally and the airlock is very active but no longer coming out the top.
I was mainly worried that if this was going to keep up for a few days how was I supposed to keep an eye on it. 
You might also consider investing in a bottle of Fermcap
for your next batch. A $2 bottle will last for a number of recipes and has really helped to make blow-offs a non-issue in my experience.
My latest bitter was fermenting like that. I used S-04 and had to set my fridge at 50F just to keep it at 66F. This only went on for 24 hours. I never use an air lock. My blow off hose goes into a ss 11L pot and I can hear the activity without opening the fridge.
