Hey guys, I have a batch of caribou slobber in the carboy for several days now, occasionally i notice that the bubbler is pulling air in not letting it out. It only does it when I run cool water around it to keep it cool. I have it in a large utility sink and if the temp gets to the max optimal temp i run cool water to keep it cool. Is that normal when you cool it down?
It rights itself after a couple minutes.
I’d say its normal
whenever i put a carboy in the fridge it sucks in air. so cooling it down would do the same. a lot of people forget this, and lose some vodka or sanitizer into their carboy when they cold crash. this is why, whenever i move a carboy into the fridge, i replace the airlock with a piece of sanitized tin foil
[quote=“EagleRising”]Hey guys, I have a batch of caribou slobber in the carboy for several days now, occasionally i notice that the bubbler is pulling air in not letting it out. It only does it when I run cool water around it to keep it cool. I have it in a large utility sink and if the temp gets to the max optimal temp i run cool water to keep it cool. Is that normal when you cool it down?
It rights itself after a couple minutes.[/quote]
Thermal expansion and contraction of the wort and the headspace in your fermenter. It is perfectly normal and okay for it to occur, but i sure hope you are using a sanitzed solution or rubbing alcohol in your bubbler otherwise possible infection can occur.
[quote=“andjenliang”]
Thermal expansion and contraction of the wort and the headspace in your fermenter. It is perfectly normal and okay for it to occur, but i sure hope you are using a sanitzed solution or rubbing alcohol in your bubbler otherwise possible infection can occur.[/quote]
:shock:
A cheap bottle of vodka for the airlocks. Use something you would drink.
I believe the S shaped airlocks will not suck in the liquid like the 3 piece ones will do. The air will get pulled through the liquid before entering the fermenter. I always use an S shaped airlock with lagers because of all the temperature changes it has to go through.
It’s important to use Dubra vodka. My brother uses a different brand of cheap vodka and his beer is not as good as mine! :mrgreen:
[quote=“Nighthawk”][quote=“andjenliang”]
Thermal expansion and contraction of the wort and the headspace in your fermenter. It is perfectly normal and okay for it to occur, but i sure hope you are using a sanitzed solution or rubbing alcohol in your bubbler otherwise possible infection can occur.[/quote]
:shock:
A cheap bottle of vodka for the airlocks. Use something you would drink.[/quote]
Ahahah yes it probably be a good idea to not use rubbing alcohol, but it is what i have on hand and a few drops that gets suck backed into the 5 gallons of beer is negligible in the overall product.
aah ok, I do have sanitizer in the lock.
Which locks are better the S shape or the three piece?
[quote=“EagleRising”]aah ok, I do have sanitizer in the lock.
Which locks are better the S shape or the three piece?[/quote]
I am a big fan of the 3 piece because of this reason as shown in attachement i can turn it into a blowoff tube by adding proper sized tubing. Once vigorous fermentation is over and blowoff is no longer a problem i remove tubing add sanitzer solution or alcohol and it is back into a 3 piece airlock. Also i don’t want to buy a flexible brush to get at the insides of a bubbler. Honestly as long as they are supposed to do their intended job both work fine, i just like to get creative.
