I am wanting to brew up a Dry Irish Stout Extract Kit but before I go and purchase it I was wondering if I would be able to do this in a 6.5 gal bucket for my primary without having to use a blow off tube? If i am going to have to use a blow off tube how would I do that with a bucket? Or would I be better to use a 5 gal carboy with a big blow off tube?
With proper temperature the bucket with an airlock should be fine, that being said it will probably blow the lid…LOL. The 5G. carboy will definitely need a blow off tube, there is just not enough head space in there. And if you want to make a blow off tube for the bucket, use a 1.5 (I believe) hose and fit it over a 3-piece airlock, just ensure it seals properly…oh and on the bottom of the 3-piece, there is a restriction…cut that off, or it will just turn into a 3-piece ceiling rocket.
Cheers!!
remove the guts of the 3-piece airlock
I’ve used a sanitized piece of 3/8 tubing pushed through the grommet an inch or so & the other end in a gallon jug half full of water/starsan. Never had a problem with it plugging up or blowing out. It will expell some krausen into the jug along with CO2. Probably not recommended for a big beer though. I usually replace with sanitized airlock after the big party ends! Good luck! :cheers:
No one can answer that question with 100% certainty. Best to put a blow off tube on the pail. If you are using a 3pc air lock, like mentioned your racking cane hose will fit over the inside tube on the air lock.
If you are using an “S” bubbler, I think you need a piece of 3/8th OD copper tubing to fit in the rubber grommet in the lid. Then your 3/8th ID tubing will fit over it. Take the grommet to the hardware store to verify. Pick up a couple feet of tubing for a blow off tube while you are at it.
Or, drill out a larger hole in the lid to fit a rubber stopper. And big enough to fit a larger blow off hose.
[quote=“Nighthawk”]No one can answer that question with 100% certainty. Best to put a blow off tube on the pail. If you are using a 3pc air lock, like mentioned your racking cane hose will fit over the inside tube on the air lock.
If you are using an “S” bubbler, I think you need a piece of 3/8th OD copper tubing to fit in the rubber grommet in the lid. Then your 3/8th ID tubing will fit over it. Take the grommet to the hardware store to verify. Pick up a couple feet of tubing for a blow off tube while you are at it.
Or, drill out a larger hole in the lid to fit a rubber stopper. And big enough to fit a larger blow off hose.[/quote]
Thanks for the replies everyone. I am using three piece so I would assume that if i am just going to use my racking tube as a blow off I should cut the restriction off the bottom of the airlock?
[quote=“jyohe”]
Thanks for the replies everyone. I am using three piece so I would assume that if i am just going to use my racking tube as a blow off I should cut the restriction off the bottom of the airlock?[/quote]
Right, cut that “X” off the bottom of the air lock. You don’t want that to cause a blockage. It breaks off easily.
I would plan on dedicating the 3 piece (really you are only gonna use 1 part of it) and hose for that purpose. I have yet to sucessfully pull this back apart without breaking the plastic airlock. I just clean and sanitise the whole thing as one piece.
BTW for my set up somewhere between 1.050 and 1.060 I will need a blowoff. So if I am under 1.050 I don’ tworry with it. If I am over that I rig it up (I have blown out unecpectedly in a glass fermenter and a bucket - both meeeeessssy).
Barry
