Fermenting.. How to check for air leaks?

[jackfiasco]

So I fermented a batch of sweet feed in a 5 gallon sea salt bucket I got from a local restaurant and it worked out fine, airlock bubbled away for close to a week, then stopped and cleared. I wanted to do bigger batches so I got a 6.5 gallon bucket from a local brew shop and also a 25L bucket from Brewhaus that came with the PSII I bought. I started fermenting sweet feed batches in both of those buckets and they didn't bubble as much as the first batch and they seemed to stop in just a few days.. I let them sit for a couple days more and opened them up today to see that they aren't cleared and are still bubbling inside, so there must be an air leak somewhere as the airlocks aren't bubbling at all. Also one of the airlocks is full of dead fruit flies - I didn't realize the holes in the airlock lid were big enough for them to get in! It seems odd that both of these different buckets, that are made for fermenting, wouldn't be airtight - when my used sea salt bucket was - though the sea salt bucket's lid has a gasket in it and the other two don't.

Is there anything I can do to check for and fix the leaks.. like add a gasket to the lids or get different/better lids or something?

[SIXFOOTER]

The air leaks won't hurt anything, neither will the fruit flies in the air lock.
I wouldn't worry about it, Temp may be why the new batches are not complete yet, are you running the same temp?
I have a couple fermenting and bottling buckets from Brewhaus or something, never thought about them being air tight or not.

[jackfiasco]

Running around the same temp, yes. I realize they don't absolutely need to be airtight, but I would like them to be..

[mmmmmm]

I've been playing with this same thing lately.

I tried wrapping cellophane around the lid, over the area where lid meets bucket. That didn't work so hot, but what did work was tying a string over the cellophane just above the seam, around the whole thing, and another just below the seam. You know, try to draw the cellophane tight around the bucket on both sides of the seam, above and below.

That seems to be working really well. My airlock is bubbling.

This is a temporary fix for me, though. I've ordered a large industrial rubber band - I hope it works. It's around 1 inch thick and the circumference of the rubber band is a little smaller than the circumference of the lid and bucket. The idea being that I'll stretch it around the bucket right over where the lid meets the bucket, and it will create a tight seal above and below that space where anything might get in or out between the lid and the bucket.

[S-Cackalacky]

I've been using 5 gallon buckets and lids from Tractor Supply and they seem to be airtight. I use a silcone tube into a soda bottle for an air lock. I like to be able to see the air lock bubbling just so I know that the ferment is working. That said, I wanted to move up to something a little larger - maybe 15 to 20 gallons. I started looking around and the best thing I could come up with are pet food storage bins. I found this one - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stackable-Pet-F ... _644wt_886" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow . I think a 50 lb capacity container works out to about 17 gallons. It has a threaded, screw on lid that seals down pretty tight. I already have one of these that is actually used for storing our dog food. It's very heavy duty HDPE food grade plastic. A little pricey, but maybe worth the investment.

Just sayin',
S-C

[jackfiasco]

That's not a bad idea.. You can get it for $20 less on Amazon (they also have a larger one)

http://www.amazon.com/Vittles-Vault-50- ... 0002DJOOI/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[CornMealKid]

I'm currently using five gallon beer fermentation buckets, no rubber gasket; The lid has a precut hole for the rubber stopper and the stopper and airlock are secured tight... Even still, I ain't got nothing in the way of bubbles... Openning the lid, I can see the mash working... Is this okay to ferment this way? Will the slower release of gasses prolong fermentaion?

[ga flatwoods]

CMK it's not that critical that it has a fine release still. The specific gravity is what? If it is 1.00 or close it should be good to go and distill. Beer is a hell of a lot more susceptible to and need to worry of contanimation than distilled spirit. Clean the ferment bucket with a bleach water wash before use. Wash all bleach away with clean water and allow to air dry. A lot of us dont even use airlocks.
Go over to the new members forum and give us a proper introduction.
Enjoy the forum.
GA Flatwoods

[jackfiasco]

So I ordered that vittles vault pet food storage container (if you check the amazon reviews you can see that others have used them for fermenting too) and at first it was great. It holds around 12 gallons and the lid screws down nice and tight. I drilled a hole in the lid and put in a grommet and airlock and it worked perfectly for a few batches. So I ordered a second one. Now I have two of them going and neither of them are bubbling anymore - though when I open the lids I can see that the ferment is definitely going. So they are both leaking somewhere, either the threads of the lid or the grommet around the airlock...I am guessing it's the grommet. Not sure what to do.. maybe put some sort of sealant under the rubber grommet?

[squeezins]

So I ordered that vittles vault pet food storage container (if you check the amazon reviews you can see that others have used them for fermenting too) and at first it was great. It holds around 12 gallons and the lid screws down nice and tight. I drilled a hole in the lid and put in a grommet and airlock and it worked perfectly for a few batches. So I ordered a second one. Now I have two of them going and neither of them are bubbling anymore - though when I open the lids I can see that the ferment is definitely going. So they are both leaking somewhere, either the threads of the lid or the grommet around the airlock...I am guessing it's the grommet. Not sure what to do.. maybe put some sort of sealant under the rubber grommet?

what are you fermenting? Unless you are making wine or beer being air tight isn't important . It doesn't hurt anything but isn't needed .

[Odin]

Air leaks are not the problem. You could even ferment with an open bucket and just a blanket over it. CO2 escapes from the wash and is heavier than air, thus forming a protective layer on top of your wash to keep O2 out.

Sometimes one generation goes quicker than the other. In "repetitive" ferments the reasons usually are:
- ph, due to too much backset or too sour backset;
- not enough oxygen at the start, thus hampering the build up of a healthy yeast colony (or a yeast colonly with healty membranes);
- temperature (colder = slower);
- not enough vits & mins due to low or non replacement of grains;
... and I probably forgot a few, like less viable yeast over time, accumulation of lower bp and/or copper compounds in the backset.

Odin.

PS: I don't agree with "fruit flies not being a problem". They are. And they are a big problem, not to be underestimated. A fly carries around about 26 million bacteries. Just imagine that landing on your wash ... it will bring an outside competition to your fermentation that usually means "disaster". Do I say bacteria do not have their place in certain ferments? No, I don't. What I say is that if this process is not managed, well, your ferments may well spin out of control. Kill them buggers!

[Michaeln416]

I will usually give the fruit flies something else to attract them. I'll get a glass of left over wine, cover it with cellophane and poke several holes in it. They seem to prefer that over the airlock and will get trapped inside.

[Ayay]

The main purpose of an airlock is to wash any air that happens to be sucked into the fermentor. Of all the tried and true recipes I have used, they all blow and never suck even when settling for 2 weeks and more. The airlock may be an indicator of how fast the blowing is, and that is all.

Sucking happens with beer and wine recipes that do a long slow cold ferment and this is where the airlock may be needed. OK, some stillers start with a cold wine ferment and need the airlock. Odin's idea of not fermenting heads is in this category.

I have quit the airlock for more than a year and every brew is blowing and never sucking. 100L Brews brewed at 27*C for 2 weeks, cut off the heat and let it settle another 2 weeks at 17^C...it's always blowing. Airlocks are not really needed for stillin brews.

[stillin]

+1 odin
Most of the time the only thing I use airlocks for is wine cause it's gonna sit for a few months clearing before I bottle it. I got a couple a old beds sheets I fold up and lay over my buckets unless it's gonna be a couple a weeks before I get to it then I might put an airlock on it. In fact I got a BW fermenting in the shed right now with just a bedsheet laid over it. Now I realize some folks are a lot more concerned with cleanliness than I am. You gotta realize I was raised in the swamp.!

[rcs1]

why do you need to use a air lock if you go to gatlins burg tn they have two distillerys in town and they use open tanks

[rad14701]

why do you need to use a air lock if you go to gatlins burg tn they have two distillerys in town and they use open tanks

Some use them and some don't... Airlocks help keep cooties out of the wash, help eliminate the possibility of bacterial infections, and give an indication of the overall fermentation speed as well as when the ferment slows and finishes... Use them or don't, it's your choice...

[Prairiepiss]

why do you need to use a air lock if you go to gatlins burg tn they have two distillerys in town and they use open tanks

And its done in a established fermenting room. Where fermenting conditions are good.

Where doing it in your house, garage, shed, or back yard isn't always the best fermenting environment. Of those 4 choices. Back yard would probably be best. Indore air quality in most homes, garages, and sheds. Is not good. One of the reasons you shouldn't capture wild yeast indoors. Best done outside.

Also they have worked out their recipes. To be fast good ferments. So once fermenting starts. It is producing so much CO2 it will keep most bad stuff out. And less time fermenting. Means less time it is exposed with a possibility of bacteria getting in. Where many home ferments take up to 2 weeks give it take. That's a long time for exposure with an open top. And any breeze can disturb the protective layer of CO2. Making it even more exposed.

Yes some cam do it. And some do. But if your ferments have a tendency to get infections. Or you have had a few infections. It is not a good idea at all. And if you have multiple ferments with open tops. If one was to get infected. The others wouldn't be far behind.

One fly could infect a good ferment. I don't know about your place. But fruit flys were really bad this year.

It doesn't need to be an air lock. It just needs to be something to keep the nasty stuff out. And still allow the CO2 to escape.

If for some reason you came run a ferment. With an airlock or breathable lid. You don't have to worry so much about it.

I could go on for days.

But basically if you have a good controlled fermenting space. It may work for you. But why chance it? When its as easy as throwing a lid on top. Or throwing a towel over the top. I don't know about you. But if I lose a ferment. That's a big chunk of money down the drain. Something that's hard to come by around here. So I protect my investment.