Airlock pulled water through

[LordMareck]

Hey all,

I have a strange problem. I use a simple cup airlock. And for the first time. the airflow on a bucket reversed.
Pulling all the water out of the cup into the bucket.
I have done about 30 buckets before, never seen this.

Any advice on what causes this?

[skinny_chef]

If it's finished fermenting and or has cooled down it will suck air back in. I have had it happen plenty of times from brewing beer

[still_stirrin]

Temperature changes.

Your wort/wash/beer was warm and cooled. When it did, the volume contracted ever so slightly. As a result, it created a slight vacuum in the headspace in the fermenter, causing the airlock fluid to be sucked back into the fermenter.

Hopefully, it was just water and not any type of sanitizer, like chlorine. Water won’t hurt the yeast, but chlorine could kill them. You could use some of your heads in the airlock, or just water (what I use).

Once the yeast get active, the expiring CO2 will once again create positive pressure and bubble out the airlock. So, just fill the airlock again and don’t worry.

I can’t believe you’ve never experienced this before, although maybe not to this extent. It’s happened to me countless times. And I have way more than 30 ferments experience.
ss

[LordMareck]

Thanks so much guys, much appreciated.

[jonnys_spirit]

I put a couple drops of red wine in my S style airlocks so I can see from across the room whether they’re trending positive or negative pressure.

Cheers!
-jonny

[rubberduck71]

Or spray some StarSan to fill them. Some people use cheap vodka too. Both keep the fruit flies from hovering around. They love the smell of ferments...

[Durhommer]

I use water and starsan in mine

[stillanoob]

I use Listerine mouthwash. If it got sucked in I don't care, you can wash your mouth with it!

[LordMareck]

Think i will skip the Listerine, otherwise some great advise

[Deplorable]

There are only 2 things I put in my airlock when used, distilled water, and cheap vodka.

[howie]

there is no place for airlocks at my place, no room for airlocks either
containers have a no-rinse sanitizer in them.

6970FA85-C129-4293-A18A-C4FEA6C51D84.jpeg (31.72 KiB) Viewed 1005 times

[Durhommer]

there is no place for airlocks at my place, no room for airlocks either
containers have a no-rinse sanitizer in them.
fridge web.jpg

Nice beer fridge

[howie]

on a different note
i just discovered something today, after a discussion on thermal stratification (their words, not mine)
the heatband is usually on the middle shelf.
inkbird probe was showing the correct temp, but then i noticed that the bottom fermenter was nearly 2c lower than the top 2.
moved the heatband to fridge floor and now all fermenters are the same temp.
small things and that, saved myself the price of a fan, i thought i needed

[Setsumi]

my airlock is forgotten in the box of non esencial brewing parafinela. a loose fitting lid works just as well.