Still Spirits 10ltr fermenting bin.

[TonyUK]

I need some help/advice please. This is my first post..Please let me know if this is the wrong place to post. I'll eventually get my head around the forum.
I have bought an air still pro. I also purchased the stills spirit essentials kit that helps beginners. You get all you need to put your first wash on and distil it with the essentials kit. It includes the 10ltr bin.
The problem I have is the fermenting bin.
The lid doesn't stay down. It lifts very easily as fermentation starts.
Has anyone had this problem?
I have emailed Still Spirits. They have been very helpful. But they won't accept that the bin lid lifts during fermentation. I've sent them videos and photos etc.
I first had to weigh the lid down with tins of beans. Not very practical..I've sent the videos of the lid lifting during fermentation. I now resort to using strong tape to keep the lid down. Eventually the tape fails.
The bin is exactly like a bin you'd have in your kitchen. It's not a snap on lid it's not like a Speidel type fermenter.
I've brewed beer for years and I'm sure I'm right that during fermentation the bin needs to be air tight . I'm considering binning (sorry no pun intended) the stillspirit bin. And getting one that actually seals. Or is it not that important that it needs to be airtight for making a spirit wash. It's quite bizarre.
Thank you.

[howie]

if you've brewed beer for years, you should have some decent fermenters?
10l is very small anyway.
hopefully you're not using the turdbo kits and do a bit of reading on some decent & cheap recipes on here

[Sporacle]

I ferment in a open top fermentor with a piece of plywood as the lid, not saying it's right or wrong.
Hobbyist beer protocols and hobbyist distilling protocols are quite different for some people

[NZChris]

They shouldn't be airtight, they should have an airlock to release the pressure from the CO2.

[Saltbush Bill]

There really is no need for airlocks or air tight lids when fermenting for distillation, we're not making beer here.
Sanitation requirements are very different.

[Twisted Brick]

Under ferment conditions, the surface of the ferment is covered with yeast-produced C02, protecting and insulating the ferment from oxygen. Who cares if the lid allows excess C02 to vent away, relieving the vessel of pressure? (C02 is heavier than oxygen).

Certainly keep up your reading and Google ‘open top bourbon fermenters’. Like Bill said, you’re not making beer.

[SW_Shiner]

My fermentors for distillation are all HDPE barrels with the top cut off. None have had a lid since.

[Pure Old Possum Piss]

Big differences in making beer and wine and making likker. No need for all that sanitation riggamaroo or airlocks. The last 40 years I've just put a sheet over the 55 gal barrels and tied a rope around it to keep the bugs out. First 2 days while your yeast are reproducing to build a big colony, you want to oxygenate the mash couple times a day by drill whip or stirring. Once the yeast move into alcohol production phase you don't Want to stir it up.
Save those airlock for your Christmas wine.

[blueyinwa]

Assuming you haven't put 10litres into the 10litre fermenter - instructions say use 7.5 litre.
Then the lid just fits snuggly, no rim seals etc.
If yours is a 'tight' fit then maybe try unscrewing the carbon filter on the lid a bit, that should relieve any pressure that has built up during fermentation.
We have the old 'pot' version & the newer 'reflux' Pro version and have zero problems - so far.

[Yummyrum]

If yours is a 'tight' fit then maybe try unscrewing the carbon filter on the lid a bit, that should relieve any pressure that has built up during fermentation.

What , a carbon filter on a fermenter lid ?

Got a pic of such a thing ?

[Saltbush Bill]

Probably to help with the stink from the turdbo yeast Yum.

[blueyinwa]

Yes, there is a solid carbon block in the lid which is supposed to help reduce the smell.
Its the same piece as supplied in there 'essentials kit' - used to filter your end product.
It is just held in place by a screw via a hole down its centre, and can be tightened or loosened to suit.
Pictures available online - 'still spirits essentials kit'.