Airlock??????

[bigdave]

What do I do with the airlock? do I fit it now or wait a day or two?

[6470zzy]

I am going to assume that you have your brew in the FV and your yeast is pitched? If so then you can go ahead and put the airlock on. I am guessing as to your situation as I seem to have missed something?

Cheers

[Hoodlum]

i find that for the first few days at least, the airlock can't cope with the amount of fermentation going on and froth will often bubble through it. I personally use a towel over the top of the FV and the lid thrown onto that in the winter, just the towel in the summer. Never had a bad brew yet.

[Ditch]

What do I do with the airlock?

Personally? I'd give it to a wine maker, or throw it away

[bigdave]

Sorry, that was a very obtuse question! I was up to my eyes in steriliser when I realised I didnt know what to do with the airlock.

[trucker5774]

I seem to be one of the few people who use an air lock. If your lid has a hole and a grommet stick the air lock in and see what happens.Try it with the lid just cracked open for a few centimetres and see which you prefer. If it is very full you may get a little of the brew bubbling through it. I have space in my fermenter for a good head.
Ditch makes a king of black explosive foam which has no place for an air lock

[pas8280]

Im same as Trucker i am currently using what is essentially a wine making fermenting barrel with a screw cap in which the air lock is fitted, its fermenting in the small space under the stairs during the cold weather, we have a five year old daughter 2 dogs and a cat so for me this is the safest way to avoid foreign objects in the brew,not sure what effect a pink felt tip pen would have on it but dont want to risk it (the wife would only blame the daughter) hopefully when spring comes full production will be moved to garage and openish FV's used, there is something calming about the glug of a bubbler

[ebilpirate]

there is something calming about the glug of a bubbler

For me the main value of the airlock is the bubble count, once the bubble throughput drops below 1 every 40 secs or so I drop a hydrometer into the FV and start charting readings.

[sonicated]

And they're fun - it's like your brew is purring at you! I use the Youngs FV marked up to 27 litres with an airlock and it survives the Ditches Stout explosion.

[bigdave]

I use the Youngs FV marked up to 27 litres

Thats the one Ive got. Ive left the airlock in just because it fills an otherwise vacant hole. Im quite looking forward to seeing some bubbles (it still hasnt started yet).

[Naich]

And they're fun - it's like your brew is purring at you! I use the Youngs FV marked up to 27 litres with an airlock and it survives the Ditches Stout explosion.

The kids love it too. It became part of the bed time ritual for my 4 and 2 year olds to go and watch the bubbles from Daddy's beer. They even liked looking at it when it was just conditioning in the keg. They were quite disappointed when it went outside to mature. Still, I've got a Wherry kit arriving tomorrow so they'll be delighted to see the bubbles back again.