Plastic Fermenter Issues?

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bluenose
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Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by bluenose » Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:17 am

I put a couple of batches on the other day and they started up pretty quick. They're both in plastic fermenters and I used regular old airlocks. After day 1, the airlock on one of the looked like it was spewing a root beer float, so I changed them over to blowoff tubes. That's when I noticed two potential problems on one of them: (1) the tube was slightly smaller than the hole in the bung, so I could hear gas coming out of the gap, and (2) gas started coming out from under the lid of the fermenter.

To fix the first problem, I soaked a paper towel in sanitizer and stuffed it around the tube where it goes into the bung, kinda like a caulk.

For the second problem I tried pushing down on the lid to make it tighter, but it was already all the way down.

So I'm wondering if this is going to cause problems or am I being paranoid? Any comments or suggestions are welcome

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by mr x » Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:47 am

I think the towel soaked in sanitizer should work for the blowoff tube. Plastic bucket lids are notorious for leaking. Not a problem.
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by bluenose » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:18 pm

So now the wife is threatening to shut down the brewery... any fixes for that?
Last edited by bluenose on Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by GAM » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:22 pm

I dont even bother snapping the lids when I use plastic. There too hard to get back off.

All should be fine.

Sandy

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by mr x » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:28 pm

bluenose wrote:So now the wife is threatening to shut down the brewery... any fixes for that?
lol, start buying flats of beer at the NSLC and give her the bill.
:lol:
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by sleepyjamie » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:28 pm

bluenose wrote:So now the wife is threatening to shut down the brewery... any fixes for that?
make her a beer that she likes. or find a new wife. lol
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by bluenose » Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:39 pm

she doesn't even drink beer when she's not pregnant
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by KMcK » Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:53 pm

Get her a job with the NSLC.
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by akr71 » Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:11 pm

bluenose wrote:So now the wife is threatening to shut down the brewery... any fixes for that?
What's her complaint? Odd smells? Eat more chilly to offset with other odd smells. Cost? Feign interest in a more expensive hobby.
Andy
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by papercrane » Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:47 pm

akr71 wrote: Cost? Feign interest in a more expensive hobby.
You sir, are a genius. Excuse me while I go buy some sailing magazines.

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by bluenose » Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:03 pm

papercrane wrote:
akr71 wrote: Cost? Feign interest in a more expensive hobby.
You sir, are a genius. Excuse me while I go buy some sailing magazines.
Well played...
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by mr x » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:49 pm

papercrane wrote:
akr71 wrote: Cost? Feign interest in a more expensive hobby.
You sir, are a genius. Excuse me while I go buy some sailing magazines.
Or a subscription to High Times. :lol:
At Alexander Keith's we follow the recipes first developed by the great brewmaster to the absolute letter. :wtf:

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by derek » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:33 pm

GAM wrote:I dont even bother snapping the lids when I use plastic. There too hard to get back off.

All should be fine.

Sandy
Same here.
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by Keggermeister » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:37 pm

bluenose wrote:
papercrane wrote:
akr71 wrote: Cost? Feign interest in a more expensive hobby.
You sir, are a genius. Excuse me while I go buy some sailing magazines.
Well played...
I use this stunt all the time. It works too well.

:o

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:13 pm

GAM wrote:I dont even bother snapping the lids when I use plastic. There too hard to get back off.

All should be fine.

Sandy
i cracked a lid once taking it off, so probably a good call
planning: beer for my cousin's wedding
Fermenting: black ipa
Conditioning:
Kegged: barrel barleywine from 2014 - i think i still have this somewhere

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by LiverDance » Sat Apr 07, 2012 6:28 pm

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:
GAM wrote:I dont even bother snapping the lids when I use plastic. There too hard to get back off.

All should be fine.

Sandy
i cracked a lid once taking it off, so probably a good call
I. Just did this! Damn thing split right in half, cleaning a another lid to replace it and get my beer covered back up
"Twenty years ago — a time, by the way, that hops such as Simcoe and Citra were already being developed, but weren’t about to find immediate popularity — there wasn’t a brewer on earth who would have gone to the annual Hop Growers of American convention and said, “I’m going to have a beer that we make 4,000 barrels of, one time a year. It flies off the shelf at damn near $20 a six-pack, and you know what it smells like? It smells like your cat ate your weed and then pissed in the Christmas tree.” - Bell’s Brewery Director of Operations John Mallet on the scent of their popular Hopslam.

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by KMcK » Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:20 pm

This simple piece of plastic is the miracle device that you need.
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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:33 pm

KMcK wrote:This simple piece of plastic is the miracle device that you need.
PastedGraphic-11.jpg
ah yes, the décapsulateur de seau d'E-Z
planning: beer for my cousin's wedding
Fermenting: black ipa
Conditioning:
Kegged: barrel barleywine from 2014 - i think i still have this somewhere

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Re: Plastic Fermenter Issues?

Post by Tony L » Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:52 am

Get a second one, they break also. But they are cheap at Princess Auto.

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