2L WY1007 starter on stir plate. 1 servomyces cap in boil. O2 injection…
I knew up front that I should really be using a carboy w/ blow-off tube for this, but I thought I could get away with a 6.5 gal. bucket & 3-piece airlock at 58F. Luckily I always have a couple extra airlocks on hand to change out in this kind of situation. Keeping a close eye on things in case airlock plugs & blows right off the fermenter, but not a problem so far. 
Did you throw the lid yet? My record is 8 feet. ;D
I had to change the air lock 5 times in one day when I put my Double IPA on a yeast cake once. At least it didn’t blow the lid off of my fermenter.
I have “painted” the ceiling before in a closet after forgeting to take off the airlock and put on a blow off hose.
I knew up front that the 1007 builds a monster krausen. Between that and using my new stir plate and O2 system for the first time, I knew that I’d better watch things like a hawk! All is good so far, and blow-off seems to be letting up after 48 hr. Hopefully I’ll be doing my final airlock swap in a couple hours. Edit: I also got a very clean transfer out of my boil kettle, so I don’t have any chunks coming through to plug things up.
You know you might be a homebrewer if… you’ve mopped the ceiling. Badumpbump.
Funny.
Had a few batches get “enthusiastic” on me… in my “office” at home. Not really a place where I would want a geiser… :o Was there in time to clean the air lock both times. Thinking about modifying the lid on my buckets. Increase the size of the hole to 1" so I can use a blow off hose, then a stopper with airlock… Best of both worlds.
Brewed up a batch of Imperial Pale Ale form Extreme Brewing a few years ago. After the brown sugar addition, I blew the top. There was enough pressure to cover my bath tub, walls and ceiling with beer! Changed from an airlock to a blow hose immediately. The wife was ecstatic and I got to move my brewery out to the garage!!! 
From time to time, I still find a spec of beer on the wall that I missed during clean up!
Have done this and the same stopper also fits carboys.
(I have since started using an anti-foam agent and haven’t used a blow-off tube in years)
Fred - Do you use Fermcap S? I use that during the boil and it works like a champ, but I haven’t tried it during fermentation yet.
That and a low (60’s) ferment temp, I only use the Fermcap on big beers (and hefe’s).
Yep, that stuff is great. I use Fermcap added directly to the fermenter and just beat back a very full 3787 fermentation. First time I’ve been able to keep that one in the bottle.
I’m thinking about doing another batch with the WY1007 and am thinking about trying the Fermcap-S. Do you get good head retention using the anti-foam?
I add the Fermcap-S to the boil (not the fermentor)–reduces my worry about boilovers as well as contamination.
The same goes for adding Fermcap-S to the starter wort when boiling/preparing my yeast starter.
My understanding is that adding to the boil still gives you the anti-foam action in the fermentor. That sounds like the best way to go. Again, any effect on head retention?
Absolutely none in my experience. And I’ve used it in every all-grain batch and yeast starter I’ve ever done.
I poured a couple of my beers (Saison and Stout) over this weekend. I’d set the glass down to watch the game, picked it up again 20 minutes later, still had foam, gave it a little swirl in the glass and increased the foam height. Both beers were somewhat overcarbonated (particularly the stout) for style, which may have also contributed. Regardless, it does not seem that Fermcap-S affects the proteins which contribute to foam nor does it cause it to collapse prematurely.
I don’t have a scientific reason why–it does seem counter intuitive, i.e., “if it prevents foaming and boilovers in the yeast starter, boil kettle, or fermentor, then why doesn’t it affect beer foam or head retention?” Maybe that’d be a good question to ask “The Wizard” Ashton Lewis–he is a beer foam expert. Perhaps the krausen carries it and deposits it along with the trub ring on the top of the fermentation bucket walls so less ends up in the finished beer. Perhaps the Fermcap-S is temperature-sensitive and drops out with the yeast when crash-chilling the finished beer.
I do know it works when you want it to, and does not affect the beer foam at all.
Thanks for the information, richardt. I’ll definitely give it a try next batch.