Picture this: Plastic fermenter with a standard plastic lid and grommet. Airlock in the grommet but just the main piece, not the middle piece or lid. Then I attach a piece of silicone tubing to that center post of the airlock and on the other end is a liquid QD which is connected to the keg and the CO2 from fermentation purges the keg. Lately I have purchased plastic airlocks where that center post seems to be wider and I can’t get the tubing over it without a struggle. If I DO get it on there, it’s so tight that when I pull the tubing off, the airlock might break. I need a new way to send CO2 from the fermenter to the keg (which bleeds out through the IN port with tubing that goes to sanitizer) but on the day when I send the beer to the keg I take the tubing from the airlock and put it onto the spigot of the fermenter and let it flow into the keg in a closed loop. I feel like the wider post on the airlock is the issue and I have ordered new airlocks online and also picked some up from my local supplier and they’re all the same. Any thoughts? Cheers Beerheads.
What’s the point of the airlock? Can’t you stick a barbed adapter/fitting right into the grommet of the lid? One end in the lid, the other into the hose? Not sure such a fitting exists, but it seems that getting rid of the airlock is where I’d start.
Good luck.
Can I ask, why are you doing this?
I would totally do that if such a fitting existed. I am willing to adopt any new thinking on this.
Couple reasons. I can purge the keg of O2 by sending all the CO2 from fermentation through the keg. Then on the day when I transfer to a keg I can take the silicone tubing off the airlock and connect to the spigot and then connect a line from the IN port onto the airlock so that I can transfer the beer in a closed loop. Less exposure to O2 because the keg is purged and also because the transfer loop is closed. I feel like a new breed of airlocks came out where the center post is wider and my tubing no longer fits.
I do a similar thing. I purchased a bulkhead-mount ball lock gas post. The gas post is on one end with a threaded post on the other end. This goes through a hole in the fermenter lid with a nut on the inside that pulls down tight against an o-ring on the outside. Then I use a hose with ball lock gas QD to attach to that and a liquid QD to go onto the keg. You will probably have to enlarge the hole to fit the bulkhead mount, but that should be easy. You can use gas or liquid post, whichever you prefer.
I do the same thing Richard suggests. I use this fitting from Bobby: Weldless Bulkhead with Ball Lock Gas
I have a BrewBucket and modified it using this ref: Using CO2 From Fermentation To Purge Serving Kegs | Do It Yourself | Brülosophy
Guys, thank you. I will check out those links and see which ones fit my setup the best. Cheers and thanks again.
I use a 13 gallon Kegmenter for most batches, but some 5.5 gallon batches get a plastic fermenter. All have gas in and liquid out pressure ferment. They work great and i transfer under CO2 pressure.
Would either of these work?
Would either of these work?
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Thanks for that. I would try them just to see if they fit snugly into the grommet. I also realize that there may be other options with a new fermenter but my fermentation fridge JUST BARELY holds my current plastic fermenter and I would hate to buy a new fermenter that required that I buy a new fridge too.
Another idea, Ken, depending on the ID of the tubing and the ID of the gromet, you can cut off a piece of a plastic racking cane, fit the hose to one end and put the other end through the grommet. If you get a relatively tight seal on the fermenter lid, this will work. You may have to change the grommet for one that makes a tighter seal. It is cheaper than installing a bulkhead and if it fits tight, it should work.
That said, I do like the bulkhead idea as well.
Hi Goose. Thanks for that. I actually may have a plastic bottling wand that I could cut and I also have a stainless racking cane that I bought that is REALLY LONG and I may be able to cut that was well and see if it fits into the grommet. That might be the best scenario. I’ll look into it. Cheers and thanks again.
Turns out that the stainless racking cane and any plastic bottling wands I have DO fit through the grommet but they’re loose and probably wouldn’t keep out O2. I may need to go to my local supplier and explain it to her and ask her to set me up with something.
Does the tubing fit correctly on the stem of the airlock that goes into the grommet? If so, cut off the stem with a hacksaw and just use that piece. You may need to use a high grit sandpaper to smooth the cut and create a slightly rounded edge to make sliding the tube on a little easier. You’ll want to connect the hose to the stem before sticking it in the lid so you don’t accidentally push it through into the wort/beer.
Can you just jam the tubing snugly through the grommet? That seems like the simplest solution to me. Use keg lube/silicone grease if needed to ensure a good seal.
Before I started using pressure fermenters with cornie posts, I would use a 3 piece airlock, but take out the inner cap piece and plastic snap on lid, exposing just the fixed inner stem of the airlock base. I would use tubing over that stem and call it good.
That’s what I was doing but the newest airlocks I have been getting have a much wider center post and the tubing is very tricky to get on there. When I DO get it on there, it ends up being so tight that when I go to pull the tubing off the airlock, the post can break. Fast forward to this morning… I went to see the woman that runs my local supply place and described this to her. She had tubing that I believe was 5/16" ID and 7/16" OD that fits very snugly into the grommet and also into the end of the silicone tubing. So this new tubing is just taking the place of the airlock. She cut 5’ of this tubing off for me and when I got home and fit everything together I just snipped about 3" off of it and that’s what I’ll use. Hoping to brew later this afternoon and take it for a test drive.
Cheers to the right tubing for brewing!
I brewed an Amber Lager yesterday afternoon/evening (pilsner malt, flaked corn, caramunich, Sterling hops, Omega German Lager 1) and used the tubing. It worked perfectly. It’s snug in the grommet and also the silicone tubing. It slides into place a little easier with Starsan and seems secure all the way around. Should be easy to keep clean and sanitary and when that’s not true, I snip another piece off the 5’ length. Easy, simple, effective, inexpensive. Cheers Beerheads.