Hi fellow brewers-advice please on my blow off tube situation. Set up my carboy in the pantry with one end of the blow off tube in a bucket with star san solution, and the other inserted too far into the bottle - actually just under the level oif the wort! What the hell was I thinking? A closed circuit I got! Woke up this morning and bolted out of bed down, running down to the pantry to confirm what I knew I had done. Well, it smelled good, soaking the floor. Now I have wort Sani water and 4.5 gal instead of 5 with a dry floor. The tube is now well above the liquid - should I change the bucket liquid? Too risky? Did I totally lose yeasties? Thanks.
More blow off blunders...
- Thread starter caywood
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I think your brew should be just fine. Changing the blow-off liquid really has no effect on the fermenting brew. And considering the amount of carbon dioxide those yeast produce, once you resealed the top, positive pressure was developed quickly.
glenn514
glenn514
goodgodilovebeer
Well-Known Member
Nah, you're fine. I've had a few messy fermentations over the years which is why I changed the blowoff vessel to a 15 litre water jug. Too bad you created a siphon though...cut back on the homebrew next brewday 
Thank you both for the quick reply. Because I'm brewing an ale, I was concerned that the lost wort (about a quart?) in the bucket and on the floor, would have contained a lot of the yeast (top fermenting, right?) and therefore cause a ruined batch. After clean up, and a lesser insertion depth of the tube, it's bubbling away nicely and building a bit of foam. I suppose its just a wait and see??
goodgodilovebeer
Well-Known Member
No doubt there was a fair amount of yeast in the lost bit, but its almost impossible to stop a fermentation once it gets going.
You have plenty of yeast. And if you do not right now the yeast will reproduce until there are sufficient numbers to ferment the wort.
There is no reason to not clean the blow off bucket.
Your brew is fine.
BTW, having the end of the blow off tube in 1/2 cup of Starsan is plenty. That way if you get any reverse siphon due to atmospheric pressure change you don't suck back a large amount. I put that cup in a bucket in case it overflows.
There is no reason to not clean the blow off bucket.
Your brew is fine.
BTW, having the end of the blow off tube in 1/2 cup of Starsan is plenty. That way if you get any reverse siphon due to atmospheric pressure change you don't suck back a large amount. I put that cup in a bucket in case it overflows.
