Degassing wine and when to start

[Bubbles2]

So I have a bucket with an airlock hole. And I was (so I thought) told that degassing is done soon after fermentation starts.... What a mess. Two days into a 6 gallon with 1118 levlin is a C02 bomb once stirred and my bag is gassing up too.

Am I starting my degassing too soon? I was wondering if I should let it chug in the buckets with my airlock bubbling until ready to remove fruit 4 days later? Then begin to degas for the last 7 days until carboy and airlock step... It seems it sure allows a lot of opportunity for infection and getting a lid back on without a little mess going is quite the challenge.

Ya'll doing immediately or waiting to degas?
Thanks
B2

 

[Seamonkey84]

Degas as soon as fermentation starts, that’s why it’s recommended to have a primary vessel nearly twice the volume needed for your brew. At least you didn’t have a geyser coming out of a small carboy. I leave a sanitized spoon right in the bucket, just sanitize your hands before going in. The yeast need O2 the first few days, don’t really even need an airlock or lid yet, a towel will work. When I pull my fruit, I rack everything, Lee’s and all, into the carboy. Continue to degas in the carboy until it shows signs of clearing.

 

[Bubbles2]

Degas as soon as fermentation starts, that’s why it’s recommended to have a primary vessel nearly twice the volume needed for your brew. At least you didn’t have a geyser coming out of a small carboy. I leave a sanitized spoon right in the bucket, just sanitize your hands before going in. The yeast need O2 the first few days, don’t really even need an airlock or lid yet, a towel will work. When I pull my fruit, I rack everything, Lee’s and all, into the carboy. Continue to degas in the carboy until it shows signs of clearing.

I thought I had room....LOL I have 3 gal batch in a 5 gal bucket and a 6 gal batch in a 7 gal bucket, but the 6 gallon has 19lbs of Guava off my tree in it... I like the towel idea. No fear of anything like free yeast? Prob not with the 1118 in there eh?

 

[Yooper]

I don't degas much in primary- just a stir now and then when I do it. It depends on what I'm making but the main reason to stir then is to make sure you break up the cap and submerge any fruit.

 

[Bubbles2]

I don't degas much in primary- just a stir now and then when I do it. It depends on what I'm making but the main reason to stir then is to make sure you break up the cap and submerge any fruit.

When you refer to Primary, you are referring to buckets before carboy?

I had let this batch soak with campden and Pectic EnZyme for 36 hours, dunking and mixing before pitching yeast. pitched yeast and then pulled the fruit bags 48 hours later. The fruit was pulp. The buckets are still cranking in there with airlock activity. I'll wait for it to settle before moving to carboy.

Do you like to add So3 / Campden at this transfer or on the next one? BTW. I kinda think that since I added sulphite at start and within 10 days moving to a carboy that should suffice until next month on the rack, where I re sulfite the batch/ Thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

When you refer to Primary, you are referring to buckets before carboy?

I had let this batch soak with campden and Pectic EnZyme for 36 hours, dunking and mixing before pitching yeast. pitched yeast and then pulled the fruit bags 48 hours later. The fruit was pulp. The buckets are still cranking in there with airlock activity. I'll wait for it to settle before moving to carboy.

Do you like to add So3 / Campden at this transfer or on the next one? BTW. I kinda think that since I added sulphite at start and within 10 days moving to a carboy that should suffice until next month on the rack, where I re sulfite the batch/ Thoughts?

"Primary" is the beginning (first) part of fermentation when active fermentation is happening. It can be in any vessel- the yeast doesn't know what vessel it is in. I add S02 at every other racking and at bottling, as I don't have an SO2 meter and that's my best guess as to having a decent level of sulfite without overdosing.

 

[Coffee49]

I too do an So2 drop every other racking, I like to think that the transfer that takes place is enough exposure to O2. I go one year before bottling, fill a .75 bottle half full,cork it and give a little shake then open cork you can tell from exhaust if it needs to be degassed or not.