Help major blow off!

[Brewtah]

I brewed a English Strong Sunday, using Wyeast London 3. I read it is true top cropping yeast. I left a bit more head room than normal. This morning seeing krausen in my airlock, I replaced with blow-off tube. Fine right? Not fine. My bucket lid is lifting off and very little, none at times, coming through blow-off. Should I replace lid with tighter fitting lid (took ring casket out). Should I let it ride? No blockage in blow-off. Why no action in blow-off?

 

[mattmeiske12]

You are just having a strong, active fermentation. The blow-off tube was a good idea, its better for releasing the pressure during fermentation than an airlock. I've had krausen in my blow-off tube before, and everything worked out fine. Just let it ride.

 

[Brewtah]

I am worried the lid will either blow off or lift enough to let the bad guys in while I am at work.

 

[mattmeiske12]

As long as that tube is snug in your fermentor and you sanitized it, I wouldn't worry about it getting infected. If you have a bucket that has the "gasket type" lining on the lid, it will not blow off.

 

[Setesh]

I brewed a English Strong Sunday, using Wyeast London 3. I read it is true top cropping yeast. I left a bit more head room than normal. This morning seeing krausen in my airlock, I replaced with blow-off tube. Fine right? Not fine. My bucket lid is lifting off and very little, none at times, coming through blow-off. Should I replace lid with tighter fitting lid (took ring casket out). Should I let it ride? No blockage in blow-off. Why no action in blow-off?

If your bucket lid is lifting off then that is why you aren't getting bubbles in blow off tube. It takes pressure to make the bubbles, but the pressure is leaking out around the edges of the lid. As long as you mean that your lid is just lifting up a bit because there is play in the connection without the gasket installed this is fine. If you lid is just resting on the top of the bucket and isn't actually attached then I would attach it asap as high krausen could actually lift it off and dump it to the side.
You don't have to get anal about sealing up your fermentor at this stage. You just want to make sure things can't fall into the beer in there. When active fermentation begins to subside is when the seal becomes important since your beer isn't off gassing tons of CO2 anymore. Normal gas exchange of the headspace will begin to occur and you will have more and more oxygen exposed to your beer.

In general the best approach would be to leave the gasket in the bucket lid and attach a blow off tube. This way you have a good seal to prevent as much gas exchange as possible. You can replace the BOT with an airlock once you are past high krausen, or just let it ride.

 

[Brewtah]

^
That is the problem. Because the gases are leaking and not going through the tube I either let it go or quickly put in gasket. All my buckets/lids are full so beer will be exposed while I put in gasket and replace lid. I am inclined to watch it for 1-2 hours and if lid seems stable where it is, just leave it and pray to the beer gods

 

[masonsjax]

RDWHAHB
Your beer will be fine.

 

[boscobeans]

If you have krausen leaking out from the lid wait till things slow down a little, pop the blow off to let any pressure exit then spray the area around the lid with sanitizer (Starsan) and replace the blow off. Wait 4 weeks and bottle it up..



bosco

 

[mbar]

I generally start with a blow off tube on my brews for the first week of fermentation at least...came home from work one day to krausen blown past my air lock and all over my closet...never again.

 

[Brewtah]

Crazy yeast! I think they are just f$&?ing with me. Lid is back on tight. No action in blow-off. Very little pressure when I push on the lid, although a few bubbles in the blow-off. Out of the 20 or more batches I have done this is the strangest fermentation I have had. This London Ale III is wacky.
The temp is 2 degrees cooler now than when I woke up. (doing water bath) So that could account for the shut down, although normally it takes more that to stop the action. Yesterday was same temp it is now.
I read the threads regarding this yeast and knew that it was a true top fermenter, but no one said crazy.