The mystery of the airlock

[beergolf]

This is driving me nuts. Not that I have far to go, but this just makes no sense.

I have five sours in carboys and I check the airlocks to make sure they are topped off regularly. There is one ( second from the left in the pic) That always seems empty. I can fill all five to the same level and come back a week or two later and that one is almost empty while the others are pretty much where I topped them off. WTF How can this be. Is there some gremlin that is drinking the liquid out of that airlock?

 

[lumpher]

There is probably a crack on the internal shaft of the airlock. It lets the liquid in the airlock leak into the beer, then the liquid in the outer part refills the inner part, which leaks into the wort... Ad nauseum... I hope that makes sense to you. I've had this happen.

 

[beergolf]

There is probably a crack on the internal shaft of the airlock. It lets the liquid in the airlock leak into the beer, then the liquid in the outer part refills the inner part, which leaks into the wort... Ad nauseum... I hope that makes sense to you. I've had this happen.

I thought of that and even switched out airlocks for that one. I switched the stopper and airlock so that is not it.This is driving me nuts.

 

[jcav]

My money is on the gremlin
Seriously that is a mystery.

John

 

[MaxStout]

Is it bubbling more actively and blowing some liquid out the top? I use Starsan in mine and sometimes it foams out the little vent holes in the airlock's cap.

 

[JoshHellcat]

Any cats stumbling around?

 

[lumpher]

Ok, then the only explanation is

 

[beergolf]

Ok, then the only explanation is

That must be it.

Not bubbling, almost a year old. No cats.

 

[signpost]

Yup.

No crack? No cats?

I hope you don't have a pool.

 

[LakesideBrewing]

I really dislike those air locks for long term aging. I used them before and I was always filling them up. Why is only one of yours evaporating more quickly than the others? I have no idea, but I would swap it out with an S-style air lock and see if that helps. Or even better, get some waterless air locks for long term aging. I love using them on my sours.

-Mike

 

[joshesmusica]

Is it bubbling more actively and blowing some liquid out the top? I use Starsan in mine and sometimes it foams out the little vent holes in the airlock's cap.

Yeah, this was my first thought as well. But my starsan-filled airlocks usually only end up nearly empty during the exponential growth phase.

Have you tried putting an empty vessel with an airlock in that spot and seeing if it's just evaporating amazingly quickly right there, or if it's emptying into the vessel?

 

[Saboral]

Live noticed that star San seems to cause the plastic air locks to become more brittle in less time. Every one I use with regular concentration star San cracks after one or two uses. I now use a more diluted star San mix in them and it seems to have helped.

 

[beergolf]

Have you tried putting an empty vessel with an airlock in that spot and seeing if it's just evaporating amazingly quickly right there, or if it's emptying into the vessel?

I may try that, if for no other reason than trying to figure this out. It should not be just that spot, because my basement keeps very stable temps. and the carboys on either side of that one do not do it.

 

[joshesmusica]

I may try that, if for no other reason than trying to figure this out. It should not be just that spot, because my basement keeps very stable temps. and the carboys on either side of that one do not do it.

Yeah it's very strange. But I've worked a bit with being a sound tech, and when something is making a buzz or something that shouldn't be there, it's all about solving by deduction. So although I can't tell you why, at least you can rule out some things.