Poll: using a blow off tube

[Brew Cat]

I haven't used a or needed a blow off tube since before I had temperature control
I usually pitch around 70 degrees then lower the temperature for a slow and steady fermentation
I noticed many of you use one
Just wondering

 

[Mike at Bay]

I haven't used a or needed a blow off tube since before I had temperature control
I usually pitch around 70 degrees then lower the temperature for a slow and steady fermentation
I noticed many of you use one
Just wondering

I agree. I have not used one in years. Just decided to use one today in the event this yeast nutrient (see other post) tries to make a beer volcano.

 

[J A]

All my fermenters are stainless unitanks and have blow-off tubes built in to the plumbing. On the occasions when I want to do a quickie batch in a carboy, I might use an airlock if it's handy but I keep blowoff tubes that fit the neck of the jug for some yeasts or beers. If it's a big beer or a Belgian yeast, I expect a lot of activity and krausen so I'm happy to make use of the tube.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I use a tube for everything big or small into a jar of starsans

 

[Josh Hughes]

I never have. But I rarely have a batch anywhere near the top of a fermenter

 

[Megary]

Sometimes.
My fermenter does not have a lot of headspace, so if I’m using an aggressive yeast or making a high gravity beer, I’ll use a blowoff. English yeasts never reach the top of my fermenter. If I’m unsure, then I see no reason to risk it. All you need is one mess to clean and that’s that!

 

[Donoroto]

I have not used anything but a blowoff tube in years.

 

[Zambi]

Sometimes, esp using Belgian yeasts.
And depending on the fridge (inside space) I use for temp control. The airlock of my speidel is huge

 

[Sandy Feet]

Belgians and Hefes need one. I also use one with a Saison. Most other things, no .

 

[Bigbre04]

my tanks are different obviously. but i always use a blowoff for atleast the first 24 hours. it helps reduce the initial stress on the yeast and allows for faster fermentation starts compared to spunding.

if i am fermenting a lager i run a spunding valve and a blow off. everything else gets a blow off until the final few percent attenuation where i may cap it if i am not reopening the tank(for dryhop or tossing fruit).

once i am changing temps i generally put the pressure up to 5psi if i am cooling the tank and will open it to dryhop or if i am crashing from fermenation temp i will put it up to 15-17 psi.

 

[Shady Lane Brewing]

Always.

 

[Brew Cat]

Well a follow up question is what size fermenters an batches are you doing
I'm doing 5.5 gallons in 9 and 10 gallon fermenters
I also do a lot of open fermentation if you're pushing through a blow off I would worry about back pressure

 

[Bigbre04]

Well a follow up question is what size fermenters an batches are you doing
I'm doing 5.5 gallons in 9 and 10 gallon fermenters
I also do a lot of open fermentation if you're pushing through a blow off I would worry about back pressure

backpressure?

i wouldnt worry about back pressure. even on 90 and 120bbl tanks the back pressure is not enough to register on a pressure gauge. My blow offs are one inch braided vinyl they stick into my sani bucket maybe 3 or 4 inches? the pressure to overcome that amount of liquid is nothing.

the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid is FAR higher then the backpressure, even on my small tanks.

My tanks are 3.5bbl but i can double batch into them which is roughly 152 gals(4.9bbls theoretically but i only get 4 bbls of finished beer on average). my batch size is 76gals but losses between the kettle and the keg yield exactly 2bbls worth of beer or 4 1/2s.

 

[Sundaz]

I’ll mostly if not always use one. As they say, it’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

 

[Brew Cat]

backpressure?

i wouldnt worry about back pressure. even on 90 and 120bbl tanks the back pressure is not enough to register on a pressure gauge. My blow offs are one inch braided vinyl they stick into my sani bucket maybe 3 or 4 inches? the pressure to overcome that amount of liquid is nothing.

the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid is FAR higher then the backpressure, even on my small tanks.

My tanks are 3.5bbl but i can double batch into them which is roughly 152 gals(4.9bbls theoretically but i only get 4 bbls of finished beer on average). my batch size is 76gals but losses between the kettle and the keg yield exactly 2bbls worth of beer or 4 1/2s.

Well before I had the temperature control and undersized fermenters I had to use them and they would invariably clog and blow the lid
That type of back pressure

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Before I had temperature control, I used a blow-off every time for the first 2-3 days. Now I only use one if the fermenter is pretty full or the gravity is high.

 

[Semper Sitientum]

When I first started brewing, I just used an airlock. After a big mess, I switched to starting off with a blow off and then when fermentation settles down, change to an airlock. I still occasionally have aggressive fermentations where krausen will push out of the tube into my sanitizer container.

 

[RyNo Brew]

I did not the first 5 years but kept hearing and reading about these disasters. I thought it was great that I didn't have to do this and other must be pitching a lot of yeast or making these big beers, or even filling the fermenter too close to the top. Well, I had 1 close encounter where it overflowed the airlock and spilled out onto the lid. I quickly cleaned up and added a blow-off tube into a 1.75L bottle of sani-H2O mix. I connect the blow-off for the primary fermentation (2-3 days), then switch to an airlock. I sleep better

 

[Dave Y]

When I first started brewing, I just used an airlock. After a big mess, I switched to starting off with a blow off and then when fermentation settles down, change to an airlock. I still occasionally have aggressive fermentations where krausen will push out of the tube into my sanitizer container.

Yup.

I have this recipe I got from my first home-brew supply shop for a blackberry wheat. It would routinely clog the airlock, and blow the lid off the 6.5g fermenter. I thought I would try to outthink the yeast, so I put a couple bricks on top of the lid. That just blew the lid and the bricks off.
So, I got a cinder block. The lid stayed on, but the seal broke and yeast oozed out the top on to the kitchen floor.

The wife was unamused to put it mildly.
So I use a blow off valve more frequently now on my stainless fermenters, as it's fairly convenient and if I have a particularly aggressive yeast, it won't be an issue.

 

[Donoroto]

My 5/8” silicone blow off tube sits in a 1 liter flask with about 500 ml of StarSan. Even that has overflowed at times, but easy to clean up. That’s on a 7 gallon fermenter with almost 5 gallons of wort.