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Bucket fermenter lids, and airlock.
I can get 6 1/2 gallon food grade plastic buckets at work , but i'm wondering what to do for an air lock. I've never used a bucket fermenter before, and I heard that they are not air tight. should I get an s lock, or just use a tube from the lid going into some sanitized water. Also these lids have a gasket in them, and I guess that would be as air tight as I could get them without duct taping the lid.
Just go to the local hardware store and buy a paint lid. They have them with rubber gaskets. That should work. And you can buy grommets for under a dollar.
make sure the buckets are food grade, and free of odors, there is a symbol with a number on it on the bottom, research what it is, if you are doing a 5 gallon batch in a 6.5 gallon bucket you prob won't have to worry about overflow but you might want to be prepared to do that method in an emergency, as far as using an airlock, i'd go with the 3 piece, they are easier to clean if it gets gunked up than the "s" shaped ones.
I use plastic buckets all the time for primary. They are air tight, but plastic isn't impermiable to air like glass is (meaning that air eventually seeps through plastic on a molecular level) For a 1-2 week fermenting process this isnt a big deal (IMO).
If you are re-using buckets though, I'd definately recommend getting either a new lid or a rubber gasket to ensure a good seal.
For primary fermentation, an air tight seal really isn't necessary due to the positive air flow. You just have to get past the idea of counting bubbles.
Try one of these.
http://www.wisementrading.com/foodstorage/buckets.htm
No more prying up a sealed lid. I remember these from BYO a while back and haven't tried them.
You just need to drill a small hole for a stopperd airlock.
BrewLuva wrote:
make sure the buckets are food grade, and free of odors, there is a symbol with a number on it on the bottom, research what it is, if you are doing a 5 gallon batch in a 6.5 gallon bucket you prob won't have to worry about overflow but you might want to be prepared to do that method in an emergency, as far as using an airlock, i'd go with the 3 piece, they are easier to clean if it gets gunked up than the "s" shaped ones.
That symbol is the recycle triangle with a 2 in it and beneath it should be the letters HDPE.
I got one of those "Busch" camo coolers for x-mas. The first thing I checked was what kind of plastic it was made of. Guess who has a camo fermenter now? Hee Hee Hee !!!
Thanks everyone, I have the buckets with a one inch hole drilled about an inch and a quarter from the bottom. I have lids with a rubber gasket, and everything is HDPE. 2. I called the company we buy the buckets from PLASTICIAN out of Leominster Massachusetts, And they said that these buckets are food grade High Density Poly Ethelyne (HDPE).
Now I'm just waiting for my supplies to get here, so I can start brewing. They shipped them on the 28th, and they still havn't gotten here yet. DAMN HOLIDAYS !!!!!!!!
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