Airlock management

[BarrelMonkey]

I just moved my 2021 topping wine from carboys to a keg (consolidating 2 carboys into 1 keg after topping my barrel), and I noticed that the airlocks were a bit stinky (vinegary). The wine seems fine so I think no harm done, but I wondered what you use for the liquid in your airlocks (and how often you change it)? I think I had water with a bit of KMBS added, and I confess I didn't really think about it for the 4 months or so that the wine was in the carboys...

 

[Ohio Bob]

I used to use water with a pinch of KMBS, but after >3 month aging I sometimes saw black spots in the airlock. Now I use 95% grain alcohol (Everclear). Evaporation is not as bad as you might think. I did not like the fact I was using KMBS in the airlock while I was in malolactic fermentation. Not sure how much sulfur could get into the wine from the airlock, but Everclear is just way easier to use. When I empty a carboy during bottling, I’ll pour that little bit from the airlock into my other airlocks just to keep them topped off. Surprisingly I also catch quite a few fruit flys in the airlocks, but I like to think they died for a noble cause.

 

[winemaker81]

I use water, swapping locks monthly.

 

[She’sgonnakillme]

Vodka here

 

[Ohio Bob]

Vodka here

I like the vodka route. I have to get Everclear out of state but airlocks don’t require a lot. Cheap vodka sounds like a better solution. Thank you for the tip.

 

[TurkeyHollow]

Everclear here. I also use a glass marble in the "funnel" side of the double-bubble airlock to prevent slow evaporation.

 

[winemaker81]

I should mention that for bulk aging in carboys, I moved to vented bungs, which require no maintenance.

Periodically I clean all all stoppers, bungs, airlocks, etc. with a dedicated toothbrush (new brush used solely for this purpose), and soak in OxyClean for a few hours, then visually inspect for "stuff". IME, guaranteeing that all equipment is 100% clean before sanitizing prevents problems.

Even if using vodka or Everclear, I recommend swapping out the stoppers/airlocks at least every 3 months.

 

[mainshipfred]

These air lock issues seem to come up in a few threads. It's really puzzling to me that there are some many issues and concerns. I use a K-meta solution though I'm not sure it makes any difference since the purpose of the liquid is to keep air out of the vessel. My 2021 wines have been going through MLF since the middle of November and if there is any evaporation in the "S" type air locks it's very minimal. The only time I bother changing the liquid is when I see fruit flies in them.

 

[winemaker81]

These air lock issues seem to come up in a few threads. It's really puzzling to me that there are some many issues and concerns.

Consider the wide variety of environments that we, as individuals and as a wide-ranging group, have.

The humidity in my cellar is current 35%, and it ranges up to 85% in the spring and fall, and the temperature ranges from high 50's F to mid-70's F. I have a dedicated environment, but it's far from consistent. I've certainly got mold and mildew in the air.

In the past I've made wine in my kitchen, a spare bedroom, and in a corner of the dining room. I've never made it in my garage, but I've pressed there. This is pretty common, and it exposes the wine to a lot of other things, including seasonal pollen.

I've had airlocks go a full year without drying out or growing a biology experiment, and I've had others do either or both in 5 weeks. I've had dry airlocks that never produced a problem, and at least one where I'm positive it's the cause of failure.

So my advice stands -- regardless of what's in the airlock, check it weekly. Swap out airlocks monthly to ensure they are clean. Swap vented bungs quarterly when adding K-meta.

 

[BarrelMonkey]

The only time I bother changing the liquid is when I see fruit flies in them.

Yes, I'm pretty sure that was my problem. I will be more diligent in checking for visitors in future.

 

[TurkeyHollow]

Yes, I'm pretty sure that was my problem. I will be more diligent in checking for visitors in future.

A 1/2" glass ball will help with that. It's not a perfect seal because of the seam but it will keep the fruit flies out of the liquid in the airlock.

 

[Scooter68]

Yes, I'm pretty sure that was my problem. I will be more diligent in checking for visitors in future.

I've gone to periodic swap out of airlocks as those fruit flies seem to blend-in inside my airlocks. Numerous times I've taken an airlock to the sink to rinse and refill only to find a number of fruit flies I hadn't seen before rinsing. I'm using starsan solution so even if it breaks down it just becomes water and still performs the job. I did learn early on to take a sharpee and mark my airlocks on the min-max fill lines so I can tell with just a glance if an airlock is in need of rinse and refill. In the first 3 years of wine making I was super diligent in checking the airlocks. Now I try to remember when in the basement to give them a look to check levels.
One thing that has happened a few times that shocked me is I'll look at an airlock and see wine in the airlock. Now that really bugs me because normally in my 3 gallon carboys I leave about 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of the airlock tube to the wine level and this is on wines that are well degassed and as much as 6 months or more into aging. And typically when I pull the airlock to clean and replace it, the wine level is still right up there at the bottom of the bung. I chalk it up to atmosphere pressure or the glass in the carboy contracting. Interesting as the basement temps normally change slowly with the seasons.

 

[Bill Pet]

We had a fruit fly problem in the house for months and they liked to congregate around my primary and secondary. We buy and eat quite a bit of fruit but keep a very clean house. Even when there was no fruit in the house for a while we had fruit flies. We couldn't find were they were coming from. We finally found info on making a fruit fly trap, just a small glass container with some apple cider vinegar and one drop of dish detergent. It worked wonders but it took a while. After a week or so we had hardly any fruit flies anywhere in the house, even around my wine making stuff. We now keep a trap going all the time, just changing the vinegar once a week. Problem solved.

 

[Raptor99]

I have found that for traps a small amount of cheap red wine works even better than vinegar. Cover it with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top. The fruit flies go in but can't find their way out. At least they die happy!

 

[Bill Pet]

The drop of dish detergent in the vinegar reduces surface tension so as soon as a fruit fly touches it they sink. No cover needed. That would probably be the same for wine if you add a drop of detergent.

 

[Raptor99]

I tried that, but the one without the dish detergent attracted more fruit flies. Maybe my dish detergent had too strong a scent?

 

[sour_grapes]

I always use red wine AND a splash of apple cider vinegar, plus a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid. This may be a coincidence, but the scent of my Dawn is usually "Apple Blossom"!

(I have recently found unscented Dawn. )

 

[Bill Pet]

I never tried without detergent. First time I tried it I put in 2 drops because 1 drop just seemed too puny. That didn't work. One drop of Dawn (regular) in the vinegar does well enough for me. I go by the motto: if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

[mikewatkins727]

A 1/2" glass ball will help with that. It's not a perfect seal because of the seam but it will keep the fruit flies out of the liquid in the airlock.

@TurkeyHollow : I don't see where a ½ glass ball would fit into an airlock. Could you post a picture as to how this works?

 

[mainshipfred]

@TurkeyHollow : I don't see where a ½ glass ball would fit into an airlock. Could you post a picture as to how this works?

I believe he is referring to placing it on top of the air lock.