Does wine must give off anywhere near dangerous levels of Co2?

[Adrian Rovito]

Hi - first time making my own homemade wine (italian generations who taught me the method). From what I read online about the science behind it all I know the wine must in primary fermentation gives off CO2 - I just want to make sure theres nothing remotely dangerous with that happening? Im relatively sure the answer is its fine but my wife is pregnant so I just want to be absolutely certain.

Couple things to note, primary fermentation is in a tank with air exposure (covered by bug netting), in my garage which isnt airtight by any means but also not like its super ventilated. Air flow is basically from gaps under doors.

Sorry if this is a dumb question - but sometimes old italians leave out key details particularly with language barriers.

 

[Jim Welch]

I am neither an expert nor a textpert but am nearly certain the Mrs and your baby are not at risk. The CO2 quickly diffuses and unless you are making huge batches inside a hermetically sealed room I wouldn't be concerned.
Not to get too technical but if it was CO (carbon monoxide) we were talking about it would be a totally different story due to the way our red blood cells react to the presence of carbon monoxide.

 

[Adrian Rovito]

I am neither an expert nor a textpert but am nearly certain the Mrs and your baby are not at risk. The CO2 quickly diffuses and unless you are making huge batches inside a hermetically sealed room I wouldn't be concerned.
Not to get too technical but if it was CO (carbon monoxide) we were talking about it would be a totally different story due to the way our red blood cells react to the presence of carbon monoxide.

Awesome thanks!

 

[BigDaveK]

CO2 is necessary for all life. Nothing would survive without it.

CO, yes, different story. Not good.

 

[cmason1957]

I was at one of the biggest wineries in Missouri on a tour a few years back. I forget how much wine they make each year, Wikipedia says it's around 120,000 gallons. I looked up in the main fermentation area and they had a "Big Ass Fan" (that's a brandname) that they run during peak fermentation times, to keep the air moving. Personally, when I have had about 30 gallons going in my basement, I didn't do anything and my wife and I are both alive and well. In the garage you are essentially outside every time you open the door.

 

[winemanden]

CO2 is heavier than air. The old fashioned way of checking whether it was safe in a wine cellar was to keep a candle burning. If the flame went out, it wasn't safe to go down there.
How they used to get rid of it in those days, I don't know. Nowadays, as CMason says, they'd just use a fan.

 

[Ted Brumleve]

Read the book, "My First Crush" to better understand. Large quantities in small unventilated areas can be dangerous.

 

[Raptor99]

If your batches are less than 100 gallons you probably don't need to worry about it. But a 500 gallon batch in a basement w/o any windows could be dangerous.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Welcome to wine making talk.

* The GOOD, CO2 is part of the atmosphere and you’all have been breathing it forever. The dinosaurs also were breathing CO2 and every time you drink a cola or sparkling water you are consuming it. At 250 to 300 ppm atmospheric concentration it is easily shed from the lungs via respiration.
* The BAD, high levels will prevent oxygen uptake via the lungs and you suffocate. ex if is used in the local meat plant to make pigs go to sleep prior to the kill floor. It is insidious since you will sleep and can’t get away from the high concentration. I my career I have only heard one story of a worker not following confined space rules ,,, OSHA was angry. (another way to visualize the risk is it’s like COPD/ old folk lung damage, ,,, old folks can live for years with a cannula to increase the O2. If exposed to a high concentration/ sleeping the effect is reversible by getting fresh air.
* RISK, in a normal garage a six gallon bucket or 55 gallon drum aren’t hazardous. (Note many garages are 8 to 16 inches below the living space so that any CO2 generated form a car running while warming up or a water heater improperly vented stays out of the living area.) CO2 is actively generated/ measurable risk when sugars are being consumed, roughly 24 hours (when foam starts) to day five or seven when foam stops (~ 1.020 gravity) ,,, If you have a sealed garage as in insulated home construction large fermentor could be hazardous. A hose set up with a 500 cfm bath fan over the primary would be enough to eliminate the risk. ,,, Kinda like the hose the an auto dealer uses to vent cars they are working on.

 

[winemaker81]

Sorry if this is a dumb question - but sometimes old italians leave out key details particularly with language barriers.

Actually, it's a great question that most people don't think to ask.

My understanding is the same as already mentioned -- home winemaker quantities are not a problem, but beyond that may be. That said, it's good to have ventilation during fermentation.

 

[BigDaveK]

The numbers I get -
If we assume a 5 day ferment for 5 gallons and since yeast convert approximately one-third of the sugar to CO2 that averages out to 300 gr of CO2 per day. The average person exhales about 1100 gr of CO2 per day. So 20 gallons is roughly equal to 1 person breathing in a room.

Currently the atmosphere is about 420 ppm CO2. It's not toxic but it is an asphyxiant. 10,000 ppm will kill some insects and may cause a headache. 70,000 ppm might cause suffocation and the CDC has designated 100,000 ppm as life threatening.

I was curious. Thanks OP for the question. (I'm sure more suspicious Google searches have been added to my file. )