Hi, first time wine-maker here. Over the weekend i racked my juice into 5-gallon carboys and topped off with some bottled wine. I got the carboys, bung and air lock from North Mountain supply and once I put them in the neck they pop up within 2 seconds. I can take them off pretty easily and am concerned I don't have a tight enough seal to prevent oxygen from getting in. I can confirm these bungs are not wet and I've tried twisting and pushing to keep them down. At this point, is it safe to tape them down with saran wrap and duct tape? Should I be worried about the gas buildup in the carboy? Thanks in advance!
Should I tape the bung to the carboy?
- Thread starter ansky285
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Ohio Bob
Senior Member
I dunk the stopper/airlock in vodka or Everclear then insert the stopper/airlock while giving it a turn. Hold it in place for 1-2 seconds. Then check the airlock level to see that a positive pressure is maintained. Rarely have I had a fit so bad that I’ve had to try a different stopper.
Taping it in place is also a method if you feel safe about it. There is no pressure in the carboy. Pressure is released via the bubbles coming from the airlock.
And if by “bung” you mean a solid stopper, NEVER do that unless your wine is absolutely dry and there is no danger of offgassing or residual fermentation. That could blow the bung off the carboy.
Taping it in place is also a method if you feel safe about it. There is no pressure in the carboy. Pressure is released via the bubbles coming from the airlock.
And if by “bung” you mean a solid stopper, NEVER do that unless your wine is absolutely dry and there is no danger of offgassing or residual fermentation. That could blow the bung off the carboy.
Yup, I had the same problem with the slippery, squishy, silicon, North Mountain supply air lock stoppers. They have known about the problem for a long time but continue to sell the useless stoppers. The old hard rubber stoppers work.
And I have found that these are really good, https://www.amazon.com/Fermentology...1727734370&sprefix=carboy+caps,aps,137&sr=8-5
I have a stopper with a hole in the middle for the airlock. It's a piece of plastic with 2 reservoirs if that makes sense? Kind of looks like the attached pic. Can you explain what you mean by positive pressure? You got me wondering if I have the right amount of water in there and if it's set up right. Thanks!
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Those are pretty interesting. Have you used them before and they worked?
Ohio Bob
Senior Member
So these are called S-type airlocks, looks like the letter S. If you take one in your hand and fill it with water, the water level in each chamber will be at an equal level. When you attach that airlock to your carboy you will immediately see an increase in one chamber, and a decrease in the other chamber, indicating a pressure difference. When you let go, you should see the level stay roughly the same, at least not at equal levels. If the levels immediately drop to equal, then there is a leak somewhere.
I have 12 of the silicon caps in service now and with the S bubblers. They are very easy to use and trouble free, wish I had found them earlier.
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Great information, thank you!
I'm going to order them right now. Crossing my fingers they do the trick. Thanks for sharing!
I would bet my sister-in law's reputation that you'll like them.
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