Sulfur Stick Won’t Stay Lit

[vouxwines]

I’m fairly certain I know why this is happening but thought I would put it out there to see if anybody has any easy solutions. After six months or so of maintaining a 4 to 6 weeks of regular sulfur additions via burning a sulfur stick in my empty and dry 60 gallon oak, the sulfur sticks progressively do not want to stay lit once lowered into the barrel. I’ll pull them out anfter 7 minutes and instead of being burnt black they’re halfway burnt or barely charred at all. I think what’s happening is the oxygen is completely depleted inside of the barrel from burning multiple sulfur sticks over time. In the past, my solution has been blowing out the barrel with my blower to introduce oxygen back into the barrel, but this seems counterproductive and is a lot of work and isn’t always an option when I’m up on a ladder. Should I be concerned when a minimal amount of sulfur is being burned into a barrel with almost no oxygen in it?

The other thing to note is whenever I burn my sulfur sticks. I do seal the bung…I don’t tilt it open like a lot of wine makers do because it’s indoors and I have a sensitivity to sulfur. The gas is very toxic. So by sealing the top during burning, I believe that all of the oxygen is being consumed by the flame, burning the sulfur.

Thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Rocky]

I’m fairly certain I know why this is happening but thought I would put it out there to see if anybody has any easy solutions. After six months or so of maintaining a 4 to 6 weeks of regular sulfur additions via burning a sulfur stick in my empty and dry 60 gallon oak, the sulfur sticks progressively do not want to stay lit once lowered into the barrel. I’ll pull them out anfter 7 minutes and instead of being burnt black they’re halfway burnt or barely charred at all. I think what’s happening is the oxygen is completely depleted inside of the barrel from burning multiple sulfur sticks over time. In the past, my solution has been blowing out the barrel with my blower to introduce oxygen back into the barrel, but this seems counterproductive and is a lot of work and isn’t always an option when I’m up on a ladder. Should I be concerned when a minimal amount of sulfur is being burned into a barrel with almost no oxygen in it?

The other thing to note is whenever I burn my sulfur sticks. I do seal the bung…I don’t tilt it open like a lot of wine makers do because it’s indoors and I have a sensitivity to sulfur. The gas is very toxic. So by sealing the top during burning, I believe that all of the oxygen is being consumed by the flame, burning the sulfur.

Thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

I tend to agree that you are burning up the oxygen in the barrel in that you have the bung on tightly, particularly since the stick burns for a period of time until snuffed out by lack of oxygen. We used 55 gallon whiskey barrels at home a long time ago and when we burned the sulfur sticks in them, we had the stick on a wire, suspended from the bung hole with the bung very loosely in place, allowing air to enter. We also had a spigot hole (about 1" diameter) in the barrel head which was either completely open or the spigot was open allowing oxygen to enter. Also, we did this outside, not indoors. I don't recall ever having an issue with the stick extinguishing.

 

[mainshipfred]

My barrels are for the most part always full but I do have the same issue when burning sulfur sticks. My thought has always be the same as yours in the oxygen has been depleted which is the purpose of burning the sticks anyway.

 

[Rocky]

My barrels are for the most part always full but I do have the same issue when burning sulfur sticks. My thought has always be the same as yours in the oxygen has been depleted which is the purpose of burning the sticks anyway.

Fred, I am unclear on your last sentence. My belief has always been that purpose of burning the sulfur sticks in the barrel was to produce SO2, which would be absorbed into the wood to prevent mold and bacteria growth.

 

[mainshipfred]

Fred, I am unclear on your last sentence. My belief has always been that purpose of burning the sulfur sticks in the barrel was to produce SO2, which would be absorbed into the wood to prevent mold and bacteria growth.

Sorry, I misspoke, you are absolutely correct. I was think and typing two different thing.

 

[Garagista]

I use sulfur discs so I can’t speak to sticks but is it possible that after several cycles of 4 week sulfur burns, you still have residual SO2 gas from the previous burn?