Just got home from work, went to listen to the airlock (the fermenter is in a box to keep the cat away) and I didn’t hear a nice little bubble but a horrendous hiss. I opened the box to find a completely clogged airlock, it had overflowed and the hiss was high pressure gas making its way around the airlock.
The first thing I did was start to take the top off the airlock, I was then greeted with a rush of CO2, after waiting for that to clear out I removed the airlock to clean it. As I pulled out the airlock I was showered with foam (I think there is still some in my hair). So I cleaned out the airlock as quick as I could, turned around to find the airlock hole foaming over so I crammed the airlock back in the hole. It worked for about a minute and was clogged again.
Off to the internet I ran. A quick search taught me that this is common with small (exactly 5 gallons) glass fermenters and was actually a sign of strong yeast and a good fermentation. So using directions intended for a glass fermenter (mine is plastic) I used my bottling hose in the air lock hole and put the other end in a glass of water (in a mixing bowl) on the floor. This method is called a blow off tube.
So, very good fermentation makes a mess. It should slow down in a few days then I can go back to the normal 3 piece airlock, until then I have to find a way to store my new contraption (and keep the cat away).
Brewing with bubbles,
Stacey