PeiHomeBrewer Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 Hey everyone. I just put down the APA in my sparkling new Coopers fermenter, and as I feared I have the dreaded poor seal. The air lock is bubbling away now, but I had to torque the lid on (will probably have a hell of a time getting it off now). I know everyone on here recommends throwing the lid in the garbage and using cling wrap, but to me that doesn't really seem like much of a solution, and hardly something I would ask someone to do after paying money for it (e.g Doesn't work? throw a piece of it in the garbage). I've heard people have had luck using some sort of lubricant around the seal. Is anyone aware of what sort of lubricants work best? BTW, I ditched the airlock and used my trusty three piece. It has a larger diameter, so it fits more snuggly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted July 31, 2010 Share Posted July 31, 2010 The lid is good for keeping dust out of the fermentor when it is not in use so don't throw out whatever you do! As for other options that are easier and more functional for a multitude of reasons...well you've covered them [whistling If you must use a lubricant make sure it is water based...if it is suitable in the bedroom it is suitable for brewing [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeiHomeBrewer Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 The lid is good for keeping dust out of the fermentor when it is not in use so don't throw out whatever you do! As for other options that are easier and more functional for a multitude of reasons...well you've covered them [whistling If you must use a lubricant make sure it is water based...if it is suitable in the bedroom it is suitable for brewing [cool] I've heard KY tends to dry out pretty easily, so I am a little reluctant to use it. I've heard some say Vaseline, others so no don't use it because it eats at rubber. I suppose Keg lube would be the best option, but I don't think I can get that around these parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I've heard KY is the way to go - don't know about it drying out though? Vaseline "I have heard" is prone to infection )If I heard correctly that is). Hopefully someone can give you better answer as the only suggestions I have on this subject can be a bit repetetive (Even if they are highly intelligent and practical [lol] ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenS9 Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I had the same problem with a poor seal around the lid. I greased the O ring with some silicon grease (not silicon spray), which I normally use for greasing O rings on cameras etc for diving, this fixed the problem. Doesn't have any bad effects on the rubber, it's non toxic, and as far as I can tell hasn't made any difference to the brew (am currently brewing the second batch since greasing). I bought it from a diving shop a while ago, not really sure were else you might get hold of some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Poor Seal? I've never seen one of these around my fermenter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THIRSTY MATT Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 WHERE DA HELL YOU BEEN TRICKY?????????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trusty1 Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 wouldn't you see more about this in the "club conversation" area?[innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I'd comment but it seems I'm in the wrong place [whistling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 ...never seen a rich seal actually....I thought they were all poor....[roll] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 I'd stay away from flavoured lube... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 ...never seen a rich seal actually....I thought they were all poor....[roll] I daresay this Seal would be quite rich.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 maybe......but I've never seen him before..[roll] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 2, 2010 Share Posted August 2, 2010 His name is Seal and he is a Singer-songwriter, musician specialising in soul, R&B, adult contemporary, soft rock, and pop. He is also married to German model Heidi Klum. There you go Ross - a little bit of useless info for you [biggrin] \t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewk5 Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 i have the coopers FV, and my only suggestion is make sure you are not cross threading the lid ( i.e. its not screwed on and looks on an angle ) ......being when the lid is on it should look even all the way around..... or your rubber 'O' ring inside the lid might be missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeirdBeer Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Now I don't have a Coopers fermenter but what about taking some plastic wrap and folding it over the edge of the fermenter? (Not over the top of the fermenter, but just fold it over the lip. Then screw the lid down on top of the plastic wrap? Maybe it would be enough to fill the gaps between the threads? BTW, why didn't you tell me you were getting an APA? I wanna know what you think of it. We gotta chat PEI! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 [pinched] I will never understand the point of going to so much effort to get an airtight seal when it doesn't serve a purpose. It is absolutely necessary to have proper seal on a submarine but an FV not so important. But then I have a need to have my socks pointing in the same direction when I hang them on the clothesline (never noticed myself but it has been pointed out to me) so I guess we all have our issues [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeirdBeer Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 [pinched] I will never understand the point of going to so much effort to get an airtight seal when it doesn't serve a purpose. It is absolutely necessary to have proper seal on a submarine but an FV not so important. Well I always thought the point was to protect against infection. (CO2 gets out, nothing else gets in). Now I don't have a Coopers fermenter, so I can't comment on my experience with it. But I can empathize with PEI. I'm sure its frustrating to get a brand new fermenter and have it leak and not see that airlock bubble. I know the importance of using your hydrometer, but if its not important to see that airlock bubble up, why bother including one in the kit? Going by what you think is important it seems to me that the lid shouldn't have the port for an airlock, and the CO2 can just escape through the lid on its own. Whats the difference? It wasn't bubbling anyway right? Another idea PEI is add some kind of thick plastic right around the base of the rim (on the outside of the fermenter if you know what I mean). Then possibly when you tighten the lid down it might squish up against this new plastic and make a seal? I don't know what kind of plastic to use, maybe some kind of rubber strips so that its a little squishy? But personally I like my plastic wrap over the lip of the fermenter idea better. Any other ideas people? Lets help this guy out. Hes a friend of Coopers, always sticking up for them when people aren't so nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 A lot of things have changed about homebrewing in the past twenty or thirty years, I remember a lot of people making homebrew in the seventies when I believe it was still illegal, well the people making it thought it was anyhow, then it was all done in open fermenters, rubbish bins etc. I guess when the first commercial homebrewing equipment was released it seemed like a good idea to have airlocks and stuff, but like most inventions someone always improves on them or finds them not worthwhile any longer....take the kanga sugar dispenser for example...or the sediment do da that went in the tap, my suggestion is to forget the airlock and go with the cling seal....(er wrap I mean Tricky), if you insist on using the complete kit as purchased, use it but don't try and get the lid to seal....I mean become airtight....the lid and airlock filled will still do the same job as the clingwrap with a pinhole in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Going by what you think is important it seems to me that the lid shouldn't have the port for an airlock' date=' and the CO2 can just escape through the lid on its own.[/quote'] No I'm not saying the lid shouldn't have a port for an airlock - I'm saying you just don't need a lid at all. Cling wrap and a pin hole is not only easier it is more useful. I can sympathise with PEI but it is pretty much a lost cause and the effort that will go in to getting a true seal are just not worth it. I believe the ideas mentioned on this thread have already exhausted the practical solutions to even the biggest "friend of Coopers". The more things you attach to the underside of the lid, or slather into the rim, the more chance of infection you risk. but like most inventions someone always improves on them or finds them not worthwhile any longer....take the kanga sugar dispenser for example... Apart from maybe bulk priming I'm still yet to see anything as useful as the kanga for priming irregular sized bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I bought a coffee machine several years back. Upon using it for the first time, I found that it would not adjust the grind size. Took it to the approved repair centre - the first thing the tech did, once pulled apart, was throw a significant looking piece of componentry in the bin saying, "you don't need that". I though, this guy is an expert so I'm not going to bother questioning his actions. The machine has been making brilliant coffee ever since [biggrin] [cool] [biggrin] I guess this is a bit like our FV, sediment reducer, airlock, lid story...[happy] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 ......I only mentioned the Kanga Muddy because I know how hard we tried to locate one!...I still have a couple of them, though I use drops now because I have all regular sized longnecks...mainly Coopers of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Yeah I know Ross just thought I'd jump in at the mention of the kanga. Of course in our house it is known as "The Amazing Ross Machine" [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossm Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 ...well thank you Muddy, nice to know my name is used in relation to something that can be spoken of in a public forum...[whistling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idicus Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 My coopers fermenter had a pretty bad seal so I've become a convert to the cling wrap, love seeing the brew at work, plus much less to clean up and keeps nasties out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.