Air Locks

Howard

I have had an issue with Airlocks, My first brew { Ultimate Brewery Octoberfest } I used the red cap styled airlock and it did not do anything ..... The level split as it should of done but no bubbling not even a tiny burp in the whole process, On my second brew {Ultimate Brewery American Pale Ale } I again started of with the red cap style Air Lock but again never saw a bubble movement.... So after two days I swopped it for the Handy Airlock style and after an hour I checked on it and I have got some gurgling bubble action.....

So I was wondering does one style of Airlock work better than the other style with certain types of brew style ?

I have had a good look at my red cap airlock and cant see anything obviously wrong with it No holes any where that should not be there other than one at the bottom and one at the top and I blew air through it and that came right out...... 

Any Thoughts ......... I am thinking I will stick with the handy style for now......  :-/

HBO_Staff

This is quite a common question, there are a few reasons why an airlock will or wont bubble, but it is nothing to worry about, a guide with more info is here;

http://homebrewonline.vanillaforums.com/discussion/519/fermentation-what-to-expect#latest

If one bubbles and one doesn't it may be due to the amount of pressure in the vessel and there is not enough CO2 being created to force past the weight of the water in the larger airlock. One thing to check is that the stem on the airlock is smooth so it is sealing fully with the grommet in the vessel lid, any tiny pin hole gaps will allow CO2 to escape. The main thing is to keep any contaminants out and using either airlock you will achieve this