Other Solid bung or airlock for unmaintained bulk aging?

[Travis]

I have 4 or 5 kits and some other stuff (port, Red Mtn cab, barolo, LOVZ, mead, one or two more) currently bulk aging or clarifying. Here's the thing though: I got transferred for a 9 month assignment to Calgary, Canada, and will be leaving my wines behind to continue bulk aging. One the one hand, this is a perfect opportunity because it takes sampling temptation out of the equation. On the other hand, I won't be around to top off airlocks or really do anything. The wine will be in a locked closet, inaccessible to the folks that are house sitting. I won't have any control over temperature.

So, the question: should I fill my airlocks to the top and hope they last, or should I buy a bunch of solid bungs and stopper everything for the duration? Pros and cons would be welcome.

 

[Rocky]

Travis, I would use airlocks and I would fill them with something that did not evaporate, like glycerin or mineral oil. Putting a solid bung could be trouble if you had dramatic changes in temperature or barometric pressure. If the bung popped off, you would not know this until you returned and by then it would be too late.

 

[Luc]

Agreed.
To avoid disaster use an airlock all the time.
You may never know what happen, temperature building up and therefore pressure, barometic changes, or a spontanuous MLF or re fermentation or whatever.
Play safe and use an airlock.

Luc

 

[sdb8440]

Travis,

As someone who lives where you are moving you will find out all about sudden pressure and weather changes...welcome to Calgary!

The shop that has the best reputaion and 60% of the wine making awards in the province recomends a Vacuvin systems, slipped over a silicone bung.They came up with the idea to help rid CO2, which is hard to do at our altitude. It will create a solid vacuum in the carboy, keeping critters out along with harful oxygen. Wine at my place never gets that many months in the carboy, but my uncle has been using them for years and once the vacuum is applied, it will stay for 12 months plus.

http://www.vacuvinonline.com/wine/

Scott

 

[flapbreaker]

I have 4 or 5 kits and some other stuff (port, Red Mtn cab, barolo, LOVZ, mead, one or two more) currently bulk aging or clarifying. Here's the thing though: I got transferred for a 9 month assignment to Calgary, Canada, and will be leaving my wines behind to continue bulk aging. One the one hand, this is a perfect opportunity because it takes sampling temptation out of the equation. On the other hand, I won't be around to top off airlocks or really do anything. The wine will be in a locked closet, inaccessible to the folks that are house sitting. I won't have any control over temperature.

So, the question: should I fill my airlocks to the top and hope they last, or should I buy a bunch of solid bungs and stopper everything for the duration? Pros and cons would be welcome.

I don't know if the more experienced members will agree or not but I have always used vodka in my airlock and have never needed to top them off. I figure if I get a little vodka in my wine no big deal.

 

[grapeman]

I don't know if the more experienced members will agree or not but I have always used vodka in my airlock and have never needed to top them off. I figure if I get a little vodka in my wine no big deal.

I have had vodka dry up after a few months in the airlock - faster than water actually so it needs to be checked periodically.

If you do use a solid stopper, be sure to tape it down so it doesn't pop out, but on the downside if it builds too much pressure up it could blow the carboy. Minimally I would make sure that I have my sulfites a bit high for that long of unattended storage - probably add 3/8 teaspoon before leaving. That alone will help protect the wine from possible refermentation while you are gone.

 

[robie]

In my experience, the three-piece air locks are convenient, but the S-type tend to not dry up as quickly. I believe the S-type also are less likely to suck the air lock solution down into the wine when the atmospheric pressure goes up.

 

[Travis]

Travis,

As someone who lives where you are moving you will find out all about sudden pressure and weather changes...welcome to Calgary!

The shop that has the best reputaion and 60% of the wine making awards in the province recomends a Vacuvin systems, slipped over a silicone bung.They came up with the idea to help rid CO2, which is hard to do at our altitude. It will create a solid vacuum in the carboy, keeping critters out along with harful oxygen. Wine at my place never gets that many months in the carboy, but my uncle has been using them for years and once the vacuum is applied, it will stay for 12 months plus.

http://www.vacuvinonline.com/wine/

Scott

Scott,

I already have the Vacuvin apparatus and silicone bungs both solid and drilled, but I'm not quite understanding what you mean about slipping over the bung. I can think of a few ways it might work, but can you explain further? This seems like a very doable solution...

 

[saramc]

You can also consider the waterless airlocks. http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Silicone-Waterless-Airlock.html.

 

[Putterrr]

I got mine from here, very helpful folks and great price. I have only used them for storage so far and can't comment on what will happen when my carboys start warming up and exerting outward pressure. I'm sure they will work just fine. A friend who also bought some, uses his during fermentation and they haven't popped out for him.

http://www.vintable.com/bungs.html

 

[robie]

Scott,

I already have the Vacuvin apparatus and silicone bungs both solid and drilled, but I'm not quite understanding what you mean about slipping over the bung. I can think of a few ways it might work, but can you explain further? This seems like a very doable solution...

George at Fine vine wines (one of our sponsors) has wine making videos, which show him using this setup. Just go to his videos section.

 

[dangerdave]

I use silicone carboy stoppers for long term aging, but I'm there to keep an eye on any poppers. Although none have ever popped out, I might add. Mine are vented, allowing air out, but none in. Might be the way to go.

Find them here: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/vent...184_a_7c6124&gclid=CN2Fhr6A67UCFYk7MgodX3IAmg

 

[sdb8440]

Hi Travis,

Here are a couple of pictures, one without the vacuvin stopper so you can see the bung and one with the stopper installed. It is a bit of a bugger to get it on though but works well.

 

[Travis]

Eureka!

I've got it! Thanks to Lyndsey at Midwest, with whom I spoke regarding waterless airlock options, I've come up with a plan. She suggested a blowoff tube setup like we'd use with vigorous beer yeast, and here is my response to her detailing where her suggestion led:

Lyndsey,

I think the blowoff setup may just be the best idea yet. Running with that, my plan is to run 5 or 6 tubes into each container of sanitizer, making an “airlock octopus”. I realize that technically an octopus would require 8 tubes, and that my plan would more properly be called an airlock pentapus or hexapus, but it’s wine, not biology. I’m going to drill and grommet holes in the lid of my sanitizer containers in order to 1) guarantee that the tubes stay in place and 2) make extra sure that I minimize evaporation.

Can anyone see any idea why this wouldn't work?

 

[bstnh1]

I've had no problem with Better Bottles. I clean them with about a half gallon of solution with a thin hand towel tossed in to slosh around. After rinsing, I dry the inside by throwing in a dry towel and bouncing it around for awhile. As far as sucking water in from the airlock when lifting or moving the carboy, if you remove the float in the airlock before you lift or move the carboy, you won't get anything sucked back in

 

[MrKevin]

I used some waterless airlocks to move my wine from Anchorage to Fairbanks. They worked good. I did have to overcome one problem, the airlocks wanted to slip out so I got some light wire and made device to hold them in, similar to what is used on a champagne bottle.

Kevin

 

[chrisjw]

I used some waterless airlocks to move my wine from Anchorage to Fairbanks. They worked good. I did have to overcome one problem, the airlocks wanted to slip out so I got some light wire and made device to hold them in, similar to what is used on a champagne bottle.

Kevin

That is exactly what I do with the waterless airlock but I use a large pipe clamp around the neck of the carboy which secures a thick string that is strung over the top of the airlock.

I also put a plastic bag over the whole thing and secure that with rubber bands just to keep anything from crawling on the top of the airlock.

I have used this setup for several years without any problem and leave it in place for 6-7 months.