Water seal for wine: purpose and design. Water seal for fermentation: purpose and characteristics Water seal for mash what gives
Organizing a stable fermentation process is impossible without a water seal. It is often purchased in a retail chain along with a fermentation tank. However, you can make a water seal for fermentation yourself using available materials.
What is a water seal
The fermentation process is ensured by the active work of yeast. As a result of the absorption of sugar, they produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. The winemaker's main goal is to remove carbon dioxide from the mixture while preserving the alcohol.
To release gas from the container, you can simply open it slightly. But at this moment air will enter there. Under its influence, the bacteria that are in the mash will begin to work actively. A chemical reaction will occur, as a result of which the alcohol will turn into acetic acid and the mixture will turn sour. To prevent this, the container with mash is always tightly closed.
However, the volume of gas released during fermentation is so large that the pressure can cause the container to explode. A water seal is used to prevent this from happening. It works on the principle of plumbing equipment, where water blocks the outlet of all tubes and hoses, preventing various odors from entering the room. When used in a fermentation tank, it prevents oxygen from entering inside, but does not prevent gas from leaving the mash freely.
Why is it needed?
The device helps:
- maintain the quality of the mash, protecting it from oxygen and souring and not retaining carbon dioxide (it comes out freely);
- keep the entire fermentation process under control, allowing you to determine its completion in time.
Even the simplest water seal in terms of design makes it possible to see that gas evolution has ended and is ready.
Another important reason why a water seal is needed is to rid the room of the pungent odors of fermentation. An additional pipe with gases can be discharged directly into the sewer.
Purchased water seals
Industrial manufacturers offer a large selection of hydraulic seals of different designs and sizes.
The simplest two-chamber device is a curved tube with 2 chambers connected in series into which water is poured. This water seal is made of transparent plastic. Additionally, it is equipped with a sealing rubber band and a lid.
It must be installed in the lid of the fermentation tank strictly vertically. Fill water up to the middle of the chambers. Some models have a special mark for filling water. If you pour a larger volume of liquid, then during active fermentation it may splash.
The collapsible model is a structure consisting of 2 flasks inserted into one another. Most often it is smaller in size than the two-chamber model.
Since the device is disassembled, it is easy to maintain.
Another type of industrial device is a lid with a water seal for cans. This device is designed for standard 1, 2 and 3 liter glass jars. The lid is simply put on the jar of wort, and water is poured into the cylinder. The main thing is that the end of the outlet tube is under water.
How to make a water seal for mash
If it is not possible to buy a ready-made device, then you can make a water seal for the mash with your own hands. The simplest design is a lid with a tube. A tight lid is put on the vessel with the mash, in which a hole is first made. Then the tube is inserted and its end is lowered into a container of water. The connection point with the lid should be hermetically sealed using plasticine or other available material. Do not use thin capillary tubes. During active fermentation, they may become clogged with foam. Large diameter tubes are suitable for this design.
A small addition will make this design more effective. Installing an additional tube will help get rid of unpleasant odors. This is especially important when the container with mash is in a living room.
To make such a drain, the container with water into which the gas will escape must be covered with a lid. Make 2 holes in it first. Insert a tube from a container with mash into one, and another tube into the second, but there is no need to place it in the liquid. Its end should be led outside into a ventilation hole or connected to the sewer system.
Fermentation is often accompanied by unpleasant loud sounds. A specially designed shutter will help get rid of this problem. For production you will need a tube with a length of 40 to 60 cm and a diameter of 12-14 mm. One end of the tube is attached to the lid covering the container with mash. Then it is folded into a loop and secured with tape so that the other end is raised up. Water poured into the tube will be in the loop. Thanks to this, the gas released by the mash will be able to come out in smaller bubbles and without sound.
The disadvantage of this device is that if fermentation is too active, water may splash out. To get rid of this problem, the tube is covered with a small cap, which will not prevent the gas from escaping, but will not allow water to pass through.
Another simple and affordable method is to use a rubber glove. It is put on the neck of the container with mash and secured with a rope (if necessary). To release carbon dioxide, a puncture is made in one finger. Using a glove, you can easily monitor the completion of the fermentation process. As soon as it is deflated, fermentation is over, you can begin distillation.
Cotton wool is often used as a seal, which is simply placed in the neck of the container. However, this is not the most effective method. Some air will still get inside, which will affect the quality of the finished product.
This method has another drawback. It is impossible to determine whether fermentation has ended or not. In this situation, you will have to use a lit match. If a match held to the neck continues to burn, fermentation is complete. If it goes out, the release of carbon dioxide continues.
You can make a water seal with your own hands using a variety of materials, for example, disposable syringes. The flasks from two syringes need to be fastened to each other using tape or tape. Connect the spouts with a silicone tube. Pour water into the first flask and place the entire structure in the lid covering the container. Seal the mounting location carefully.
How to use
The water seal for wine is placed in the prepared hole on the lid, which will cover the container with mash, then it is filled with water to the required level. The device will ensure complete sealing of the fermentation tank.
In addition, it serves as an indicator of the activity of the fermentation process. The intensity of bubble formation will determine the degree of readiness of the product. While they are released, the maturation process continues. As soon as their appearance has stopped, you can begin distilling the mash.
If you use a water seal made from a rubber glove, you must pierce it correctly. The number of punctures will depend on the volume of wort. For a container of 1-2 liters, one hole is enough, from 3 to 20 liters - two. For containers with a volume of more than 20 liters, at least 5 holes will be needed. They will not harm the finished product, since the volume of air entering through them is minimal.
The integrity of the glove should be checked daily. There are frequent cases when it flies off or breaks. It happens that she is pulled inside. This indicates that the container was not hermetically sealed and foreign impurities got into the mash.
A water seal for mash is a device without which the process of preparing an alcoholic drink can occur uncontrollably. This may result in apple cider vinegar ending up in the fermentation tank instead of the expected drink.
Purpose of the water seal
To understand why a water seal is needed, you should know what the fermentation process is. Fermentation is a set of complex biological and chemical processes. The main one for winemakers is the breakdown of sugar, which is part of organic substances. This produces alcohol. Yeast and bacteria play a major role in the wine fermentation process. Bacteria can carry out their activities both in the air and without atmospheric oxygen. In the first case, the decomposition product is apple cider vinegar, in the second - alcohols and carbon dioxide.
Winemakers are interested in producing alcohol, so their task is to provide fermentation conditions without air access. It will not be possible to simply seal the fermentation container hermetically. For every liter of alcohol produced, about 4 m³ of carbon dioxide is released. The pressure created by carbon dioxide is so great that it can rupture the fermentation tank.
To ensure normal pressure in the container, a water seal is used. This is a valve that releases excess carbon dioxide from the container and prevents atmospheric oxygen from entering it.
Homemade water seals
You can purchase a ready-made water seal, but it’s easy to make it yourself.
Medical glove
This is the simplest and cheapest type of water seal. The glove can be purchased at any store. Due to its elasticity, it fits tightly onto the neck of any glass container. If the neck is narrow, the glove must be secured with tape or tape. Some winemakers leave the glove intact, others puncture a hole in one of its fingers.
In the first case, it is possible that the glove will burst. In the second case, carbon dioxide formed during fermentation creates excess pressure and prevents atmospheric oxygen from penetrating into the container.
But it is preferable to insert a tube into the hole to drain carbon dioxide into a container of water.
During the fermentation process, the glove is inflated and by its appearance one can judge the degree of readiness of the mash.
Classic way
If the bottle has a narrow neck and is equipped with a plastic, rubber or wooden stopper, you will need to drill a hole in it for a glass or metal tube onto which the hose fits. You can do without the tube by inserting the hose into the drilled hole. The connection between the tube and the plug must be sealed. If the neck of the bottle is designed for a plastic cap, you can use it. But you need to think about how to secure the lid so that excess gas pressure does not rip it off.
The free end of the hose is lowered into a bottle of water.
During the fermentation process, gas bubbles come out of the hose into the water. If their formation has stopped, then fermentation is over.
In all cases, the length of the hose must be selected so that it does not get tangled or kinked. The diameter of the hose does not play a special role, but you should not take less than 5 mm, it can become clogged with mash. The hose can be purchased at a hardware store or auto parts market.
Disadvantages of homemade water seals:
- at any inopportune moment, a rubber glove can burst;
- not everyone likes the sound (gurgling) of escaping air;
- There may be an unpleasant odor in the room where fermentation occurs.
You can get rid of an unpleasant odor. As a container with water, you need to take a jar with a plastic lid in which 2 holes are drilled. The hose from the fermentation tank passes through one and its end is in the water. The second hose passes through the other. One end of it is located in a jar above the surface of the water, and the second is attached to the ventilation grille or window. The gases removed from the fermentation tank are collected under the lid and removed outside the room. Unpleasant odors disappear.
Alcohols are bacterial waste products. When their content in the mash reaches 15%, the living conditions for bacteria will become unfavorable, they will stop their activity and fermentation will stop.
A water seal in moonshine brewing is a rather small thing in size, but important in function.
Why is it needed, and what is it?
The fact is that carbon dioxide is continuously formed in the fermentation tank, releasing about four cubic meters for every liter of alcohol produced during the fermentation process.
But this gas must not only be removed, but removed in such a way that oxygen does not get into the mash along with air.
Check valve
Otherwise, in parallel with alcoholic fermentation, other processes harmful to proper mash may develop, for example, the formation of acetic acid and souring of the mash. Thus, during the fermentation process, the water seal must act as a check valve to remove carbon dioxide from the fermentation tank.
Fermentation indicator
Secondly, the water seal serves as a kind of indicator that fermentation is in progress, and by the rate of release of gas bubbles one can judge its intensity. By the way, this is the most reliable method for determining the readiness of the mash - the “bubbling” in the water seal has stopped, which means the formation of carbon dioxide has stopped, and fermentation is over.
All other “folk” methods for determining the readiness of the mash, such as the flashing of steam from a boiling mash, or the extinguishing of a match over the mash, can only indicate that there is already a certain amount of ethyl alcohol in the mash or carbon dioxide is accumulating above its surface.
Eliminator of unpleasant odor
And thirdly, the water seal can also serve to remove the carbon dioxide released during the fermentation process not into the atmosphere of the room, but directly into the sewer.
This is especially true for an apartment, because a water seal with a drain into the sewer completely eliminates the smell in the home during fermentation of mash.
How is a water seal installed?
If you want to carry out fermentation in a container with a neck, then additionally you can purchase rubber stoppers for a water seal that fit onto the neck.
All you have to do is measure the overall diameter of the neck and select the appropriate plug. We recommend you a GreenAlco water seal, which already comes with a rubber plug d14mm.
The water seal is installed on top of the sealed container, and due to the dense rubber stopper at the junction of the container and the water seal, as well as the water layer inside it, the fermentation container is completely sealed.
Thus, there is a smooth release of carbon dioxide, which is released abundantly during the fermentation process, and there is no access of oxygen inside the container. Ensures stability of the fermentation process and high quality of the product!
The material was prepared by online store experts Kupitalon.ru. When copying materials from the site, a hyperlink is required
In this material we will discuss such a seemingly insignificant device as a water seal for mash. Why is it needed, and what is it? It is needed, first of all, to remove carbon dioxide from the fermentation tank. This gas is continuously formed in the fermentation tank and is released about four cubic meters for each liter of alcohol produced during the fermentation process. But this gas must not only be removed, but removed in such a way that oxygen does not enter the mash along with air - otherwise, in parallel with alcoholic fermentation, other processes that are harmful to the proper mash may develop. For example, the formation of acetic acid and souring of the mash. Thus, the water seal must act as a check valve during the fermentation process. Secondly, the water seal serves as a kind of indicator that fermentation is in progress, and by the rate of release of gas bubbles one can judge its intensity. By the way, this is the most reliable method for determining the readiness of the mash - the “bubbling” in the water seal has stopped, which means the formation of carbon dioxide has stopped, and fermentation is over. All other “folk” methods for determining the readiness of the mash, such as the flashing of steam from a boiling mash, or the extinguishing of a match over the mash, can only indicate that there is already a certain amount of ethyl alcohol in the mash or carbon dioxide is accumulating above its surface.
And thirdly: a water seal can also serve to drain the se-o-two released during the fermentation process not into the atmosphere of the room, but directly into the sewer system, and a description of such a water seal design will be given below. This is especially true for an apartment - a water seal with a drain into the sewer completely eliminates the smell in the home during fermentation of mash. And here is a schematic representation of the operation of a water seal for mash with gas discharge into the sewer:
In this diagram, carbon dioxide from the fermentation tank enters the water seal through a hose, where, overcoming the pressure of the liquid column h, it is directed into the sewer. But gases from the sewer cannot overcome the pressure of the liquid column and remain where they are supposed to be. But we will assemble such a water seal with our own hands.
The easiest way, it seems to me, is to make such a device from a jar with a tightly screwed lid, from mayonnaise, for example.
At the market I bought these homemade stainless steel fittings.
Their diameter is about 12 mm, just right for a commercially available 12 mm PVC pipe. They are not expensive at all - 5 pieces cost me about $1. And the fact that they are different lengths doesn’t bother me at all, it doesn’t play a serious role! We drill two holes in the selected cover for the water seal:
True, I didn’t have such a large drill at my disposal, so I drilled with what I had:
And I flared it to the required diameter with a cone-shaped object of suitable dimensions:
In my case, fine-nosed pliers worked perfectly:
A water seal is a device for carbon dioxide removal from the fermentation tank, as well as lack of oxygen inside this container. It allows you to maintain the mash in optimal condition, creating conditions for fermentation and preventing it from souring. There are many options for implementing it at home, which we will consider below.
A water seal is used in the vast majority of cases when mash is installed for moonshine. In some situations, fermentation products, on the contrary, are allowed to breathe, leaving the container open, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Every self-respecting moonshiner should know what a water seal is, what it can be made of and how to install it correctly.
Classic approach to water seal for fermentation
The diagram below shows the principle of operation of the simplest water seal, which consists of a tube lowered into a container of water.
During fermentation, carbon dioxide is released, which creates pressure inside the fermentation tank. It goes through a tube into the water, from which it enters the environment in bubbles. At the same time, air from the external environment does not enter the fermentation tank, since water prevents its passage.
This principle allows the mash to calmly “play” and process sugar into alcohol, reducing the risk of souring and spoilage.
What types of water seals are there and which one is better?
When used correctly everything water the shutters work the same way. It is impossible to say which one is better, since they perform their task perfectly. It is best to choose the most convenient option for you, which will perform its function and not strain you during moonshine brewing.
Two-chamber (75-200 rubles)
This type is the most popular among moonshiners. It is simple, clear and difficult to turn over, break or disturb. A two-chamber shutter is installed on top of the container and perfectly shows the presence or absence of carbon dioxide emissions from the mash.
You won’t be able to make it on your own, so you will need to go to a specialized distillery store or order it online (it sells on AliExpress for 75 rubles).
Double chamber
Collapsible with two flasks (100-150 rubles)
Another purchased option that can be disassembled and cleaned. In terms of price, it can be purchased even cheaper than a two-chamber one.
Some moonshiners are bothered by the height of this device, which does not allow placing the container in a limited space. Therefore, it is quite possible that a simpler and home-made option will suit you.
Collapsible
Tube lowered into water
The principle is as follows: a hole is cut in the lid of the container for the tube. Using plasticine, the cracks are sealed and the tube is attached. Next, it is lowered into a container of water. As a result of fermentation, carbon dioxide accumulates in the container, exits through a tube into the water and is removed through bubbles. Due to water, air does not penetrate inside.
The most versatile, simple and effective way to install a water seal. Completely fulfills its task. Definitely recommended for use.
With an additional straw for odor removal
A slightly improved method compared to the previous one, which allows you to rid the room of the smell of mash. The fact is that many people distill moonshine in apartments, which results in an unpleasant odor that disturbs both the residents of the apartment and the rest of the house. To avoid this, you can make a special outlet.
Taking a universal water seal with a tube, we additionally close the container with water with a lid and install another tube there, which we take outside. The air accumulates in the jar of water (you haven’t completely filled it, right?) and escapes under pressure through the second tube.
With air exhaust
Medical glove with a punctured finger
A classic for mash of wine, moonshine, beer and other alcoholic drinks of own production. The glove is pierced with a needle on one of the fingers, after which it is pulled over the neck of the fermentation tank and secured with an elastic band.
During fermentation, the glove inflates and air gradually escapes through the hole. When the process ends, the glove deflates.
This option appeared more out of despair and misunderstanding of chemical processes, rather than out of ingenuity. In this case there is no water seal at all, but some of the oxygen penetrates inside, causing oxidation to occur faster.
From syringes
Another option related to the medical topic. It can be done using two syringes tied with insulating tape. The syringes are connected by a tube and water is poured into one of them, which acts as a seal.
In my opinion, the method is quite complicated and unreliable. In any case, a silicone tube is used, which can be used for a universal seal with a water container.
From syringes
Cotton wool is packed quite tightly into the neck, which allows carbon dioxide from fermentation to pass through. There are many disadvantages here, for example, oxygen actively enters the container after fermentation, cotton wool can simply fall into the mash, and gurgling is also hard to hear.
Silent water seal
To create it, you will need a syringe, the neck of a plastic bottle, a thin silicone tube and, ideally, sealant. Its production is best shown in the video from Olga and Sergei on Youtube. The author describes step by step the process of creating a water seal from scrap materials.
However, apart from the absence of noise, this device cannot boast of anything else.
