Just realized my sauerkraut airlock was a ticking time bomb

I was in my kitchen last Tuesday, about to check a 2-gallon crock of caraway kraut that was on day 5 of fermenting. The airlock was one of those cheap plastic S-shaped ones. When I lifted the lid, the whole thing popped off and a geyser of brine shot up and hit the ceiling, lol. I guess the pressure built up way faster than I expected. I cleaned up the mess, swapped in a simple bubbler airlock I had as a spare, and wiped down the crock rim with a star san solution. It's bubbling away fine now, but man, what a sticky surprise. Has anyone else had an airlock fail spectacularly like that?

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3 Comments

rodriguez.mia6mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like a setup problem, not an airlock failure. Those S-shaped airlocks are simple but they work fine if you fill them right and the lid fits snugly. My guess is the crock rim wasn't clean or the lid was slightly warped, letting pressure build in the crock itself instead of venting through the water. I've used the same cheap airlocks for years without a geyser.

2

ross.christopher6mo ago

Wait, you've used the same cheap airlocks for years? @rodriguez.mia that's wild. Mine always get gross and sticky. Maybe I'm just messy.

5

david_reed226mo ago

Tbh "used the same cheap airlocks for years" is blowing my mind. I have to soak mine in PBW every few batches just to get the gunk out. Once I had fruit flies somehow get stuck in the water bend and it turned into a tiny bug graveyard. No way mine would last years.

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