Spiedel 15 gallon fermenter

[bazookazilla]

I got a new Spiedel fermenter a few weeks ago and was finally able to fill it yesterday. I got a carboy cap with a thermowell and hooked up a blowoff tube to that. The beer is fermenting, I can see where there is a krausen and I can smell that its fermenting. I don't have any activity in the water my blowoff tube is going into. Something is obviously not sealing up somewhere. I put a hose clamp around the carboy cap and one around the blowoff tube where it's connected to the nipple.p
Still...no bubbles. Any ideas? I have checked the belt around the lid of the fermenter and it seems to be on properly.

[DBear]

I have the 7.9 gal fermenter with the same setup and have the same results. I've done 4 brews so far with no issues.

Cheers

[bazookazilla]

I have the 7.9 gal fermenter with the same setup and have the same results.

Cheers

Do you mean yours doesn't seal tight?

[DBear]

I seal everything as tight as I can and still get no activity from the air lock. Also there is a lot of head space and I wonder if that dissipates the CO2 pressure. I have not used the beer can size air lock it came with and find it hard to believe it would work either.

[poorboy]

I've got the same 7.9 gallon one and I've never had a problem with it sealing well. I usually get airlock activity within 8 hours of pitching yeast and by the next day it's really perking. If the rubber gaskets all look OK you might try a pressure test once you get it all cleaned up if you haven't already done so.

FWIW, the airlock they give with the fermenter works well and it's quiet too. That's the main reason I got this one, I got tired of using a blowoff tube all the time!

[santamarina]

I also have the 15 gal Spiedel and use the included GIANT airlock. Even with 12+ gallons of vigorously fermenting Weizen I've never had a blowoff issue. But I always see activity, even if I only put in a small 6 gal batch.