Water seal for fermentation: 4 ways at home

1) Medical glove
2) Cotton wool/rag closure
3) A closure from a can
4) Water seal from a dropper

Those who are engaged in home winemaking occasionally can opt for the simplest option - a medical glove. For those who plan regular experiments with wort, it is better to purchase a special water seal or make it yourself.

In this article, Vzboltai will consider all types of home-made devices, share instructions for their manufacture, and weigh the pros and cons of each.

Medical glove

The main advantages of this option are accessibility and cheapness. Making it easy to make.

The main disadvantage is fragility: the glove can burst, fly off, tear at the most crucial moment. You will have to urgently look for a replacement or tape the rubber product back on.

This option is not suitable for vessels with narrow necks: it is difficult to ensure tightness. In addition, you will have to take a new glove when making each batch of mash. So the benefits of working with wort all the time are questionable.

Alternatively, use a condom or balloon.

Materials

Rubber medical glove (available at the pharmacy)
Rope, rubber band or adhesive tape for fixing
Needle/needle

Method of application

Make a hole in one of the fingers of the glove.
Stretch the base of the product over the neck of the vessel, securely fix it with a rope or tape.
Monitor the fermentation processes by the volume of the glove: during the active release of gases, it will inflate, after the end of fermentation, it will fall off.

Cotton wool/rag closure

The most primitive option for the lazy, which has more disadvantages than advantages.

Pros: availability and ease of use.

Cons: difficulty in tracking the start and end of fermentation, poor airtightness, inability to use wide-mouthed vessels, questionable usefulness.

This method should be used only in extreme cases, if it is not possible to use other methods. It allows you to more or less limit the access of air, but you will have to control the process "by eye".

Cotton wool/cloth closure

Materials: a piece of cotton or cloth

Method of application

Seal the neck of the vessel tightly with a lump of cotton or other porous material.
Track the beginning and end of fermentation processes visually.

A closure from a can

Shut-off from the jar

The second most popular option after the glove. With proper execution, it can function no worse than the factory device.

There are practically no cons. The main thing is to ensure the structure is airtight. For these purposes, various compositions are used: from glutinous dough and adhesive tape to plasticine and special sealant. It is recommended to take a tube for gas exhaust not too thin so that it does not become clogged with foam. You can buy it at a hardware or construction store.

To eliminate the specific odor of fermentation, you will need a nylon jar lid and an additional hose.

Materials

Glass jar
Water
Flexible silicone tube / thin rubber hose
Means for covering: glue, dough, silicone, plasticine, etc. п.
Additional gas outlet tube and lid for the jar (optional)

Method of application

Make a hole in the lid of the fermentation vessel, insert the tube into it so that the end protrudes slightly inside the vessel, but is much higher than the level of wort.
Thoroughly seal the connection between the tube and the lid.
Fill the jar with water about halfway, immerse the other end of the tube in the liquid.
Optional additional hose and lid with 2 holes for odor extraction. Close the jar with a lid, place the end of the tube connected to the fermentation tank in one hole, immerse it in water. Insert an additional tube into the second hole, fixing the end above the water level. Take the second part of the tube out to the window or sewer. Seal the joints with sealant.
Track the fermentation intensity by the formation of bubbles. Once the isolation is complete, you can move on to the next stage of work.

Water seal from a dropper

Water seal from the dropper

This option is one of the analogues of the previous one, so the pros and cons are similar. Another "medical" version is a syringe closure. The thin dropper needle can be replaced with a thicker one, taking it from the largest syringe available on sale.

Materials

The dropper
A jar of water
Scissors

Method of application

Pierce the lid of the fermentation tank with a dropper needle, fix it.
On the other side of the dropper, cut off all unnecessary, leaving only the tube itself, lower the end into the water.
Follow the process by the bubbles that form.

In addition to the above, there are many instructions for creating water stills from improvised means. You can use one of them or come up with your own.