foam overflow into airlock

[Amoryl]

so I started 2 batches of JAO as my first meads, and one of them seemed to go much faster then the other, and as a result filled up the 3inches from the top space left for foaming, and up through the airlock and a bit down the side, about an ounce or two total. fortunatly I put the bottles into a plastic bin just in case. so no big mess on the carpet. now, however, all the liquid in the airlock is pre-mead. if I were to do anything about this, I'd pretty much have to remove the airlock, clean, sanitize, and refill it. but this would result in several minutes of access to air. will this cause any problems? the recipie specifically says "Don't Do Anything for 2 Months!" I've waited about a week, and the fermentation is starting to slow down a bit, from approx 3 bubbles out the airlock every 2 seconds, to 1 every 2 or so, and the foam's gone down.

so really, my question is, is it better or worse to leave the pre-mead in the airlock, or is it worse to open up the airlock for the time it'll take to clean, sanitize, and refill the airlock with water? will the pre-mead go bad in the airlock, and transfer something unpleasant into the mead?

 

[akueck]

Clean that airlock off, resanitize, and replace. Happens all the time. :laughing7:

For future reference, I usually only fill gallon jugs up to the start of the curve. Once the big mess of initial fermentation is over, I'll top up with some water/juice/etc.

 

[liff]

Just for one more reply to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling.

AKueck is right on the money with this:

Clean that airlock off, resanitize, and replace. Happens all the time. :laughing7:

 

[Dan McFeeley]

I do the same with JAO -- fill up to the point where the neck of the jug joins the main body, top up later when the fermentation slows down.

You can also use a blow off tube in place of an airlock, in instances where foaming during a fermentation is unmanagable. They're easy to make -- take an airlock, cut off the main portions leaving just the tube. Push the tube into the rubber bung, as you normally would, then push a length of vinyl tubing onto the bung and plastic assembly. Insert into the carboy. Now, run the loose end of the vinyl tubing into a glass jar filled with sanitizing solution of some kind -- water and sulfite solution is great.

This will work just fine. The foaming must can travel up the sanitized vinyl tube with no harm to the fermenting mead.

 

[Medsen Fey]

A few drops of Anti Foam will prevent much grief.

Medsen

 

[Amoryl]

thanks guys, I'll get right to it. only one actually overflowed out of the two JAO's, and I think I may have overfilled it slightly as well. ah well overall I only overflowed an ounce or two. just a bit of mess, easily cleaned up.