3 Piece Airlock

Airlocks are necessary pieces of equipment for every homebrewer. No matter what you are using to ferment – a carboy or bucket, the 3 piece airlock is mandatory! It’s a popular alternative to the other style airlocks because it is easy to fill and most importantly it can be taken apart and cleaned.

While airlocks are simple devices, not all airlocks are created equal. Other designs have limited amounts of holes in their lid which can cause the airlock to pop out during an active ferment. This design features multiple holes that easily allow CO2 to escape. Also, this design doesn’t have a crosshatch design on the bottom. We have found this easily leads to Krause clogs and again the airlock being pushed out of the fermenter. Ours is open, allowing Krausen foam to enter the airlock if necessary.  It’s better to clean your airlock than to find it laying on the floor next to your fermenter.

Another cool feature of this 3-piece airlock is that 1/2″ ID Silicone tubing will fit onto the center post for use as a blowoff. In the cases where you are using a yeast known to produce lots of Krausen (wlp002 from White Labs or 1968 from Wyeast for example) remove the top cover, remove the plastic ‘hat’, and install the silicone tubing.  Run the silicone tubing into a jar or bucket of water. When fermentation dies back down remove the tubing and replace the hat and cover.