What is a water seal, how to make it for wine fermentation. Water seal for fermentation: purpose and characteristics Do-it-yourself water seal for fermentation

People who make wine or mash at home are well aware that for proper fermentation a number of conditions must be met. One of these factors is the need for a hermetically sealed fermentation tank and removal of excess carbon dioxide from it. Since yeast does not need oxygen, it should not be allowed to enter the wort. Air trapped in the container will provoke the formation of acetic acid bacteria, which can spoil the wine. What to do in such a case? In order to avoid such troubles, use a number of simple means and devices, such as a water seal for wine or an ordinary rubber glove.

Which of these remedies is best to use? The glove immediately has an obvious advantage - cost-effectiveness. Indeed, a pair of gloves costs a penny. At the same time, there are many water seals and prices vary greatly. Let's take a look at all the options that can be applied in order.

Types of water seals

There are a large number of water seals, each of which has not only pros, but also cons.

Cover with a hole and a hose inserted inside

This water seal lid is placed on the fermentation tank. As a result, the resulting carbon dioxide will go through a hose installed in it into a jar of water. Making such a shutter yourself is very simple, but there are a number of inconveniences:

too loud and annoying sound of gurgling bubbles during vigorous fermentation;
a strong specific aroma that is released during the fermentation of rice or other mash.

It’s easy to deal with the loud sound during fermentation by purchasing a regular aquarium sprayer. By putting it on the end of the tube that is in the water, you will make this process completely silent.

To prevent homemade grape wine from filling the entire apartment with its characteristic aromas, use a water seal with odor removal.

Cover with a hole inserted inside a hose and odor removal

This water seal for wine has exactly the same principle of operation. Only it has been slightly modernized. The container with water into which the end of the tube is lowered is also completely sealed and equipped with an outlet tube. This outlet tube, through which carbon dioxide escapes, is discharged outside into the ventilation hole, or if this is inconvenient, you can permanently install an outlet gas adapter into the sewer.

To do this, a small hole is made under the sink after the sewer pipe bend and a plastic fitting or small faucet, which can be purchased at a pet store, is installed there. It should also be noted that the insertion into the pipe under the sink should be done exactly after the elbow bend of the pipe in order to avoid the smell from penetrating back into the room.

Quiet water seal

There is another option for making a water seal that will not burden you with its sounds. To make it, you will need a tube of the type sold in hardware stores for a hydraulic level or similar. The length of such a tube should be from 40 to 60 cm, and the diameter should be 12–14 mm.

One side of such a tube, as in the previous 2 cases, is attached to the bottle cap, after which the tube is folded into a loop and fixed with tape so that its other end is raised up. Water is poured into the tube, which will be in the loop. The vapors coming up from the wine will pass in small bubbles along the inner edge of the water loop and out. The disadvantage of this seal is that during strong fermentation the water evaporates and splashes out. In order to reduce this effect, you can put a small cap on top of the end of the tube that will release gas, but not let water through. Half a capsule for shoe covers is perfect for this purpose.

S-shaped water seal

This shutter got its name due to its shape. It can be purchased at a specialty store. Its price ranges from 150 to 200 rubles. Water is poured into the middle of this seal and the evaporation, passing through it, comes out.

One of the advantages of such a water seal is its relative cheapness. Among the disadvantages, you should pay attention to the noise of its operation. In addition, with fairly active fermentation, the pressure throws water out.

Glass type shutter

The glass-type shutter has many advantages. The water in it practically does not evaporate and it works very quietly. It is sold in many specialty stores and hardware stores. The device has a small shape. The work inside occurs like a float.

It is quite possible to make such a water seal yourself. To do this, it is enough to arm yourself with a test jar and two syringes, from which, with the help of a drill, glue and tubes, you can make a completely passable analogue. The price of such a device in a store ranges from 200 to 600 rubles. The cost of materials for making an analogue is 50–60 rubles.

Rubber glove

The recipe for making wine is quite simple and many people do not want to burden themselves with “unnecessary frills” when making it. They limit themselves to simply putting a rubber glove on top of the fermentation tank as a valve. First make a small hole in one of the fingers to allow excess gas to escape.

This method also has both pros and cons. A definite plus, of course, is the price and ease of use. In any pharmacy in the city you can buy a pair of ordinary, non-sterile gloves very cheaply. It’s quite simple to put it on and fix it on the neck of the wort container. In addition, it is easy to monitor the fermentation process. If the glove is standing under the upward pressure of the gas, it means that fermentation is ongoing. If the glove begins to sag and fall off, it means that the process has begun to decline. The only subtlety when working with a glove is that you need to make sure that the vapors do not clog the outlet hole in it.

Having tried various options in practice, you can easily choose the one that suits you!

Quickly navigate to the article

To remove CO2 from the container, its neck is plugged with a kind of cotton plug. You can use not only cotton wool, but also other porous material. However, in this case there is no need to talk about complete tightness. At the end of the fermentation process, a sharp drop in pressure occurs. Because of this, air begins to penetrate into the container. In addition, it is almost impossible to determine the end of fermentation. Such a water seal is installed if another one cannot be made for some reason.

All equipment that you will use for winemaking must be sterilized. This is not difficult to do; you just need to lower the object into boiling water for a couple of seconds. Winemakers are still debating whether this should be done with water seals. Many are inclined to believe that the glove, the cap, and the gas outlet tube must undergo a sterilization process.

Classic water seal

You will need: a plastic tube, a lid and a jar.

Winemakers consider this design not only the simplest, but also extremely reliable. You need to make a small hole in the lid and place a straw in it. Next, you should seal the junction of the tube and the lid, most often this is done with glue. The free tip is placed in a small container with plain water. It is very convenient to use a regular dropper in this design.

If you are preparing wine in large containers, it is better to use a larger diameter tube. Otherwise, its end may become clogged with foam, after which the water seal will cease to play its role in fermentation.

Winemakers also love this device because it makes it very easy to determine the end of fermentation. You just need to watch the bubbles in the water. If they have not been observed for a day, it means that active fermentation has ended.

Many winemakers face the following problem. When fermentation occurs, a sour, rather unpleasant odor appears in the apartment. In private homes, this situation rarely occurs, because there the can can be placed in a non-residential premises.

The solution to this problem is quite simple. We need to make a more advanced jar into which the CO2 goes. Firstly, a roof with two holes is put on it. Secondly, 2 tubes are passed through them. One comes from the mash jar, and the second goes into the sink. The first tube is immersed in a jar of water by 2-3 cm. But the second one should not reach the edge of the water.

CO2 enters the jar through the outlet from the fermentation container, after which the gas overcomes the liquid column. Now he rises safely and goes into the sewer. The water becomes a barrier through which carbon dioxide cannot return to the fermentation tank.

Why do you need a water seal?

During fermentation, sugar is decomposed by yeast into water, alcohol and carbon dioxide, which is obtained in fairly large quantities (4 m³ when producing 1 liter of alcohol). The accumulation of gas in the container leads to the formation of increased pressure, which should be eliminated. Carbon dioxide should be removed, but in such a way that oxygen does not reach the fermentation products. At distilleries, the exhaust gas is collected and converted into carbon dioxide by increasing pressure. At home, the gas is vented into the air or a discharge device connected to the sewer system. To prevent air from entering, special devices called water seals are used.

There has been a long-standing debate about the need for check valves. Some winemakers believe that mash should breathe. During the active phase of fermentation, the released carbon dioxide prevents air from coming into contact with the mash and the process of oxidation of alcohol into vinegar does not occur. It should be noted that the gas released is much heavier than air and always falls down. But as soon as the post-fermentation phase begins, the process of gas evolution decreases and in a container without a water seal, the mash gains access to oxygen, as a result of which the process of processing alcohol into vinegar begins. As a result of processing oxidized mash, moonshine will acquire an unpleasant odor and taste, while the yield of alcohol-containing liquid will be significantly reduced. Therefore, novice producers of homemade drinks should use devices that protect the contact of processed products with oxygen, leaving experiments with breathing mash to more experienced specialists.

Normal development of yeast in mash

If the yeast in the mash feeds only on sugar, it will not feel very comfortable and will not work well. In addition to sweets and water, they need minerals. Without them, the fermentation process is also possible, however, a large amount of harmful impurities is released, so it is recommended to feed the sugar mash. Yeast mainly needs elements such as phosphorus and nitrogen. Therefore, ideally, for every kilogram of granulated sugar, you need to add 3-4 g of superphosphate and 1.5-2 g of ammonium sulfate. Instead, you can put complex mineral fertilizer (1 teaspoon), such as nitrophoska, in the mash.

But you can do without chemical additives by using some food products that contain the necessary elements. For example, you can add crushed berries or fruits or freshly prepared fruit juice to the mash. Bread (preferably black) or crackers also give a good effect. In addition, to feed the yeast, you can use well-boiled grain raw materials in the proportion of 0.5−1 kg/10−15 liters of mash.

Do not use tomato paste for these purposes, as some specific manuals recommend. This method was used in the 70s of the last century, when all kinds of thickeners, dyes, emulsifiers, stabilizers, but most importantly, preservatives that inhibit the growth of yeast were added to the paste. The same applies to many factory-made canned fruits.

Factory designs

If you don’t want to make a water seal yourself, you can always purchase it in specialized stores. They are inexpensive, but at the same time they work flawlessly and look aesthetically pleasing. As a rule, they are presented in two options:

Double-chamber is a curved tube with two chambers that are connected in series to each other. Water is poured inside, and the upper part is sealed using a special plug. The design is made of durable food-grade plastic.
Collapsible or three-chamber, which is a collapsible glass into three sections. The main glass is filled with water, into which gases enter through a tube. The advantage of this model is the ability to thoroughly wash all parts, which increases the service life.

Regardless of the chosen design of the water seal, it is necessary to check the tightness before installing it on the suley. If it is noticeable that the contents are actively fermenting, and bubbles do not appear in the water seal, then you need to check the quality of the insulation of all connections as quickly as possible.

How to make a gate for mash with your own hands

A simple mechanism allows you to make a water seal for mash with your own hands at home practically out of nothing. The price of such a mechanism can be reduced to zero. The only thing that should not be forgotten is the tightness of the structure. You can seal the joints with silicone aquarium glue, plasticine, or epoxy. Many brewers recommend using dough for this purpose. But there is a problem with the dough: when it dries, it can crack, which will allow air to enter the mash. For sealing, only environmentally friendly, health-safe materials should be used.

To prevent mash from becoming infected with foreign microflora during the ripening process (especially grain and fruit mash), it must be isolated from the surrounding air. However, it is impossible to simply seal the fermentation container hermetically, because during the fermentation process carbon dioxide is released and it needs to escape from the container somewhere. This is precisely why a water seal was invented - a device inside which, using a column of water (or some alcohol-containing liquid), the mash is isolated from the environment, so that yeast fermentation does not turn into vinegar due to the access of oxygen (true for fruit mash) or due to various bacteria floating in the air, fermentation did not follow the lactic acid path (grain mash). At the same time, the liquid in the water seal does not interfere with the exit of CO2 from the mash - carbon dioxide vapors, having accumulated in the fermentation tank, create excess pressure and push through the liquid column, emerging with bubbles to the surface.

There are many different designs of water seals, ranging from primitive homemade tubes lowered into a jar of water to sophisticated factory products, one of which is presented in today’s review.

Standard packaging

Plastic bag outside

There's a bubble wrap inside, wrapped in tape.

The water seal is made of translucent plastic

Structurally, it consists of two glasses; inside the larger one there is a gas outlet tube.

The small glass covers this tube inside the large one

The water seal is closed on top with a lid with holes for CO2 to escape.

A small glass also has holes along the bottom edge, but their size is larger - they are designed to allow bubbles to escape from the liquid

The total height of the water seal is 11.5 cm

Central tube length 4.5 cm

Its diameter is 10 mm, the same as other popular water seals with a knee bend, so they can be easily swapped on the fermentation tank

Water is poured into the large glass in the middle of the small glass, which ensures that there is no direct contact of the mash with air; the CO2 coming out of the tube lifts the small glass and goes into the liquid, from which it then rises in bubbles to the surface and goes out through the holes in the lid.

If for sugar mash the presence of a water seal is not critical, since it is not prone to contamination, then for fruit and especially grain washes you cannot do without a water seal, and instead of water it is better to pour an alcohol solution, since the mash can sometimes suck water from the water seal, and standing In it, for several days, the water collects a whole bunch of foreign microflora from the air and can completely ruin the entire mash.
I have tried many different water seals and I can confidently say that this is the quietest of all the ones I have ever dealt with, and if you are involved in distilling, like me in a small apartment, then this is a very significant advantage of the product. Those who have used grain mashes at least once will understand this - in the first days, fermentation is so vigorous that the water seal does not stop for a second, this is especially annoying in the silence of the night. I’ll suggest one more nuance for small apartments, in order to reduce and improve the smell of fermentation, completely discard baker’s yeast - alcohol, whiskey, and wine give a much lighter and better smell. Yes, they are significantly more expensive, but believe me, it’s worth it, since in addition to the smell, the taste of the drink also improves, the fusel notes almost completely disappear, if, of course, you chop off the tails in time.
We will test the new water seal on a fruit mash, it’s the end of summer - pears and apples have arrived at the dacha

According to the classical canons, Calvados is made by distilling apple cider or pear perry, which in turn is obtained by fermenting fruit juice. Unfortunately, I have not yet acquired a juicer capable of handling a large volume of hard fruits, so let’s take a more affordable route. Wash the pears and apples, separate the seeds and branches, cut into pieces

Pour into a fermentation container and use a drill with a mixer attachment

Let's start crushing the fruit

If possible until pureed

Since we live in central Russia, over the summer fruits do not accumulate the required amount of sugar for complete fermentation and obtain at least some acceptable alcohol yield, and even from suitable fruits it is very small, something in the region of 50 ml of absolute alcohol with 1 kg of raw materials. Therefore, I add sugar, yes - this is wrong, not according to the canons, but we have already deviated from them, refusing to receive juice. For a 30 liter container I add 3-4 kg of sugar

Add sugar syrup to the fermenter

We bring the temperature of the future mash to 30°

We pour in the required amount of yeast, it is best to use wine yeast for fruits, but I still have good alcoholic turbo yeast from Alcotec, I have already used apple mash on it, it turned out well.

The yeast is working, tested, so we won’t ferment it first, add it straight into the fermentation container and let it sit for a while with the lid open.

Well, then we put it under a water seal. When filling the water seal with water, I noticed an interesting feature: if you pour water with the inner cup inserted, it overflows through the tube no matter how much you pour it, but if you remove the cup, you can pour it to the required level

After a few hours, fermentation has begun, the escaping gas slightly lifts the small glass, releasing bubbles into the water.

The gurgling sound is really very quiet, it is absolutely inaudible behind a closed bathroom door, unlike other water seals (comparative video at the end of the review).

Fermentation lasted about a week, after the end of gurgling a day passed - you can begin the first distillation

Here again the one I took for grain mash will come in handy. Distillation together with fruit cake will release even more fruity aromas into the mash. Carefully pour the mash into the cube, trying to leave all the cake in the basket, otherwise the mash will burn and the taste of the drink will be irreparably spoiled.

We put the cube on the stove, assemble it, connect the cooling circuit, and install it in the cube. Key to start.

Fruit mash can be driven to the water, the tails here are not stinky, but rather aromatic, this is probably the only mash where the first fruit does not have a nasty smell. I stop the first distillation at the thermometer reading at 99°, it is a little inertial and a little late in the measurement, the column begins to rattle, which indicates that all the alcohol has been taken from the mash

We got 6 liters of aromatic pervak with a strength of 42%

We proceed to the second fractional distillation. Dilute the first shot with water to 20%.

We assemble the apparatus again, but in a different configuration - we add a short cap column HD4 to the previous set in front of the film column and a second one at the top point of the column

We accelerate the cube and feed all the water into the cooling circuit of the primary cooler of the film column. We need both columns to work “for themselves” for half an hour, concentrating the leading factions at the very top. Behind the transparent glass you can clearly see how phlegm flows down under the influence of cooling water, and alcohol vapor from the cube rises up

The column begins to enter the bubbling from the top plate.

Then the remaining plates begin to bubble in turn.

We select heads of 10% of the absolute alcohol in the cube, calculated by the formula “cubic volume * alcohol content/100” in our case 6000 * 42/100 = 2520 ml, which means we need to select 252 ml of heads. We select slowly, drop by drop.

Then we rearrange the container and select the body, I select a confident body up to 93° cubed into one jar, and then into another jar the remaining part of the body, calculated in the moonshiner’s calculator.

Then I stop the process and don’t bother with the tails. If the smell in the second jar is no worse than in the first, then I combine the contents; if tails are felt, then I add it to the next mash. After the second distillation, the strength of the distillate reaches 92%

The body is diluted to a drinkable strength of 40-45%, add roasted oak chips and forget about it for a couple of months in a dark, cool place. According to the classics, Calvados matures in oak barrels, but unfortunately I only have one and it’s already busy making bourbon, but we’ve already started making the wrong Calvados, so that’s okay.

After a couple of months, you get a wonderful straw-colored drink with a light fruity aroma and a clear apple aftertaste.

The video was shot with the camera in the same mode with the same audio recording parameters

Well, according to tradition: take care of yourself, buy quality alcohol in trusted stores, or adopt my experience and then alcohol will not only be harmful, but also a little useful, the main thing is to know when to stop.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

I'm planning to buy +58 Add to favorites I liked the review +114 +202

Fermentation is a complex process of decomposition of organic substances, the stable occurrence of which is impossible without a water seal. Ready-made devices are available for sale, but they do not always fit the container used. Making a water seal from improvised materials takes just a few minutes, and the cost of the product is pennies.

The process of processing sugar into ethyl alcohol is accompanied by abundant release of carbon dioxide. Accumulating inside a hermetically sealed container, it creates high pressure, which will inevitably lead to its rupture. To avoid this, the gas must be vented, but simply opening the lid will not solve the problem.

While the container is hermetically sealed, the bacteria in the mash are not active. But as soon as oxygen gets inside, they begin to multiply and convert alcohol into acetic acid. The result is not wine, but an acidic, unfit for consumption liquid.

To prevent this from happening, a one-way valve is installed on the container, which is called a water seal - it removes carbon dioxide, but at the same time prevents the access of oxygen. In addition, the device allows you to control the fermentation process and determine the degree of readiness of the mash.

Watch the video that explains what a water seal is, why it is needed, and how to make it yourself:

Making a device from improvised materials

Making a water seal yourself is not difficult; it does not require expensive tools and materials - you just need to choose the most suitable model for the given situation. There are several popular designs whose effectiveness has been tested by time.

Classical

The most common design, characterized by simplicity and reliability.

To make it you will need:

cap or stopper;
flexible tube;
glass jar with a capacity of 0.5 l.

Manufacturing process:

A hole is made in the center of the lid to match the diameter of the tube.
The tube is inserted into the hole.
The joint is sealed with plasticine, wax or silicone glue.
The lid with the tube is placed on the container with the mash.
The second end of the tube is lowered into a jar of water so that it does not rest against the bottom.

The disadvantage of this device is the possibility of an unpleasant odor appearing in the room. This problem can be solved by putting a lid with two holes on the jar. A tube from the fermentation tank is inserted into one and lowered into the water. Another tube is passed into the second hole so that its end is above the water level. The free end is discharged to a window or sewer, thereby ensuring the removal of carbon dioxide outside the room.

Attention! The classic water seal allows you to determine the readiness of raw materials with maximum accuracy. If there are no bubbles in the liquid for a day, then the active fermentation phase has ended and the mash is ready for further processing.

For a classic water seal, it is advisable to use a silicone tube - when in contact with alcohol-containing liquids, it does not change its characteristics and does not emit an odor. The easiest option is to purchase a dropper at the pharmacy. It has a rubber tip at the end, which does not require sealing when installed in the lid hole.

Medical glove

The fastest and most affordable option, but not the most successful.

This method is mainly used by women, since making a water seal from a glove does not require any male skills:

The glove is put on a container with mash and tied at the base with a strong thread.
Punctures are made in one or more fingers with a sewing needle to allow gas to escape.
The carbon dioxide released will inflate the glove. When the fermentation process is over, it will deflate and hang on the container.

The medical glove is suitable for use on wide-necked containers. It copes with the task no worse than more complex water seals, but it is advisable to use it on containers less than 20 liters - a large volume of gas released will simply burst it. Another drawback is the unpleasant smell of mash in the room, and nothing can be done about it.

Attention! You can use a condom or an inflatable balloon as a water seal for containers with a narrow neck.

Cotton plug

To block the access of oxygen to the mash, the neck of the container is plugged with a piece of cotton wool or other porous material. Not a very reliable method, but for use in emergency cases when there are no other materials at hand, it is quite suitable.

The structure of the wool allows carbon dioxide to escape, but does not provide complete tightness. Especially when the intensity of fermentation drops and the gas pressure decreases, at this moment oxygen gradually begins to penetrate into the bottle. The disadvantage of using cotton wool is also the inability to visually determine the degree of readiness of the mash and the unpleasant odor in the room.

"Quiet"

When using a classic water seal, the release of gases is accompanied by gurgling sounds. During the day it is practically not noticeable, but at night it causes irritation for some people.

You can make a silent water seal from a transparent silicone tube with a diameter of 12-14 mm and a length of 40-60 cm:

One end of the tube is inserted into the hole in the bottle cap and sealed with a plastic material.
The tube is folded so that a loop is formed on it, and the other end sticks up and is fixed with tape.
A small amount of water is poured into the tube, which forms a water seal in the loop.

The carbon dioxide will pass through the water loop in small bubbles without making any sound. The disadvantage of this method is the evaporation and splashing of liquid during strong fermentation. To eliminate it, a cap is inserted into the free end of the tube, which allows gas to pass through but retains liquid.

From a syringe and dropper

To make such a water seal it will take literally 5 minutes. and minimum materials:

2 syringes of 10 ml and 50 ml;
dropper;
tape or rubber band.

Manufacturing process:

The fittings are removed from the syringes.
A syringe of a smaller volume is hermetically sealed with the spout facing up in the hole in the lid of the fermentation tank.
The second syringe is secured to it with tape or an elastic band, with the spout down.
A tube of the required length is cut from the dropper and the internal filter is removed.
Connect the nozzles of the syringes with a tube so that there are no kinks on it.

The result is a design in which a small syringe serves to collect gas, and a second one filled with water prevents oxygen from entering the bottle.

Wine magazine

Store-bought water seals, unlike homemade ones, are compact and do not require assembly.

There are two main types of devices commercially available:

dual chamber shutter;
glass type shutter.

The two-chamber shutter is made of food-grade plastic. It has a monolithic design and consists of two flasks connected in series. A similar device has a device made of two syringes and a dropper.

The tightness of the connection with the fermentation tank is ensured by a special rubber stopper, which is mainly sold separately. The device significantly increases the height of the container, which is not always convenient when stored in a closet.

18 comments

What is a water seal? Making a water seal with your own hands

Greetings, dear readers! Anyone, even a novice winemaker or moonshiner, cannot do without a water seal. In this article I will tell you what this device is, what it is needed for, and also show you how to make a water seal for fermentation with your own hands. Photos and videos are of course present.

What is a water seal and why is it needed?

As you probably know, mash is used to make wine or moonshine. During the fermentation process, yeast converts sugar into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Gas accumulates, pressure increases in the container with mash and eventually it explodes.

To prevent this from happening, carbon dioxide must be removed. But you can’t just remove the lid from the fermentation tank. The fact is that in addition to yeast, bacteria live in the mash and feed on alcohol. While there is no oxygen, they sleep, and when it appears, these bacteria begin to eat alcohol and produce vinegar.

Therefore, to prevent us from getting vinegar instead of the long-awaited wine, a valve is placed on the fermentation tank, which releases carbon dioxide from the tank and does not let oxygen in. This valve is called a water seal (or water seal).

The simplest diagram of a water seal is shown in the figure below.

The operating principle is simple. When the pressure in the mash jar becomes high, excess gas leaves the tube through the water. And water prevents oxygen from entering the container.

Another important function of the water seal is to prevent foreign microorganisms from entering the fermentation tank from the surrounding air. The entry of such microorganisms into the mash leads to infection and, as a result, spoilage of the wine.

Purchased water seals

The water seal can be purchased in specialized stores for moonshiners and winemakers or ordered online. Prices range from 100 to 300 rubles. Below I will provide photos of the two most common designs and comment on them a little:

Double chamber

It is a curved tube with two chambers connected in series into which water is poured. A rubber band (usually sold separately) is installed at one end for sealing. You need to keep an eye on the rubber band; it dries out over time and stops sealing the container.

You can buy a good and inexpensive water seal Here

Collapsible

Consists of two flasks, one inserted into the other. The advantage over the two-chamber design is that this one is smaller in size.

I use store-bought shutters. Their disadvantage is that they noticeably increase the height of the container. I usually have bottles of mash in a special closet and with store-bought closures they don’t fit there.

Homemade valve designs

There are plenty of designs for homemade water seals, because... winemakers are very inventive people. Here I will give the most popular and simple designs.

Medical glove

A medical rubber glove is simply put on the container, in which a hole is made with a needle (usually in one of the fingers). The glove is tied to the neck with rope or tape to prevent it from being torn off by pressure. The glove determines whether fermentation is still going on. When the process is in full swing, she is inflated like a balloon. When fermentation stops, the glove falls off.

I rarely use a glove. It seals containers with wide necks well, such as 3-liter jars, but is not suitable for drinking water canisters with a narrow neck. It is very difficult to achieve the required compaction.

Here is another interesting variation of this design

Straw in a jar of water

Everything here is as in the diagram at the beginning of the article. A hole is made in the lid of the fermentation tank, into which one end of the tube is inserted, and the other end is inserted into a jar of water.

The tube in the lid is sealed with plasticine. On one thematic site I read advice that you need to seal it with dough. I tried it. The dough dries out and stops compacting properly. Apparently that author has never tried this himself.

The tube itself can be purchased at a hardware or hardware store. I also came across them in pet stores and stores that sell water filters.

The disadvantage is obvious - you need to put an additional can or bottle of water.

With odor removal

The fermentation process is accompanied by a strong specific odor. Especially when there are large volumes of mash. Not everyone will like this smell. Below is a diagram (unfortunately there is no photo) of a water seal, which allows carbon dioxide to be discharged to the street or to the ventilation. Although your neighbors may not like the ventilation outlet.

The meaning is simple. This is still the same shutter with a tube into a jar, but only the jar is tightly closed with a lid and a second tube is taken out of it, leading to the street.

From disposable syringes

Made from two disposable syringes. The body of a disposable syringe is hermetically installed in the lid of the fermentation container with the spout facing up. A second syringe is attached to it with electrical tape, with the nose down. The spouts are connected with a hose and water is poured into the syringe.

In the next section there is a video dedicated to this design.

But this version of a water seal, made from a test jar and two syringes, was sent to me by reader Alexander Sergeev. He spotted this design on the Internet.

Video instructions

In this section I have collected interesting videos about the production of water seals by fellow winemakers.

Quiet and simple water seal

Lock of two syringes. Classic option.

An interesting and unusual solution made from scrap materials. It looks quite compact.

What do I use

I mostly use the simplest homemade closure - a tube piped into a water bottle. It is easily sealed with a lid using plasticine and very clearly conveys the fermentation process through the bubbles in the jar.

I read that during active fermentation the tube can become clogged with foam and it will stop passing gas. Therefore, it is recommended to use large diameter tubes. For example, I have tubes with a diameter of only 4 mm on 5 liter water cans, but such problems have never happened.

I also use store bought ones. There are a couple of Italian two-chamber water seals. Ordered from this store. In principle, there are no complaints.

The only negative, as I already wrote, they increase the height of the fermentation tank by about 15 cm. And these centimeters do not always fit into my cabinet where the mash is. If you are not limited by dimensions, then a commercial water seal is a good option for you.

This is where I end. What kind of water seal do you use? Write about it in the comments. And don't forget to subscribe to new articles. Have a nice day.

Best regards, Pavel Dorofeev.