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Fermentation container with a water seal - the choice of an experienced moonshiner

Experienced connoisseurs of homemade wine and strong alcohol know how complex the fermentation process is. You need to try to get a really high-quality product, suitable for consumption, tasty and aromatic. And first of all, for this you will need to buy a fermentation container with a water seal.

We are pleased to offer you high-quality fermentation bowls equipped with a device for removing carbon dioxide. The presented equipment is widely popular due to its availability, reliability and ease of use.

Why do you need a water seal?

Buying a container with a water seal means ensuring a successful, stable fermentation process. Without this small device that fits onto the bowl, it is difficult to achieve a clean, high-quality drink.
During fermentation, a large amount of carbon dioxide is released: when producing 1 liter of alcohol, about 4 m3 of carbon dioxide is formed. If you do not remove the gas from the container, it may simply explode.
However, when releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, oxygen cannot be allowed to penetrate back, which converts alcohol into acetic acid. This is what a water seal is used for. It works on the principle of a check valve: one gas leaves, but the other does not enter. The required process purity is maintained.
Another important function of the device: with its help it is easy to determine at what stage the fermentation is. During the active phase, many CO2 bubbles are released, the more of them, the better the yeast works. If the bubbles stop, the job is done and it's time to distill the alcohol into the final product.
When the fermentation process is complete, the sealed plastic container can be stored for a certain time, waiting for the distillation to begin, and the quality of the alcohol will not be threatened.

Water seal designs

From us you can buy fermentation containers with a classic water seal. It is a vessel hermetically connected to the bowl through a tube. The tightness of the connection has been tested at the factory, and the vessel itself is equipped with a rubber stopper.
In addition, when it is necessary to provide fresh air in the room, unpleasant odors can be discharged through the water seal directly into the sewer. This is extremely important for home winemakers working in apartments (in the kitchen, for example).
There are many homemade designs, but we recommend that you opt for a factory-made product.

It is very difficult to organize a stable fermentation process without a water seal. Experienced home winemakers and moonshiners know this. Although nowadays you can buy a factory-made water seal, it is easier to make this device yourself from scrap materials, spending just a few minutes. We will consider the most successful designs further.

Why do you need a water seal? During fermentation, carbon dioxide is actively released (about 4 cubic meters per 1 liter of alcohol produced). The accumulation of carbon dioxide can lead to high pressure in the fermentation tank, which can lead to an explosion. The gas must be removed, but this must be done so that oxygen does not enter the container. The fact is that oxygen activates the activity of bacteria that convert alcohol into acetic acid, and without access to air these bacteria are inactive.

A fermentation air seal is a valve that removes carbon dioxide while preventing air from entering. Without this device, winemaking is impossible, otherwise young wine immediately turns into vinegar. Moonshiners are still arguing about its necessity, but it is better for beginners to install it.

There is an opinion that mash should “breathe”, so a water seal is not needed. In fact, mash oxidizes no worse than wine. It’s just that during the period of active fermentation, the carbon dioxide released prevents oxygen from reaching the surface. But as soon as the alcohol bacteria do their job, their vinegar “colleagues” immediately get to work, turning the alcohol into acid. If such mash is not distilled in time, it will simply turn sour or an unpleasant sourish taste will appear in the moonshine. The exit rate also drops.

The mash under a water seal can stand without distillation much longer and not oxidize. All the alcohol produced by our friendly bacteria is stored.

1. Classic water seal(lid, tube, jar). The simplest and most reliable kit. It is enough to make a hole in the lid of the fermentation tank, insert the tube and seal the joint with glue. Place the other end in a jar of water.

1 - mash (wort); 2 - plug; 3 - tube; 4 - water

Disadvantage: with a small tube diameter, the water seal can become clogged with foam, so I recommend using large-diameter tubes rather than thin capillaries.

assembled kit

This water seal allows you to accurately determine the readiness of wine or mash. If there are no bubbles in a jar of water for 1-2 days, then the unsweetened mash is ready for distillation, and the wine is ready for draining from the sediment.

One of the variations of this design is a water seal made from a dropper. More details in the video.

During fermentation, an unpleasant odor appears. This is very important for apartment residents who do not have the opportunity to take the container with mash into a non-residential premises. You can get rid of the smell by releasing carbon dioxide into the sewer. You just need to improve the jar into which the fermentation products fall.

gas drainage diagram

Gas enters the jar through a tube from the fermentation tank, overcomes the pressure of the liquid column (h) and goes into the sewer. The water column serves as a kind of barrier that prevents gases from the sewer from entering the fermentation tank.

This design resembles a steam chamber for a moonshine still. Two holes are made in a jar with a tight lid, then they are connected to the tubes and sealed. A modernized half-liter jar is filled to 1/3 of its volume with water, the inlet tube is lowered into the liquid by 1-2 cm, and the outlet tube is lowered into the washbasin.

operating device

2. Medical glove. Simple design suitable for wide-mouth fermentation containers (jars and bottles). In essence, this is not a water seal, but it works no worse. The glove shutter is often used by women, since its construction does not require drilling, soldering or gluing anything.

1 - bottle; 2 - glove

A small hole is made in any of the fingers of the rubber glove with a needle. Next, the glove is put on the neck of the container. To prevent gas pressure from tearing off the glove, the attachment point with the neck is covered with an elastic band or tied with thread.

fermentation glove

Disadvantage: due to the too large diameter of the neck and high gas pressure on containers with a volume of more than 20 liters, it is very difficult or even impossible to securely fasten the glove. The smell of fermentation will be present in the room.

During active fermentation, the glove inflates; when the process ends, it deflates again.

extravagant option

3. Cotton plug. The neck of the container is plugged with a stopper made of cotton wool or other porous material, through the structure of which carbon dioxide can escape. But the cork does not provide complete tightness, especially at the very end of fermentation. The pressure in the bottle drops, as a result of which air begins to enter the container. Another drawback is that it is very difficult to understand when fermentation has ended.

1 - bottle; 2 - plug

A cotton plug is used if for some reason it is not possible to install a more reliable structure.

4. “Quiet” water seal. The release of carbon dioxide is accompanied by characteristic gurgling sounds. There are people who are annoyed by this. The author of the following video solved the problem by creating a water seal from a syringe and a plastic bottle. This water seal will take a little more time to make than in previous cases, but you will have a device that resembles store-bought options.

Apart from silent fermentation, this design has no other advantages.

There is not a single insignificant moment in the technology for preparing homemade alcohol. If even one nuance is missed, the quality of drinking mash, wine, moonshine will not meet expectations. The taste of mash wort depends not only on the quality of the raw materials, the type of yeast, the amount of sugar, but also on the correctly selected fermentation container. In order for the mash to mature, acquire sufficient strength, and become suitable for drinking or distillation into stronger alcoholic beverages, the fermentation tank must meet certain requirements.

When choosing a suitable fermentation container, the main attention is paid to the material of manufacture, volume, and tightness. The quality, taste, and smell of the finished alcohol depend to some extent on these indicators. A mandatory element of the fermentation container is a water seal. It has two functions: to ensure the release of carbon dioxide released during the life of yeast and to prevent oxygen from entering the container with the ripening mash.

How to choose the right fermentation container?

What are the criteria for choosing containers for mash? First you need to decide on the volume. This indicator does not affect the quality of alcohol in any way, but it still needs to be taken into account when purchasing.

The choice of fermentation container volume depends on the scale of home alcohol production. Sometimes a regular 3-5 liter glass jar is enough. This cookware is ideal for making homemade wine and mash in small quantities. But if we are talking about distillation, there is no point in using jars, since you will get very little moonshine from 3 liters of mash.

To prepare large volumes of moonshine at home, you need larger containers. Glass fermentation containers of 10, 15, 20 liters are available for sale. They are very convenient to use, especially for novice winemakers, since through the transparent glass it is easy to monitor the fermentation process and, if necessary, adjust it.

You can choose models equipped with a lid with a water seal, or special bottles for making wine. The best option is large jars with a wide neck. Firstly, it’s easy to fit them with a sealed lid with a water seal, and secondly, it’s easy to remove foam and drain excess wort if necessary.

An alternative to glass fermentation containers is food-grade plastic tanks. Their volume varies within the same limits - 10-20 liters, but unlike glass, such containers are lighter and more resistant to mechanical stress.

If you need larger containers, it makes sense to take a closer look at wooden barrels. Their volume can reach 30 liters.

But the largest mash tanks are made of stainless steel. The upper limit of the volume of such containers is unlimited - you can buy a tank of 40, 50, 70 and even 100 liters. If a container of the required volume is not commercially available, you can weld it yourself from sheets of food-grade stainless steel.

An equally important criterion for choosing a fermentation container is tightness. Oxygen is harmful to yeast cultures, so during the fermentation period, the access of air to the container with mash must be blocked. This applies to all types of mash wort, with the exception of compounds matured with wild yeast.

When buying fermentation vessels, you need to make sure that they are not damaged in any way. Containers with chips, cracks, leaking seams and joints with the lid or water seal are unsuitable for use. If the mash container is made of stainless steel, you need to evaluate the reliability of the seams. The sheets must be tightly welded to each other, the corner joints are uniform on all sides.

New wooden, oak barrels for making wine may have small gaps between the boards. As the barrel is prepared for use, the wood will swell and the cracks will close on their own.

An important point is that the container for mash should be convenient for use, transportation, and storage.

Types of fermentation tanks: pros and cons

The material used to make fermentation containers deserves special attention. It must be neutral to an acidic environment and resistant to aggressive chemical compounds. In addition, its composition should not contain harmful substances that could get into the mash wort, spoiling thereby the quality of the distillation product.

As for the intended purpose, in moonshine, preference should be given to glass containers and food-grade stainless steel tanks. The best option for winemaking is oak barrels. They can be used both as containers for fermenting wort and for aging and storing finished wine. Moonshine is aged in oak barrels after distillation, turning the pure distillate into whiskey, cognac, and brandy.

Let's move on to a description of the advantages and disadvantages of fermentation tanks made of different materials.

The most accessible and widespread material today is plastic. Its main and only advantage is its low cost. However, it is not recommended to prepare mash for distillation in such containers. Tanks, jars, plastic buckets, even those intended for storing and transporting drinking water and food, are completely unsuitable for fermenting wort.

The fact is that plastic is produced from artificial raw materials through chemical processing. Upon contact with an acidic environment, the substances contained in the plastic enter the mash, giving it a specific unpleasant odor and taste. Some chemicals in plastic can be harmful to health.

Since the times of the Soviet Union, the milk can has remained the most popular fermentation container. The cans are made of aluminum alloy, which is approved for use in the food industry. This material is absolutely harmless to the human body; however, aluminum cans are not recommended for use as fermentation containers.

Aluminum tends to oxidize over time. Substances released from the alloy during the oxidation process can enter the mash, thereby making it acidic and unsuitable for distillation. It is better to adapt a milk can for a distillation cube: it is light, it has sufficient volume, aluminum is resistant to aggressive environments and high temperatures.

We have already mentioned the advantages of glass containers. This is absolute neutrality to alcohol compounds and acidic environments, the possibility of visual control over the fermentation process.

But glass containers have a number of disadvantages. The main one is the fragility of the material. Glassware with If handled carelessly, it breaks and bursts when heated or increased internal pressure. During the fermentation period, glass containers should be placed in a warm place and additionally wrapped, since glass is not able to protect the mash from temperature changes.

In addition, the sun's rays pass freely through transparent glass, which negatively affects the quality of the mash. If you are going to put mash wort for subsequent distillation in glass containers, then it is advisable to use dark glass containers.

The ideal material for a fermentation tank in all respects is stainless steel. The alloy is highly durable, not susceptible to corrosion, neutral to alcohol compounds and organic acids, and prevents the development of pathogenic bacterial flora in the mash solution. Stainless steel containers are suitable not only for preparing mash, but also for storing moonshine obtained by distillation.

The only drawback of stainless steel tanks is their high price. However, taking into account the long service life, the costs of purchasing such containers are fully justified.

The conclusion from the above is this: the choice of different fermentation containers on the modern market is large, the range is represented by a wide variety of models and modifications. The price range is from very expensive to cheap. Therefore, those wishing to buy the desired product will not have problems purchasing suitable containers for mash or mash intended for distillation into a strong distillate.

It is almost impossible to obtain high-quality mash without using water seals or other devices. To prevent the process of processing alcohol into vinegar from starting, you need a water seal, which you can make yourself or purchase at a specialized store. Although there are various forms, their principle remains the same for all - to prevent the oxygen contained in the air from reaching the fermentation products.

Modern manufacturers offer customers special fermentation tanks with built-in or plug-in water seals. Before starting the fermentation process, you should read the attached instructions to avoid mistakes during the fermentation process. If the fermentation tank does not have a factory check valve, you can easily make one yourself from scrap materials. The simplest of them are a rubber glove placed on the neck of a container, or a nylon tube lowered into a container of water.

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.

Which water seal to choose

The choice of water seal should be made taking into account specific conditions. Valves can be used on fermentation tanks, either industrially produced or made by yourself. The most optimal for the production of mash are containers with already built-in valves that block the access of oxygen. It should be noted that making homemade devices correctly is quite simple, and they cope with the task no worse than their factory counterparts.

Industrial water seals

Devices manufactured by different manufacturers are affordable for most

producers of quality moonshine. Therefore, if there are no special problems with their acquisition, then it is better to opt for them. The product manufacturer provides them with the necessary attributes - gaskets and clamps, providing guaranteed protection against air leakage. If necessary, more complex devices can be equipped with devices for cleaning them.

High-quality water seals that protect mash or other wort from air ingress have the following advantages:

• resistance to environmental influences;
• protection from mechanical damage;
• long service life of the product;
• reliability and ease of use.

Industrial water seals are usually made of laboratory glass that is resistant to impact, but at the same time allows visual control of the process of processing sugar into alcohol. Neutral materials of the product, under no circumstances, can change the taste properties of the drink. An industrial water seal is fixed to the wall or lid of the fermentation tank, and in factory tanks - in a specially designated place. All the advantages of an industrially produced water seal can only be appreciated if it is installed and used correctly. This is achieved by fairly simple methods: sealed assembly and filling the device with the required amount of water in accordance with the instructions.

Water seal built into the container

This design allows you to significantly simplify the process of making mash and make it easier to control fermentation. The vessel on which the water seal is installed already has a sealed hatch, and the seal is installed in a convenient place. The valve built into the fermentation tank has a number of advantages:

• reusability;
• convenient location;
• reliability;
• safety;
• practicality.

Tanks for making mash are equipped with everything necessary for the manufacturer and steel popular among people preparing homemade alcoholic beverages, including for making moonshine. In industrially produced fermentation tanks, the release of mash is eliminated due to the creation of excess pressure in the tank. The tank comes complete with all the accessories and seals necessary to ensure the preparation of high-quality products.

Industrially manufactured fermentation tanks have different volumes and shapes; the buyer only needs to decide on the choice of the right product. It should be noted that the materials used for the manufacture of the fermentation tank are chemically neutral materials, such as stainless steel, food grade aluminum, glass and special plastic. You can purchase the necessary devices, equipped with everything you need, in large cities in specialized stores or order online.

Homemade water seals

If it is not possible to purchase industrial water seals, you can make such a device yourself or use other protective devices. The simplest device that protects mash from interaction with oxygen is a rubber glove placed on the container. The method is quite simple: a rubber (surgical) glove, previously pierced with a needle, is put on the bottle or jar. To prevent air from being sucked in, it is secured to the neck of the vessel using twine or electrical tape.

The principle is quite simple: under the influence of gas, the glove inflates, and excess pressure is released through a puncture. Once the glove is deflated, the fermentation process is considered complete. The advantage of this method is its simplicity and accessibility; gloves can be purchased at any hardware store or pharmacy. The disadvantages are more extensive. The glove cannot be put on all fermentation tanks; they are usually put on glass containers with a neck diameter of no more than 10 cm. There are often cases when the glove flew off the tank under the excess pressure of the formed gas or it was torn into pieces. Using such a device, it is impossible to accurately track the completion of the fermentation process. In most cases, the glove is thrown away after use, since even after a short storage it sticks together inside.

The second, quite popular water seal, which you can make with your own hands, is a nylon or rubber tube placed in a vessel with water. To do this, a hole of the required diameter is made in the lid of the fermentation container, a tube is inserted and sealed using plasticine or other mastic, and the other end is placed in a jar of water. The fermentation process is controlled by the bubbles emerging into the jar. The disadvantage of such a device is the unreliability of the design. Therefore, a fitting is soldered, screwed or welded into the lid of the fermentation container, onto which the tube is secured using clamps.

Using this device, you can quite accurately track the cessation of fermentation, but all carbon dioxide, as in the case of a glove, enters the room. By improving this device, you can get rid of the characteristic odor. For this you need a U-shaped pressure gauge. At one end, which is attached to a tube that removes gases from the fermentation tank, the second end of the device, using a flexible hose, can be connected to the sewer or taken outside. If you do not have a U-shaped pressure gauge, you can use an ordinary glass jar filled ¾ with water. In this case, the suitable tube must be in the water, and the outlet tube must be above the liquid level. It should be noted that the tubes must have a diameter of at least 7-10 mm, otherwise they may become clogged with foam.

A cotton seal or other porous material can be used as a seal. This method can be used in containers with a narrow neck. The disadvantages of this method are very significant, starting from the fact that a cotton ball can fall into the vessel during installation and it will be almost impossible to get it out. The cotton plug can be knocked out by gas pressure or rising foam. It is very difficult to monitor the cessation of fermentation, and reliable protection can only be ensured in vessels with a high and narrow neck. Non-return or spring valves embedded in the lid of the fermentation tank can be used as closures to protect the mash from oxygen.

Which tank to choose for fermentation

Modern container manufacturers offer a large selection of containers that can be used as fermentation tanks. They even offer ready-made devices in which you can produce mash, and after it When ripe, they are immediately distilled into strong alcoholic beverages. Such containers are equipped by manufacturers with water seals, thermometers, drain taps and built-in heating elements. When choosing a container, you should proceed from the volume of products produced. If you need to prepare 10 liters of mash, then there is no point in purchasing a tank with a volume of 50 liters or more. It should be taken into account that the tank should be filled to no more than ¾ of its volume, otherwise during violent fermentation the product may be released.

For fermentation, it is better to choose containers made of wood, glass, or stainless steel. A milk flask, which can also be used as a distillation cube, is widely used in home brewing of moonshine. You can also opt for tanks made of plastic, but in this case the material must be chemically neutral. When choosing a factory-made fermentation tank, you should pay attention to the number of attributes included in the kit. The more there are, the easier it is to organize the production of homemade alcoholic beverages.

In the technology of moonshine brewing and the production of other strong alcohol, all the nuances are important. That is why the preparation of whiskey, bourbon, grappa, chacha and moonshine used to be an important family affair, the subtleties of which were passed on from older generations to younger ones. The taste and quality of the wort greatly depends on which vessel is chosen for fermentation. In order for the mash to turn out and give an excellent product after distillation, the fermentation tank must be of the required volume and made of a suitable material. Equally important is the tightness and material from which the lid and water seal are made.

The material from which the mash container should be made

Typically, various vessels made of glass, food-grade plastic and stainless steel are used. But as an exception, there are also containers for mash made of wood - barrels. A traditional, very “iconic” vessel for making mash is a large milk can. What are the pros and cons of these materials?

Plastic

Polyethylene containers for fermenting mash from water and other food products are cheap, and therefore are used very widely. Craftsmen can easily equip plastic buckets and other mash containers with heaters, pump-mixers, homemade water seals and other devices. But, despite its accessibility and ease of use, preparing mash in plastic containers is not recommended. After all, the environment in the mash most of the time is not neutral, like in water, but acidic. During prolonged fermentation, many harmful compounds can pass into the wort. It is not known whether they will harm health, but the taste and smell of the product may spoil.

Aluminum

Very often they use aluminum cans and flasks for preparing mash; this is not recommended, and the reason is almost the same as in the case of plastic. Food aluminum itself is harmless, but the aggressive acidic environment created in the wort oxidizes the substances from the alloy. As a result, oxidation products end up in solution.

Glass

Glass containers are the ideal choice for fermentation containers for many. It is absolutely chemically neutral and available. The glass vessel for mash is transparent, which better allows you to control the processes occurring in it. But glass also has significant disadvantages:

• The main disadvantage is fragility; it can break due to uneven heating, mechanical or internal pressure.

20 and 10 liter wide-neck bottles used to be a real home treasure when glass containers were more difficult to obtain.

• The contents of glass bottles cool quickly, so they need to be additionally insulated (wrapped).
• Light that freely penetrates through glass can degrade the quality of the mash. Therefore, you need to store your mash in a dark place, wrap it up or simply use dark glass mash bottles.

A glass container is a good choice for home winemakers who are accustomed to dealing with this material, but we will not recommend using it for mash because it is not very practical and is dangerous; it is better to use such containers for the finished product.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is the best choice for a fermentation tank. It is resistant to alcohol and acid and cannot be broken or broken. Stainless steel to some extent suppresses the development of harmful microflora that can spoil the mash. Its only drawback is its high cost. But, if you constantly place the wort for distillation and if you care about quality, then it is worth purchasing a stainless steel container. This will be a justified and smart investment. If you own a welding machine, you can make a stainless steel container for mash with your own hands.

Tree

An oak barrel can be used for fermentation. The tree will enrich the mash with new aromas and tastes. It will protect from sunlight and temperature changes. Wood would be an ideal material, but barrels are expensive and it would be a shame to use them for fermentation. Use barrels for their intended purpose, for storing and aging ready-made drinks.

Volume and other characteristics

It is well known that the mash container should be one third larger in volume than the liquid poured into it. Beginners usually use plastic or glass containers from 10 to 30 liters. Smaller containers (3 l, 5 l) can be taken for drinking mash and other homemade alcohol. These volumes are not enough for distilling and preparing strong homemade alcohol. It is convenient to use large-volume fermenters and with a wide neck it is convenient to pour, drain and wash containers into it.

Experienced distillers have at their disposal large stainless steel tanks for mash or TsKT (cylindrical-conical tank), their volume can be from 30 to 500 liters. It is impossible to carry them, and therefore such containers are equipped with everything necessary: ​​a tap, a water seal, a heating and mixing system.

Another important characteristic of containers is tightness. Wort fermentation is an anaerobic process, that is, it does not require the presence of oxygen. But the development of harmful microflora in the wort occurs if there is air in the container. To suppress unwanted bacteria, it is important to limit the entry of outside air. The lid should be perfectly lapped, there should be no chips on the glass or cracks on the plastic. When purchasing a stainless steel container, check the tightness of the seams.

Buy a container for mash based on your needs and capabilities. If you are an experienced moonshiner and confident in the quality of your product, stainless steel is the best choice for you. If you are a beginner or do occasional distilling, then use glass bottles.

Making any alcoholic drink at home has its own subtleties. Those who treat winemaking as a unique art receive a noble product as a result of their efforts. One of the most important points during wine maturation is preventing air from entering the vessel with the must. It is for this purpose that the water seal for bottles serves.

What kind of device is this?

The device that prevents the liquid in the bottle from coming into contact with air uses water. There are several types of such devices for use in different cases:

• for the chemical industry;
• for plumbing;
• for winemaking.

How it works? Thanks to the layer of liquid, the gases released during the interaction can move exclusively in a given direction without the ability to penetrate back and interfere with the normal course of fermentation or other reaction.

Is it possible to do without it?

If water seals were not used in plumbing fixtures (sinks and toilets), all unpleasant odors would penetrate the room. Siphons are designed in such a way that drain water freely goes into the sewer system, and foul-smelling air does not return back.

At specialized industrial enterprises, the devices used, equipped with exhaust valves, eliminate the mixing of air and hydrogen, preventing fire.

Only by using a water seal for mash, when making cheerful drinks at home, can you get wine, not vinegar. Without oxygen, bacteria that convert alcohol into acid are not viable.

How does air affect the desired drink?

Fermentation is a process during which yeast, “eating sucrose,” release alcohol and carbon dioxide. It is unacceptable for air to enter the vessel at this time. The container with the wort must be closed in such a way that the gas released does not return. Access to oxygen is blocked by a lid with a water seal on the neck of the bottle. It would seem that the simplest thing is to tightly close the neck with a stopper. However, the pressure created in the container by the released gases will inevitably lead to the explosion of the container.

If the goal of the whole process is to obtain wine vinegar, you need to allow the wort to sour. By leaving the vessel open for the first few days after the start of fermentation, you can get exactly the acid. When there is enough sugar, but still little alcohol, it is impossible to obtain high-quality drinking alcohol. The result is a completely different useful product - excellent wine vinegar.

Braga, poured into a container with a water seal, lasts quite a long time without distillation or oxidation. The alcohol produced in it remains unchanged for a long time.

The simplest water seal for wine

Do the following with your own hands:

• the wort is placed in a prepared glass or plastic bottle;
• a hole of a certain diameter is made in a suitable lid;
• a flexible plastic or rubber thin hose is tightly inserted into the slot;
• the vessel is sealed with the prepared structure;
• A jar of water is placed on the same level as the main vessel.

For gases to escape, it is important that one of the ends of the tube does not touch the mash poured into the bottle. The second tip must be placed in a jar of water and secured. The task performed by the lid with a water seal will be completed if the gases are allowed to escape only through the end of the hose passed through the water in the jar. A visual check of the quality of the completed design will be bubbles jumping out of the hose in a jar of water. If the wort ferments well and bubbles do not appear, you need to check the tightness of the lid. The place where the tube enters the hole must also be properly insulated.

Another way to make a water seal for wine with your own hands differs in that a metal tube is tightly driven into the hole made in the lid. A meter-long hose is attached to the outside, which can be lowered into a jar or bottle of water.

How to determine the readiness of a product?

Using the classic set of lid, tube and jar described above allows you to fairly accurately determine the readiness of the mash or wine. The cessation of bubbles indicates that the mash can be distilled, and the wine can be drained from the sediment.

After this, the young, playful drink must sit for a couple of weeks so that the cloudiness finally settles. Only after this can the “life-giving moisture” be poured into bottles and stored in a dark, cool room.

Recipe and raisins

In one liter of water, stir 1 liter of fermented, sour jam and about 100 grams of unwashed raisins. Pour this mixture into a bowl, filling 2/3 of the volume. Close the neck with a simple cotton plug and place the “shell” in a warm place for a week. When the grounds float to the surface, the mixture must be filtered through several layers of gauze. The semi-finished wine product should be poured into a bottle, closed with a water seal and placed again in a warm and dark place. After one and a half to two months of fermentation, the finished drink is poured (using a straw) into another container and again left to settle for a short time. Then everything is bottled, tightly corked and stored in a cool room.

Are there ready-made devices?

Some winemaking “masters” claim that you can do without any equipment at all. They recommend the following:

• a cotton sponge (disk) or a fragment from a respirator is placed under the plug with a hole;
• the outer tip of the tube, placed in the hole in the lid, is simply filled with a piece of cotton wool.

These options have one important drawback: at the very beginning of fermentation, there is still very little pressure in the bottle with wort, which prevents the penetration of air into the vessel. The result is the same - sour vinegar instead of a tasty drink.

It is not always necessary to make a water seal for wine with your own hands. There are several simple store-bought options made of plastic and glass. Their disadvantage is that they have certain sizes and may not always fit the container used in each specific case. In addition, it is almost impossible to clean the structure from the inside of plaque that appears during use.

The devices seal the wort bottles fairly hermetically and can last for several years if handled carefully.

Several proven ways to make a water seal

Since ancient times, wine has been considered a symbol of fertility, celebration and fun, a symbol of life's joys. Craftsmen who enjoy the very process of preparing this drink have invented several designs that completely replace standard water seals. Among them are the following:

1. The famous “hello to Gorbachev.” The option is suitable for use on fermentation containers with a wide neck (jars, jugs, bottles). The thin one is put on the vessel with the wort. When it inflates and takes the shape of a large hand, you need to pierce a hole in one of the fingers with a needle to automatically release the carbon dioxide. The gas will escape outside, preventing oxygen from entering. As soon as the glove falls off and stops inflating, the mash is ready.

The disadvantage of this method is the difficulty or impossibility of tightly fixing it on vessels with a capacity of more than 20 liters. To prevent the glove from being torn off by the gases released during fermentation, it is tied tightly around the neck with an elastic band or twine. This model can hardly be called a water seal, despite the fact that it completely replaces the standard design.

2. A do-it-yourself water seal for wine is often made from two disposable syringes of different volumes. The fittings are removed and discarded. A small syringe is inserted into a large one and secured with an elastic band. This structure is installed in the hole on the lid of the vessel and sealed. Water is poured into a large cylinder, and gas will come out through a small one.

3. Some craftsmen know how to make a water seal for large plastic bottles. The needle of a disposable dropper is inserted into a tightly screwed bottle cap. The second end of the tube is placed in a jar of water, as in the first method. Using a clamp on the hose, you can regulate the release of carbon dioxide from the fermentation tank.

Some non-standard options

When listing the following methods, the saying involuntarily comes to mind that “the need for invention is cunning.” What exceptionally inventive master winemakers will go to!

• use a regular valve with a ball from a vodka bottle;
• adapt nipples complete with soft thin capillary hoses;
• put an inflatable children's balloon on a bottle of wort and poke a hole in it;
• Insert cocktail tubes and juice straws into the hole in the lid.

To make the connections airtight, you can drip them with wax, paraffin, use pieces of plasticine or

Whatever water seal is used in the distillation of homemade drinks, you need to remember the importance of a tightly fitting lid, the gas pressure in the container with fermenting wort, and the aging time of the finished wine.

In addition to various ingredients: jam, raisins, etc., preparing homemade wine is not complete without glass containers and a water seal. You can make a water seal for wine with your own hands at home from scrap materials, or you can buy a ready-made one. Let's choose the first option and find out how you can make a water seal for making wine drinks yourself, in different ways.

Water seal for homemade wine: is it necessary or not?

First you need to understand what a water seal means when making wine, and why it is necessary. And it is needed for the following purposes.

To remove carbon dioxide from the tank

Using a water seal, home winemakers remove carbon dioxide from the container where the raw materials for wine ferment. The gas is formed there continuously and requires constant removal, and in such a way that oxygen does not get into the future wine.

If it gets there, along with alcoholic fermentation, unnecessary processes may start, for example, acetic acid will begin to form in the container, due to which the mash will simply turn sour and the wine will not turn out. And the water seal in this case acts as a check valve.

To determine the presence of a fermentation process

The water seal helps to understand whether fermentation is taking place in homemade wine, and how intense it is.

For example, if the “bubbling” has stopped, this indicates that fermentation is complete.

To eliminate odor from fermentation

Using a water seal, you can remove the smell from fermentation into the sewer. Thus, the house will not smell unpleasantly of brew.

Now we will learn how to properly make a water seal for wine at home.

Options for water seals for making a house

Homemade water seal for wine from a glove

If the raw materials will ferment in a glass jar, an ordinary rubber glove can serve as a water seal, but not a household one, but a medical one: it stretches better.

We put a glove on the neck of the jar, secure it well with an elastic band and pierce one of the fingers. During fermentation, it will inflate with the gases released, and their excess will escape through the hole made.

Once fermentation stops, the glove will hang. By the way, the glove can be replaced with a balloon.

Before learning how to properly make a water seal for wine, we buy a glass jar with a lid and a piece of hose. This design option is suitable for ordinary jars and bottles with a narrow neck. For a jar you will need a simple polyethylene lid, for a bottle - a rubber one.

We make a water seal as follows:

• We punch a hole in the lid according to the diameter of the hose, which should not be too small so that the hose does not become clogged with foam.
• We insert the hose into the hole and seal the area of ​​contact with the lid with plasticine or glue to prevent air from entering.
• We close the container with a lid with a piece of hose and seal the contact area between the lid and the jar (bottle) using tape or plasticine. The hose must not touch the wort.
• Place a jar of water at the same level as the container and immerse the end of the hose there. We secure it so that it is constantly in the water.

The main thing is that the water seal is airtight, only then will fermentation proceed correctly.

How to make a water seal for wine from a medical syringe

To begin with, we buy the following devices:

• A rubber band (you can use a piece of twine);
• A syringe of 10 ml and another one of slightly larger volume;
• IV.

To begin, remove the fittings from the syringes and throw them away, and cut off the tube from the dropper, leaving a piece 3 cm long.

• Using a needle, we tear off the filter located inside the dropper - it will not be useful.
• We insert a 10 ml syringe into the dropper, pointing the transparent hose inward. We position the second syringe so that both syringes are positioned like a jack, and fasten the structure with an elastic band. The small syringe collects carbon dioxide, the larger one contains water.
• We connect the noses of the syringes with a hose from the dropper, the length of which should be such that it does not break.

The water seal is ready, all that remains is to install it on the container and use it for its intended purpose.

It will require a part of a dropper through which air is supplied to the bottle. To make this shutter yourself, follow the instructions:

• Close the jar (bottle) with a plastic cap (bark stopper).
• We make a hole in the cap (stopper) by piercing it with a needle from a dropper.
• Place the free end of the tube from the dropper into a bottle or jar of water.

Thanks to this design, carbon dioxide will easily escape from the container through the tube, and water will not allow air to penetrate inside the can (bottle). If the wort is fermenting, air bubbles will float in the jar of water; if it stops fermenting, they disappear.

Now you know how to make a water seal for wine with your own hands. All that remains is to buy a few simple “spare parts”, make a water seal and prepare aromatic wine.

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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.

Without a water seal, it is very difficult to obtain a stable fermentation process, so it is best to learn how to make a water seal for mash with your own hands, so that in the future this procedure does not cause any questions or difficulties.

A water seal is necessary because during the fermentation process carbon dioxide is intensively produced, the volume of which can reach approximately 4 m³ per 1 liter. the resulting ethanol. Gas gradually accumulates in the wort tank, which increases the pressure in the tank and can lead to its rupture. Therefore, the gas must be removed from the fermentation tank, but in such a way that oxygen does not enter it, otherwise, instead of ethanol, acetic acid will appear in the mash, which bacteria will begin to produce under the influence of oxygen. Thus, instead of wine, the winemaker can get vinegar.

You can purchase this simple device along with other necessary equipment for winemaking and moonshine brewing in a store, or you can save money and make a water seal with your own hands. There is more than one recipe for making mash, and in the same way there are many options for making a water seal. It is simply unrealistic to consider them all, so we will limit ourselves here to a few of the simplest options.

Medical glove

The simplest and most popular design, which women love very much because when making this device you do not need to drill, chisel or glue anything, is a medical glove. It is suitable for wide-mouth containers such as three- and five-liter jars and cans. And although it is not a water seal in the literal sense of the word, it nevertheless works similarly and with the same success, despite the fact that it is cheap.

The shutter from the glove will be made in this way:

• the glove is pulled over the neck of the can or bottle;
• tie it at the base with thread or secure with an elastic band;
• pierce a hole in any of the fingers with a needle or awl.

Carbon dioxide during fermentation inflates the glove, and it remains in this position as long as the fermentation process continues. As soon as the mash is ready, the glove will deflate and hang on the bottle. The disadvantage of this device is the smell present in the room where the mash is, and also the fact that such a closure cannot be attached to bottles with a volume of more than 20 liters. almost impossible, since the gas pressure will be too high.

For narrow necks, some experts recommend using a condom instead of a glove.

It fits perfectly, for example, on five-liter water bottles.

In addition, a children's inflatable balloon may be suitable for a narrow neck.

Cotton wool plug

If the winemaking process takes place in such a remote village that there is not even a medical glove or condom there, a small piece of cotton wool or rags can help out. Of course, such a stopper does not guarantee complete tightness of the fermentation bottle, especially towards the end of fermentation, when the pressure of carbon dioxide in the container begins to drop, as a result of which air gradually penetrates into the bottle.

This method is used only in extreme cases, when it is not possible to install any other type of water seal: the neck of the bottle is tightly plugged with a stopper made of a ball of cotton wool or other porous material through which carbon dioxide can escape.

This method is inconvenient because it is very difficult to determine the end of the fermentation process using a cotton plug.

Standard option

The standard version of your homemade water seal for making good mash or wine is a classic set: a jar with a tube and a lid. It is also called a “water seal”. It allows you to determine with great accuracy the moment the mash or wine is ready: as soon as the bubbles in the jar of water have disappeared, and this continues for a day or two, this means that the wine can be drained from the sediment, and the mash can be sent for distillation. They make it this way:

• make a hole in the lid of the fermentation bottle;
• insert a tube into the hole made;
• seal the joints of the hole with the tube with glue or plasticine;
• the other end of the tube is lowered into a jar of water.

In this design, the ratio of the volume of the bottle and the diameter of the tube should be taken into account, since with a small diameter and large capacity of the fermentation tank, the water seal can be clogged with foam.

The easiest and cheapest way to obtain a water seal is to buy a dropper at a pharmacy. A hole with a diameter of approximately 6 mm is drilled in the plug, after which a rubber tip from a dropper is inserted, which is made in such a way that it expands on both sides. It fits very tightly on its own and does not require additional sealing. However, just in case, you can circle the outside of the joint with glue.

The free end of the tube is placed in a jar of water.

All other types of water seals are much more complex, although among them there are also silent ones, those with outlet to a window or sewer, and other devices that require a significant investment of time, attention and effort. But if such primitive products as a medical glove, condom or dropper work well as a water seal, then why complicate your life with various tricks, because the quality of the wine or mash will be almost the same as a result.