Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

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Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

Postby wwwKris on Thu Jun 27, 2019 8:07 am

New to fermenting and just did my first batch of vegetables - loving it so far!

I used a makeshift weight to keep the vegetables below the water line when I did my first batch but I'm thinking of getting some airlock lids for my next batch.

Do I still need to use a weight to keep the vegetables below the water line with airlock lids or is the lid sufficient in terms of an air barrier?
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Re: Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

Postby irie1029 on Thu Jun 27, 2019 8:44 am

I only use an airlock when making cider. Our ancestors never used one for fermenting and did just fine. I have bought plastic ball lids (no corrosion) which I screw on a tad less than tight so CO2 escapes.

I bought these (see link below) for the more problematic veggies (peppers, beet stems, etc) Oh she also custom made me one for my 5 gal crock.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/480053428/ ... ef=reviews

Enjoy the fun of fermenting!
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Re: Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

Postby curtijam on Thu Jun 27, 2019 9:44 am

Wow, those clay weights look great! They even look like party rings... win win! :lol:
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Re: Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

Postby Christopher Weeks on Thu Jun 27, 2019 2:28 pm

You need it less, but general consensus is that weighting the vegetables is crucial and airlocks are optional.
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Re: Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

Postby wwwKris on Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:00 am

Thanks for the replies everyone - fantastic to find such a great community supporting fermenters! Based one the replies, I'll go the safe route and continue to use weights even if I decide to get airlocks.

irie1029: Thanks for the suggestion of the ball lids - I'll check those out. And the clay weights look very nice indeed ... much better than the glass candle holders I've been using as a stop-gap. :-)
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Re: Airlock Lids - Do I Still Need a Weight?

Postby Laurent_E on Wed Jul 24, 2019 10:48 am

Hello,

First of all, as said above, airlocking / constant airlocking isn't neccessary when making fermentations, it might even stall the fermentation at some point.

As for my experience, plugging them into liquid helps preventing molds on the surface. However if your salt concentration is high, than molds are less likely to develop, think of dry fermentations that usually use greater proportions of salt (unless molds are desired).
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