How to Make an Airlock for Wine and Beer Production

An airlock lets carbon dioxide (CO2) escape from fermenting wine and beer without letting outside air in.

Steps

  1. Image titled Make an Airlock for Wine and Beer Production Step 1
    1
    Clean out a clear plastic bottle. Prescription pill bottles with the label removed work well.[1]
  2. Image titled Make an Airlock for Wine and Beer Production Step 2
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    Drill an 1⁄8 inch (0.3 cm) hole in the lid and a hole the size of an average ballpoint pen in the bottom of the bottle.[2]
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  3. Image titled Make an Airlock for Wine and Beer Production Step 3
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    Take the guts out of a ballpoint pen so that you have an open tube remaining. Insert the pen in the bottom hole of the pill bottle and push it in all but 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) from the top. Mix fast-curing two-part epoxy and seal the pen to the bottle.[3]
  4. Image titled Make an Airlock for Wine and Beer Production Step 4
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    Clean out a rifle cartridge (30/30, 7.62, or anything with a diameter greater than that of the pen). Place it over the end of the pen inside of the pill bottle.
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    Drill a hole in a cork slightly smaller than the diameter of the pen. Place the end of the pen all the way through the cork.
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    Fill the pill bottle with water up to 1⁄4 inch (0.6 cm) below the top of the pen inside.[4]
  7. Image titled Make an Airlock for Wine and Beer Production Step 7
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    Insert the cork end into the bottle in which you are fermenting your wine, beer, or moonshine mash.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    What if I don't have a rifle cartridge? What else can I use?
    Fear.of.moths
    Fear.of.moths
    Community Answer
    A sanitary piece of aluminum foil crimped over the top, or even a plastic baggy with a rubber band on the outside (either use a new roll/box or pour some of your favorite high proof liquor on it just to be sure) should do the trick.
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Warnings

  • Be sure to let the epoxy cure for an hour before filling with water.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • Check the water level in the airlock every few days to make sure it's high enough, as it evaporates slowly during this process. The bigger the pill bottle you use, the less you'll be adding water.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.health.com/fitness/how-to-clean-water-bottle
  2. ↑ https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/how-to/g2661/how-to-adjust-a-drill-driver/
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epb94anLNr0
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQqfALLwPak

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 19 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 242,844 times.
223 votes - 90%
Co-authors: 19
Updated: September 3, 2020
Views: 242,844
Categories: Wine
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