[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Yeast CO2 stopped
Jim Spencer wrote:
>
> Darrell wrote;
> >>It seems that the never-ending question regarding yeast CO2 is why
> it is not lasting very long. CO2 should last at least 3 to 4 weeks.
> If it is not, you can check the following:
> >
> >snip
>
> The things you list are good things to check but I think you left out
> one of the most likely causes of CO2 quitting. Allowing the
> temperature to drop below about 70F seems to be a good way to kill the
> yeast reaction.
Hmm. The temperature in my house regularly drops below 70 F. It doesn't
"kill" the reaction. The CO2 production slows down at cooler temps (at
night, when there is less need for it) and speeds up for warmer temps
(during the day, when more is needed). The variation isn't very strong.
I measured it a few weeks ago at about 160 bubbles/minute first thing in
the morning and 180 bubbles/minute in late afternoon.
Lower temperatures will cause a batch to take longer to reach full
production.
One thing I've noticed in a couple recent letters about DIY CO2 failures
is descriptions of batches bubbling for a day, or for a few hours then
stopping. When I mix a new batch it takes several hours just to get
started, and 24 hours or so to reach the CO2 production rate that I need
in the tank. If I use really small amounts of yeast to start a batch,
then it can take several days to reach full speed.
Maybe some of the failures that we see reported aren't so much actual
failures as they are just incorrect expectations that a yeast batch will
swing into full production as soon as it's mixed. They don't. Give them
time.
Roger Miller