When making wine at home, there comes a point when the fermentation process begins, during which the sugar contained in the grapes is converted into ethyl alcohol. The process is accompanied by a constant release of carbon dioxide. An important feature: its normal flow is possible only in the absence of oxygen contained in the air. As soon as it enters the wort tank, the oxidation of alcohol begins and it decomposes into acetic acid and water. In fact, instead of wine, vinegar is obtained.
Technologically, the task of removing carbon dioxide from a container with future wine and simultaneously maintaining tightness is provided by a water seal (water lock, water seal). Recently, such devices (and even imported ones from Italy!) have appeared on sale, which causes an involuntary smile among the "veterans" of home winemaking and home brewing. They have long been accustomed to doing on their own andmake high-quality water seals literally from improvised means.
The water lock device can be simple, as they say, outrageously. Many people are well aware of the design, consisting of a single element - gloves made of soft rubber or a balloon. It is enough to make a hole in it with a needle, put it on a bottle of wort - and the "water lock" (although the name is inaccurate, because it is not associated with water) is ready to work. The rubber tank is inflated with carbon dioxide. When there is too much of it, the excess goes out through the "valve" (expanded hole). At the same time, the gas pressure does not allow air to enter. How to make a water seal that really lives up to its name? This also does not require special skills or any special materials. It will be enough to have a rubber tube with a diameter of 8-10 mm, hermetically connected at one end to a hole in the lid of the bottle or cylinder. Tightness can be ensured by coating with alabaster, gypsum, paraffin or wax. The other end of the tube, 30 to 40 cm long, is immersed in a vessel with 100 ml of boiled chilled water, which will prevent air from entering after fermentation is completed. The carbon dioxide released in this process appears in the water in the form of bubbles. By their number and intensity of formation, one can judge the course of fermentation. The water in the vessel needs to be replaced from time to time or a few drops of vodka should be added to it. Some winemakers do not like such a water seal because of the unpleasant smell that exudesa vessel of water, and a constant gurgling sound.
There is a self-made water lock in which the above design is turned into a single whole. It is based on an ordinary polyethylene lid, to which a flexible transparent tube (at one end) and a small plastic cup (bottom) are soldered on top. The tube is bent in such a way that its other end goes into a glass, where, after the cap is put on a three-liter bottle, water is poured. The recess in them is intended for water, and a cap is put on top, which ensures the release of carbon dioxide through the water.
Despite the variety of designs and materials used, the principle of operation of water locks is the same. And the goal is the same: to provide the household with home-made wines, liqueurs and liquors.
