Expert: Spencer W Thomas - 8/28/2009

Question
Hi Spencer,

I'm in the first few days of a new round of cider - and as I'm sure you know - noxious, awful smells come out of the airlock during those first few days. I live in a small apartment and keep the bucket under my dining room table - so it stinks up the whole place.

Is there anything that can be done - other than circulation and Febreeze, to neutralize this? For example - is there a way to add an additional tube to the top of the air lock that'll force the gas to pass through some exterior filter?

Cheers!

Answer
I think your only recourse would be to somehow pipe the smell out a window.  Perhaps you could use some "dryer vent" hose.  Tape it down to the top of the bucket, covering the airlock, and stick the other end out a window, maybe?

A question: do you sulfite your cider?  That could be the origin of the smell, as sulfur-bearing compounds tend to be quite smelly.