THIS is why you need to have back-up equipment

[FedoraDave]

I've got four carboys going right now. A fiver of FedoraDave's American Ale that I brewed last Sunday, a fiver of 2Daves Irish Red Ale in a secondary that I have to bottle tonight, a 2.5 gallon batch of Groomsman's Pride (take 2), and the 2.5 gallon batch of Lime Cerveza that I brewed yesterday.

Well, as is my habit, when I got home from work today, I went downstairs to "check on the baby," and I found the airlock completely clogged from the hyperactive fermentation that seems to have occurred in the Lime Cerveza.

I quickly went to the supply closet and filled a spare S-bubbler with Star-San, sprayed the bung with Star-San, and replaced the clogged one (it burped krausen in my face when I took it out; I guess I'm lucky it didn't skyrocket off the carboy during the day). No harm, no foul.

But boy, am I glad I followed my whimsey and bought an extra airlock a while back. I suppose in a crisis I could have sanitized a piece of foil, crimped it loosely over the carboy while I cleaned and sanitized the clogged airlock, and all would have been well. But still, this took only a minute or less, and I feel better about the situation.

I also imagine that I'll get replies admonishing me for not using a blow-off for all my primary fermentations. I probably should, yeah. But absent that, having an extra airlock saved the day for me.

[Brewbirds]

Sounds familiar to me Dave.
I don't know if you followed our free wort project thread but for one of them we used the BD conical for the first time with an airlock, both for the first time.

We had pitched on a yeast cake slurry, also first time, and I was changing out airlocks like crazy until it calmed down finally.

Having the extra airlock was the game saver and I got it on a whim.

Don't know if we'll keep some of our new brewers by suggesting that two of everything is wise but two of some things are wise.

[FedoraDave]

Given the fairly negligible cost of things like airlocks, bungs, and hydrometers, having a spare (or two) of these things isn't going to force anyone to eat dog food for the next month.

[Gymrat]

I don't use an air lock anymore. I just use a blow off tube instead.
I do have an extra hydrometer and two Ale Pails. And a few other duplicates here and there just in case.

[DaYooper]

Gotta love extra stuff. In addition to bits and pieces, I bought an extra wing capper since I tend to bottle after work and I "knew" it would fail and I would have no way to get another while flat beer was sitting in uncapped bottles. When I bought by kegging stuff it came with some extra brew equipment including another capper. Then, with too many bottles breaking, I ended up getting a bench capper. Not a darned one has failed. But, I am a LOT less paranoid on bottling day.

[FedoraDave]

Gotta love extra stuff. In addition to bits and pieces, I bought an extra wing capper since I tend to bottle after work and I "knew" it would fail and I would have no way to get another while flat beer was sitting in uncapped bottles. When I bought by kegging stuff it came with some extra brew equipment including another capper. Then, with too many bottles breaking, I ended up getting a bench capper. Not a darned one has failed. But, I am a LOT less paranoid on bottling day.

Yeah, I love my bench capper, but I still keep a nearly new Red Baron wing capper on stand-by. And I've needed it, too. My bench capper broke down toward the end of one bottling session, and I had to use it on the last seven or eight bottles.

[T8rSalad]

Reminds me of back in the days of old (like Y-Dag & F-I-T timeframe)*** Extra extra read all about it and dang if Fedora Dave has written it for us to read. I'm like JoeChianti (wherethehellis-he?), I not only buy one, not two but many refills of old Mr Beer, and oh yea, 8 lbk's, 2 cappers, and a partridge in a pear tree. All kidding aside, 2 of the basic needs items or ones that are very susceptible to breakage especially in those times of need. cost is low where risk is high.

Happy Brewing Dave!