I have a primary with an airtight lid that can accept an airlock. The lid is
hard to remove (you get on top of it with your knee, use a bunch of brute
force, a few grunts and groans...). Instead of the lid, I use two pieces of
Saran wrap, taped together (so it will cover the whole top of the bucket)
and hold it in place with a rubber band. Or if I don't have a band that big
at the time, I tie a paper clip to each end of a piece of string (of
specific length), and then connect the two paper clips with a regular rubber
band. The gassing off slightly balloons the wrap up, but is enough to keep
the air and dust from getting in.

As for SG's, I couldn't be bothered with doing it daily. When it's bubbling,
I know it's working. When it slows down or stops, I know it's time to do
something with it.

"Dave" wrote in message
...
Nevermind. Closer inspection reveals a hole + grommet + airlock. Still,
the cover is very tight and it seems like a lot of work to remove it &
then
reseal it each time I want to take a SG reading, which is daily according
to
the kit directions. Is that just a fact of wine-making life?

"Dave" wrote in message
...
I have some red wine from a kit ready to start. Do I cover the food
bucket
that I'll be using to ferment? The bucket comes with a lid, which seems
to
be quite airtight (got this from a wine supply shop online). Should I
use
that? I thought it shouldn't be airtight, but as you can see I am
getting
confused.

This is the 3rd or 4th simple question that I've asked thus far, and the
help has been great. Thanks to all of you.

Dave