Why do we use blow off buckets?

[scotts]

If you, like me, didn't know about Pasteur's swan-neck flask experiment:

http://www.pasteurbrewing.com/pasteur-experiment-swan-neck-flask.html

And in related news, I recently printed this photo as a reminder to brewery staff of why we have rigorous sanitation procedures:

http://www.microbeworld.org/component/jlibrary/?view=article&id=13867

[Timmush]

What kind of hose do you use?

So if you do use a blow off bucket, what kind of hose do you use to go into that bucket? I use brewers hose, but I know there is a better/cheaper alternative for a 1.25 inch diameter cip arm.

[TGTimm]

We use our used yeast pitching hose--which only gets used once for pitching. It's 3/4" ID vinyl hose.

[lyonsmithbrew]

Homebrew background

I use blow off buckets simply because I was a home brewer first. Never changed the habit. It works for me, and I would spend more time irrationally worrying about it than it takes to soak a bucket in caustic and spray it down. JMHO!

[JustinDCrawford]

I agree

I use blow off buckets simply because I was a home brewer first. Never changed the habit. It works for me, and I would spend more time irrationally worrying about it than it takes to soak a bucket in caustic and spray it down. JMHO!

I never home brewed however I completely agree. In the 5 years I have been brewing I always looked at the blow off as being extra insurance. There is enough stress in all of our lives, we don’t need to be kept up at night worrying about if our tank is going to get infected. It's only a small bit of effort to release a ton of un-needed stress.