Blocked teapot lid airhole

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LeoFox
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Wed Jul 20, 2022 10:45 pm

If it's blocked with water, then when you place the lid in the pot, an air bubble forms, forcing a lot of tea to come out.



What are ways to unblock the hole?

Normally this is not a huge problem - but seems to be quite challenging when:
  • using high leaf ratio, especially when the leaves are large and intact
  • the lid airhole is very small, as is often the case with older pots
  • when the lid skirt is long

Approaches mentioned in this thread:
  • blow the clogged lid hole from the inside with mouth
  • use an air blowing bulb
  • place lid carefully and slowly
  • pour slowly
  • use rigid instrument (e.g., toothpick, stainless steel pin, fine brush) to unclog (method worked for me)
  • use tissue or filter paper to wick off (via private message)
Also, Pedant has a nice model of pressures at play during teapot pouring

viewtopic.php?p=4293#p4293

Update: a year later I found an easy way to do this that does not involve any tools. I simply take a firm, secure grip of the lid with one hand along the edges. And then i flick it hard in the air. Any water in the hole is flicked out. Of course the risk would be accidentally throwing the lid- but this shouldn't be problem for anyone who can confidently grip the lid tightly.
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Last edited by LeoFox on Sun Oct 29, 2023 2:49 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Andrew S
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Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:14 pm

I usually blow into my lids if I notice that they've become blocked.

However, that's not a particularly elegant thing to do if I am making tea for someone else; in that case, I have a little squeezable air blower thing (which Google tells me is probably best described as a rubber bulb pump, or something similar).

Some times I simply don't care, at least if I'm 'wet' brewing. The Chaozhou pewter tray that turns up in most of my photos helps.

Some old pots can block their holes while they're brewing, annoyingly, even if the teapot was not over-filled when the lid went on, and the lid was not blocked. I just live with that.

Apart from that, prevention is the best form of defence by not over-filling the pot, I suppose.

I have seen videos of people drilling into their teapot lids to widen the air holes, but... I would never do that. For me, it's just part of the experience of using small teapots that are older than I am and will likely outlive me, and I don't feel any need to 'fix' them when none of the pot's previous owners felt any need to do so.

Andrew
Andrew S
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Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:20 pm

Addendum: another preventative measure is not to pour the tea out too quickly. If the lid fits snugly, there's a temptation to pour so quickly that the tea inside will enter the air hole and block it. But of course, you need to pour quickly enough that the tea comes out smoothly...

Andrew
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pedant
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 12:45 am

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:14 pm
I usually blow into my lids if I notice that they've become blocked.

However, that's not a particularly elegant thing to do if I am making tea for someone else; in that case, I have a little squeezable air blower thing (which Google tells me is probably best described as a rubber bulb pump, or something similar).
...
haha. i blow into the lid too (usually from the inside), but that's gross, and i wouldn't do it in front of a guest.
the rubber bulb blower is an interesting idea.
Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:20 pm
another preventative measure is not to pour the tea out too quickly. If the lid fits snugly, there's a temptation to pour so quickly that the tea inside will enter the air hole and block it.
i agree, but on the "really bad" pots, condensation clogs it no matter how you pour.
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pedant
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 1:02 am

i have never shied away from enlarging a lid's hole except when enlarging seemed too risky or would look really bad for some reason. sometimes it makes a noticeable improvement in pour speed. sometimes it helps with the condensate clogging problem.

edit: here's another related thread
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Pants404
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 2:46 am

I too don't hesitate to open up an air hole of it appears to be too small on the inside (if there is a blockage , excess clay, or simply poorly made) providing the work will not be visible. I use the diamond bits mentioned in the link Pedant provided, but I have them mounted to a wooden pencil-like handle so I can go at my own pace.

Blowing into the lid is another method when I am by myself.

Any pots that do this consistently I have opened up, but some only do it occasionally so blowing it or poking with a toothpick if there is company.
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LeoFox
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:16 am

Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:14 pm
I have seen videos of people drilling into their teapot lids to widen the air holes, but... I would never do that. For me, it's just part of the experience of using small teapots that are older than I am and will likely outlive me, and I don't feel any need to 'fix' them when none of the pot's previous owners felt any need to do so.

Andrew
I am 100% with you on this point
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Victoria
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:38 am

When alone I’ll also blow into air hole from behind. In company I’ll use a very fine interdental tooth brushpick, or a SS pin that happens to be the right size. Putting the lid on tilted and slowly helps to prevent blocking the airhole.
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LeoFox
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Thu Jul 21, 2022 2:10 pm

Thanks guys- the toothpick trick works very well for me. Blowing somehow doesn't cut it for my pot. Hopefully this thread will be useful to others
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Baisao
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Mon Jul 25, 2022 1:51 am

LeoFox wrote:
Thu Jul 21, 2022 5:16 am
Andrew S wrote:
Wed Jul 20, 2022 11:14 pm
I have seen videos of people drilling into their teapot lids to widen the air holes, but... I would never do that. For me, it's just part of the experience of using small teapots that are older than I am and will likely outlive me, and I don't feel any need to 'fix' them when none of the pot's previous owners felt any need to do so.

Andrew
I am 100% with you on this point
I completely agree. In part out of respect to the teapot maker and in part to those who will use the pot when I inevitably pass (it) on.
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OCTO
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Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:28 pm

I usually would not tamper with the hole unless it is clogged up with clay… then I would use a fine needle file to remove the access clay. If the hole is originally too small, I would simply tilt and lift the lid a little when I’m pouring my brew out.

Cheers!! :)
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Baisao
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Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:50 pm

Before placing the lid on to the teapot, I will use a napkin to wick away moisture in the vent hole or I’ll blow with my mouth on the skirt. Blowing feels right and natural, even if inelegant. Vent holes will quickly accumulate moisture if the lid hovers above the steaming water too long. Fortunately, this seems to only be an issue with small pots.
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