My old crew in Mesa had to switch to insulated hose covers for the power stretcher. The vinyl would get soft and tacky on days over 115, and we'd get little rips. That extra overnight heat in the valley just cooks everything.

Honestly you just get a feel for it after a while. I check the lid once a day, listen for the hiss, and give it a quick sniff. If the bubbling has stopped for a few days and it smells right, it's usually done. Opening it that fast doesn't let much in, and the CO2 pushing out helps. The key is keeping everything super clean before it even goes in the jar.

Yeah, @eric_wright77, that bushwhacking sounds exactly like my kind of bad luck.