airlock not bubbling.

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Secretagent

airlock not bubbling.

Post by Secretagent » Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:12 am

It's not bubbling but their is a lovely head on the beer. I made it yesterday. Do i need to worry?
Also how often do i need to take a reading with the hydrometer?
It was 1.042 yesterday.
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Prozac

Post by Prozac » Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:36 am

What sort of airlock is it? A double bubble or a cup and cap?

Must say I've never seen my airlock bubble on a beer brew, but they go mad on the TC......

Leave it for a few days before taking another reading..... it need to be sub 1010 really
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kenny850

Post by kenny850 » Thu Sep 18, 2008 9:00 am

I tend to drop the hydro in at the start before i pitch the yeast to get a baseline then leave for ten days before i get a "disappointing" reading :roll:
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Madbrewer

Post by Madbrewer » Thu Sep 18, 2008 10:29 am

could the seal be leaking gas? I vaseline the bung before putting it into the lid to get a good seal. Just an idea ...
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Secretagent

Post by Secretagent » Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:47 pm

Cheers for the replies! The airlock is a double barrel with a cap on top with little holes in it . The bung is sticking up about 2 cm from the lid. I did find it hard to get the airlock into it and maybe i dont have it in tight enough. Should the barrels be close to the bung? I took my reading before i added the yeast. i did try to get the airlock in further and it did bubble when i pushed it down but it doesn't seem to actually go in any further.
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Madbrewer

Post by Madbrewer » Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:23 pm

Sorry secret your post is confusing me and so I now can't picture your set up at all. When you say barrell Is it in fact a 5 gallon platic wine fermenter? If it is you beed the cap and seal screwed on tight, the rubber bung greaed with vaseline and pushed in firly. The airlock it'sel;f should be puched into the bung and the whole lot should be airtight meaning the only way the gas can escape is through the air lock which presuambly has a bout an 'inch' of water in it. Does this ring any bells or are we at cross purposes?
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maxashton

Post by maxashton » Thu Sep 18, 2008 2:39 pm

If you have a bucket with a grommet built in, either the grommet isn't in right or the airlock isn't in the grommet right.

If it has a port that you've put and airlock and bung into, the airlock or bung aren't in properly.

IF none of the above is true, the lid of your fermenting bucket isn't closed properly.
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Secretagent

Post by Secretagent » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:06 pm

Sorry if i am confusing everyone! When i say barrel i mean bucket. I got the starter kit from the home brew company. It is a 5 gal bucket. I clicked the lid into place and it cannot be lifted off. Mad brewer u have described it correctly. I will try and push everything in further tonight to c if that makes a difference. Will try greasing it too.
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Secretagent

Post by Secretagent » Thu Sep 18, 2008 4:08 pm

Sorry if i am confusing everyone! When i say barrel i mean bucket. I got the starter kit from the home brew company. It is a 5 gal bucket. I clicked the lid into place and it cannot be lifted off. Mad brewer u have described it correctly. I will try and push everything in further tonight to c if that makes a difference. Will try greasing it too.
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Secretagent

Post by Secretagent » Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:58 pm

I checked everything when i went home on thurs. The lid was expanded like there was air trapped and the airlock bubbled once while i was there. The head on the wort had hit the top of the lid. On sunday morn the pressure had gone down, the lid was normal and the head on the wort had almost gone. It was day 4 so i'm presuming everything is goin ok!
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Secretagent

Post by Secretagent » Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:58 pm

I checked everything when i went home on thurs. The lid was expanded like there was air trapped and the airlock bubbled once while i was there. The head on the wort had hit the top of the lid. On sunday morn the pressure had gone down, the lid was normal and the head on the wort had almost gone. It was day 4 so i'm presuming everything is goin ok!
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Parva

Post by Parva » Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:24 pm

When you press 'Submit' to make a post, press once only and wait. :)
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fivetide

Post by fivetide » Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:51 pm

SecretAgent - all is well, don;t worry. CO2 is just managing to leak somewhere other than the airlock. Give it 5-7 days of primary fermentation then have a look-see with your hydro. It's doing the right things.
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Secretagent

Post by Secretagent » Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:01 pm

Parva, sorry for th edouble posting, i was using the net on my phone so i didn't realise!

Fivetide, thanks, i'm keeping my fingers crossed as i wasn't sure if i had the airlock pushed into the bung enough.
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verno

Post by verno » Thu Sep 25, 2008 1:22 pm

I have also had a problem with my airlock and I am not sure if it was too full of water. Basically I filled the u-bend and after 3 days of fermentation the lid of my barrel had swelled and the water had almost been pushed out of the airlock. I cracked open the lid to let the air out, but I don't understand why it didn't bubble through the airlock? Was it too full?

I have since simply remove the water from it.
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