hi everyone,just joined and done my first brew,bulldog brews ipa it comes in a bag,anyway got it going sunday morning but still no bubbling at airlock,the lid of the fermenter is swelling and the beer looks like it has a head on it,should i leave it to see how it goes? cheers lagerlad
airlock not bubbling
- Thread starter lagerlad
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ManseMasher
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Leave it and see how it goes. What temperature have you got it at?
wheazy_joe
Landlord.
Sounds like it's doing what it needs to do. Maybe you have a very slight leak from the lid, that way the Co2 would escape from there and not through the air lock.
Tazmaniandevil
Active Member
Daft question maybe, but have you tried pressing down on the middle of the fv lid, to see whether the airlock is working? If the seal is OK, pushing the lid down should displace gas and force the airlock to produce a bubble or 3
wheazy_joe
Landlord.
+1 on what Taz said!
Tazmaniandevil
Active Member
Maybe try going round the seam of where the lid clips on with vaseline to seal the edges. I got a plastic bin from Boots many years ago where the lid had been shoved inside the bin and had a curve. I eventually had to immerse it in hot water and then clip it on with a board and half a dozen bricks sat on top to flatten it to the shape of the bin's rim.
lukehgriffiths
Senior Member
If lid is swelling it is fermenting may just lack power to bubble... or be getting out elsewhere.
No need to worry and that layer of CO2 will keep out nasties so do not worry of slight leak in rim.
No need to worry and that layer of CO2 will keep out nasties so do not worry of slight leak in rim.
Tony1951
Bungling Amateur
Funny though that when the Op pushes down on the lid the airlock bubbles, yet the pressure in the tub is enough to bulge the lid. Can't work that out.
wheazy_joe
Landlord.
Only way to know for sure is to take readings with hydrometer, same readings 2-3 days consecutive tells you it is done.
baggybill
Always learning...
It 'slowly' escapes through the lid... when you push on it, that's too much instant pressure and has to go out the bubble.
All my 25L FV's (Wilko's) seal perfect and bubbles work perfect with no issues at all but... my small Young's 15L FV has this exact problem. Lid seems a lot flimsier too but hey, don't worry, the beer (AG#1) came out great :
All my 25L FV's (Wilko's) seal perfect and bubbles work perfect with no issues at all but... my small Young's 15L FV has this exact problem. Lid seems a lot flimsier too but hey, don't worry, the beer (AG#1) came out great :
Hi all again thanks for the advice I have just checked beer as I am just home it is looking flat now with no head so took a hydrometer reading it is 1.050 am I correct in thinking no fermentation is happening if I am should I bin it or add yeast it was put in fermenter on 28th (2days ago). Cheers lagerlad
wheazy_joe
Landlord.
No don't bin it! Obviously you had to open the lid, check again tomorrow to see if the pressure is back on the lid. It's only been two days, some brews take a wee while to really kick in.
wheazy_joe
Landlord.
Some folk on here report that their air lock never bubbles and their brew still ferments fine. The pressure on the lid tells you that co2 is being produced, meaning the yeast is doing its job. I know it is hard with your first brew, but try to relax and let it work, the worst thing you can do is open the lid too often, the co2 protects the beer from nasties, and it is lost if you open the lid.
alarmsparks
Active Member
I too have a young's fv that will not bubble. I think they are just a bit leaky on the lid.
wheazy_joe
Landlord.
What did it start at?
