No bubbles......but

No noticeable bubbles in the air lock but there is the sulphur smell so I know the yeast is working.

Either I'm not seeing the bubbles or, some CO2 is leaking out around lid maybe? It's on tight.......airlock is secure.

kyle6357 said:

No noticeable bubbles in the air lock but there is the sulphur smell so I know the yeast is working.

Either I'm not seeing the bubbles or, some CO2 is leaking out around lid maybe? It's on tight.......airlock is secure.

Click to expand...

Bucket lids are notoriously leaky. Smell does seem to indicate fermentation. Just leave it alone for a week or two, then take a hydrometer reading.

homebrewdad said:

Bucket lids are notoriously leaky. Smell does seem to indicate fermentation. Just leave it alone for a week or two, then take a hydrometer reading.

Click to expand...

When you take the reading will the O2 hurt hinder if I'm not quite there yet?

kyle6357 said:

When you take the reading will the O2 hurt hinder if I'm not quite there yet?

Click to expand...

Co2 is heavier than air, so as long as you don't tip the bucket, slosh it around, or do some other crazy thing, then your beer will be perfectly fine to open the lid and get enough for a OG sample.
Use a sanitized thief or sanitized turkey baster

kyle6357 said:

When you take the reading will the O2 hurt hinder if I'm not quite there yet?

Click to expand...

Nope... it won't hurt a thing.

...and one of the cool things about a bucket is you can just drop your sanitized hydrometer right in the brew to take a reading.

Gary