Fermenting but not bubbling?

I just made a larger volume brew over the weekend (17 gal) for first time in my plastic conical. I can tell by the krausen formation & smell that it is fermenting but not producing any bubbling in my bucket. There is still considerable space between the beer & top of the fermenter. Is this why? Also when i open the top to smell it it really has an extremely strong alchol ofor more so than when i just made 5 gal im a bucket.

Any input would be helpful!

Must have an air leak somewhere. The CO2 is getting out somewhere other than the air lock/blowoff.

Thanks. Thats what i was wondering. But i am also concerned about the extreme alcohol odor. Maybe just because if the shear volume, or due to the plastic or perhaps it isnt venting well enough. I worry about esters & off flavors.

At what temp do you ferment? Sounds like it could be to high. And do you have a lot of pvc in your setup?

Yes, all pvc. I believe my room is around 66-68f.

Remember that fermentation is exothermic, meaning it produces heat during the process. That means that the internal temp of the fermentation is typically 3-8F higher than the ambient temp.

SO, you likely had an actual fermentation temp of 69-76F. At those temps, it's very possible that your beer fermented overnight and you just missed it!

Like others said, it's also very possible that your bucket top is not airtight. No big deal, but the CO2 will escape through the path of least resistance. If there is even a small space where the bucket lid is not airtight, the CO2 will escape there instead of going through the airlock. Not really even a sanitation concern, so no need to worry, but it's quite common, so that could be another thing that's going on.

In the end, at this point just practice good hydrometer reading and finish the beer out. It should be just fine.

Good luck!

Had a quality control last night. Gravity has dropped significantly & taste is dead on from when i last made it! Thanks for all the comments!