Potassium Metabisulfite a yeast killer?

Ok-- i've made several selection wines and haven't seen this problem. i'm getting a little worried.

i've always used one-step for sanitizing, but the HB store guy coaxed me into using the metabis.

i don't recall rinsing it out all that well after i sanitized.

i'm trying to ferment at a steady 70F in my chest freezer with a temp control unit on it.

it's been just shy of 48 hours now and there is VERY little activity going on in the primary.

did i just waste $130????

in the past, it seemed to have caught on by 48 hours, but then again, i was fermenting around 78F.

K-meta can be used as a sanitizer, and I use it in fruit wines to inhibit wild yeasts and bacteria. I add it to my must, and then pitch the yeast with no problems! So, I think the problem isn't the k-meta. At least, that's what is NOT stopping fermentation. But it could be lack of oxygen after the k-meta.

It's really hard to tell sometimes in primary how well things are going. I would recommend stirring it well at least twice a day (if it's in a chest freezer, it's not getting enough oxygen for sure) and also check the sg. It's possible that it's active but not visiblly so.

If the sg isn't dropping, I'd recommend taking it out and giving it more aggressive aeration. K-meta releases so2 gas, and your must really needs more oxygen to ferment after a dose of it.

Let me know if it's not going better by tomorrow.

howdy,

thanks for the reply.

i think it has to do with temp and time. i had everything sitting in the chest freezer when i started so it has pretty much been at 68-70F since starting.

i went ahead and took it out to let it warm up to room temp tonight-- roughly 78-80F. hopefully it'll be churning out CO2 tomorrow!

btw, i aerated it pretty good via stirring...

hmmmmph

btw, if i have an airtight lid with an airlock, how would it be getting O2 anyway?

thx

For primary, you shouldn't have an airtight lid. You should just cover it with a cloth/towel/muslin so it gets plenty of air.

however, If you're doing a kit, it's best to follow their directions. I've never seen a kit that had you airlock in primary, though. what do the directions say?

hehe that's pretty funny.

i always just assumed to make it a closed vessel with an airlock so that i could keep out all the bad buggers!

i just checked the instructions and it says "cover the primary container and wait 24-48 hours for fermentation to begin."


hmmmm.. cover.. that's pretty vague!



since taking it out of the chest freezer, it's waking up now. not vigorous, but waking up.

if it's churning away tomorrow AM i'll put it back in the chest freezer (68F) since it gets up in the mid 80s in the house during the day!

i've always gotten good results with the primary all sealed up. is this a no-no?

maybe i'm just paranoid??

if i oxygenated the mix before buttoning it up, it should have enough for the yeast to get going, right?

thx

Well, not necessarily! We just had the same discussion earlier today on here. The thread should be below here, or I'll look for it later!

i was about to "stir the bucket" (no pun intended) but then i started thinking about how the instructions say to "sprinkle" the yeast on top of the solution and then "cover."

since the airlock was bubbling every few seconds i figure it's off, although off at a slow start. i have a feeling it will be alright.

i stuck it back in the chest freezer and bumped up the temp to 72.

we'll see!!!

i did take a peek though and i'm wondering how i'm going to get a SG reading if there's so much crud still floating on top (oak chips). won't all

ahh never mind... i see now!

collect from the bottom with my magic tube!


thx for keeping the thread alive.

mark

well, she appears to be alive!

nice airlock activity at a cool 70F.

i guess the yeast just needed a little time to wake up.

thx for the responses Lorena.

-mark

Glad to hear it!

I use One Step or Easy Clean to clean and Sodium Meta Bisulfate to sanitize. I never rinse the equipment unless it is after clean up and storing. The Na or K meta will not kill your yeasts unless you have large amounts of it. I add one crushed Campden tablet per gallon of fruit wines as well as the residue on the equipment and have never had an issue. It is the Sorbate that stops the fermentation in kits not the sulfite's. The sulfite's are added as an anti-oxidant. High sulfite levels will stop a fermentation though but not at the levels we are using.