Problem Fermenting

This is my second batch, the first went just fine, fermented in a couple hours. 24 hours have gone by with this batch and fermentation has not started. The bucket is sealed. The only thing different this time, besides a slight variation in the recipie (two different American light recipies) was that the heavy sediment was filtered out right before putting it in the fermentation bucket. I don't know if this could cause this or could it possibly be the temperature is lower this time (colder outside=colder in the house).
Any help is appreciated!

24 hours is not an unusual time to wait for signs of active fermentation. It is likely that the yeast are working, but not giving you any outward signs of that activity. As Revvy would tell you, don't pay attention to your airlock, it means nothing. Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew.

What yeast did you use, and what was your technique for using it?

One thing I have found that helps me is to use a blow off tube. When I put the end of the hose in the bucket of water. I place a weight on the hose to hold it to the bottom. I pull out a sharpie and look at the hose. I find where the water is in the hose and draw a line to mark it position in the hose. This way if I don't see bubbles I can check the mark on the hose for signs of life. Works good for me. But like everone has said not unusual to take a little longer then we would like.

My latest batch took about 30 hours or so to kick in so you will just need to wait it out a bit more.

Thanks guys..I just used the Brewers Best kit and the packet of yeast that came with it..I'm now at 33 hours and still nothing. At what point do you think I should get a new yeast to put in there?

Well, I'm not sure when you should add yeast, but I will tell you that these posts are the reason I became fully convinced to use a starter on all batches, and since then all my fermentations take off in 18 hours - visibly and audibly.

Wait at least 72 hours. If it doesn't start fermenting by then, THEN you can start worrying.

Also, the ONLY, (and I mean only), way to tell if it's fermenting is with a hydrometer reading. Bubbles mean nothing! Airlocks mean nothing! Check it in a few days with a hydrometer, and compare to your OG reading, (you took an OG reading, right?, if not, tell us what you put in it, and we'll tell you your likely OG).

Thanks guys, at about 70 hours it started fermenting. Thanks for all of your help.

aands2007 said:

Thanks guys, at about 70 hours it started fermenting. Thanks for all of your help.

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Wow... glad it all worked out. I was going to suggest re-checking the seal on the fermenter. If it's not tight air could be leaking out