Problems with plastic bucket fermenter?

[Jordancwilk]

So I brewed an American Pale Ale on Saturday, and have not seen a single bubble in my airlock. I used a dry yeast this time - Danstar BRY 97. I read in here that this yeast has a "slow start time" but at 72 hours I was really getting worried. I even thought there might be a problem with my airlock. When I went to change it out for another one, I took a peek inside and found this: View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1425442300.785087.jpg

I'm only on my 5th batch but this is definitely a krausen working and doing its magic right? Is it possible that my plastic bucket just leaks through the lid and won't let my airlock bubble?

Any peace of mind and assurance is much appreciated!

 

[Ole_Smoky]

I'm on my second batch and have ran into the EXACT same issue. Everywhere you read tells you to not rely on the airlock for signs of fermentation. I took a peak in at 72 hrs and saw the same thing, I know it's doing its thing so I buttoned it back up and won't look at it again until I rack to secondary! just leave it be and let it work it's magic!

 

[Jordancwilk]

Glad to hear I'm not the only worry wort here.

I think it might be time to invest in a 6 gal glass carboy for my next brew!

 

[dtgrdn]

Glad to hear I'm not the only worry wort here.

I think it might be time to invest in a 6 gal glass carboy for my next brew!

skip the glass and get this. I'm not promoting MoreBeer just Googled and they came up. No shattering, no worrying

http://www.morebeer.com/products/plastic-carboy-6-gallon.html?gclid=CIiFqvbwjcQCFVKDfgod6DkAwA

 

[Zzyzx3]

Looks like it is churning away nicely! Most likely a leak somewhere in the plastic bucket.

 

[Jordancwilk]

I've thought about those too, just haven't done enough research to see how they compare to glass. Anything that's not going to shatter when I drop it is a huge plus, not to mention a lot lighter.

 

[Jordancwilk]

Thanks for confirming guys!

 

[aprichman]

I've got a couple of glass carboys that I bought when I first started home brewing. If I could do it again I would have gone with plastic carboys. When the glass carboys get wet they are REALLY slippery. My carboys are only 3 gallon so they are still not TOO hard to handle but a 5-6 gallon would be out of the question.

I also have a 5 gallon plastic big mouth bubbler that is a JOY to handle but a really crappy product IMHO. I can't get a good seal on the BMB and after a week it creates a vacuum that almost sucks the San Star out of my 3 piece airlock back into the fermenting vessel. I've used it a few times but I'm probably going to get rid of it or use it as a vessel for keeping a big batch of sanstar. It's just not a good piece of equipment for making beer IMO.

The regular carboy shaped plastic fermenters are the way to go IMHO. You can create an airtight seal (big advantage over a bucket or big mouth bubbler) and don't have to worry about shattering your carboy.

 

[HumulusHead]

My plastic bucket lid doesn't seal worth crap so my airlock never bubbles. I don't know why I even bother using an airlock. I could just tape over the port.

That said I love my buckets. The only thing I would switch to would be a plastic big mouth bubbler. Cleaning carboys is a pain in my ass and they are slippery when wet!

 

[andrewmaixner]

My plastic bucket lid doesn't seal worth crap so my airlock never bubbles. I don't know why I even bother using an airlock. I could just tape over the port.

That said I love my buckets. The only thing I would switch to would be a plastic big mouth bubbler. Cleaning carboys is a pain in my ass and they are slippery when wet!

This.
look under the lid, see if there is a rubber gasket inside it where the bucket rim makes contact. If not, there's not a good seal, and it will only bubble on rather rapid fermentation. I compared the two lid types with a split batch of wort and yeast -- the non-gasket lid one never bubbled, gasketed lid bubbled. I am replacing it with a matching gasketed lid, because I like to see the bubbles.

 

[Ole_Smoky]

I have 2 5 gal carboys, originally got the plastic with my brew Kit and bought a glass second hand for this second batch I have on the go, it slipped out of my hand and took a good beating off the side of my bathtub this evening while cleaning. After that event I think I prefer the plastic one!

 

[midfielder5]

i am not certain this is 100%, but on my buckets to test the airtightness, I press down on the sealed bucket top (after yeast pitch) to make sure my bubbler is bubbling. I've never had a bucket in 5 years not bubble w fermentation. knock wood.

 

[aprichman]

My plastic bucket lid doesn't seal worth crap so my airlock never bubbles. I don't know why I even bother using an airlock. I could just tape over the port.

That said I love my buckets. The only thing I would switch to would be a plastic big mouth bubbler. Cleaning carboys is a pain in my ass and they are slippery when wet!

FWIW my plastic big mouth bubbler doesn't seal for crap. It's a great idea but an incredibly poor product in my experience.

 

[RM-MN]

If you have to see bubbles when your beer is fermenting you should buy a bubble pipe and some solution to put in it. Then when you want to see bubbles you just dip it in the solution and blow through it. Much cheaper than a carboy and it won't cut you to ribbons if you drop it. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/...8oiLp9jilYN_X_1fdig8gw25IQgvK2usotaBCV8T35wmI

 

[unionrdr]

The Brewer's Best style buckets don't have a lid seal. Mine always leaked during initial fermentation, stopping after initial ferment was done. Didn't always bubble. When it got infected, I swapped it for the Midwest short 7.9 gallon one with a lid seal. No more leaks!

 

[Ole_Smoky]

Hmm good info I'll have to look into that Midwest bucket. I have the brewers best and it sealed good on my first batch, this second one it's obviously not sealing.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Trust me, even if it's not bubbling, it's still working.

Woke up to this little disaster on Tuesday morning after not seeing a single bubble in the airlock since I put it all in the fermenter on Sunday evening.

emergency fix:

 

[Sailingeric]

Stop worrying about the airlock bubbles. If you are sanitizing and keeping a lid on it you will be fine. Hell, some places don't even bother with a lid [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xClXKMhcFr0[/ame]

 

[1977Brewer]

Stop worrying about the airlock bubbles. If you are sanitizing and keeping a lid on it you will be fine. Hell, some places don't even bother with a lid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xClXKMhcFr0

I love that video so much.

I don't use stoppers, airlocks, or blowoffs. StarSan a square of foil, crimp it over the neck, rubber band around that if you're paranoid or live in a grain silo. Fermenter fits perfectly inside a sterilite tote, which will double as my swamp cooler vessel when the need arises. No Starsan in my beer, no krausen in my cabinet.

 

[Mexibilly]

Who manufactured your bucket? I have a brewers best and 2 from Midwest, no gaskets, and have not had any issues with leakage from the lid. They bubble along nicely and continue to do so for days.
I also have a glass bigmouth and a set of extra gaskets. Never had any apparent leakage issue with this one either. That being said I replace the gasket each time.

 

[ncbrewer]

You can check for kraeusen with a flashlight. Darken the room and set the flashlight on the lid, pointing down. You can see kraeusen through the bucket wall.

 

[Clonefan94]

I certainly understand and go with the "Airlock is not the indicator of fermentation" but I think in some cases, it's better to check, be safe, rather than find out in 2 weeks your yeast never did kick in. Good to know that it did kick in, but I'm on your side, if I didn't see anything for 3 days, i'd certainly get a little worried.

 

[mcbar]

Is there a reason (other than peace of mind from seeing bubbles) that people worry about the seal on their buckets?

I ferment in a plastic garbage can style vessel. No seal or gasket or anything that even comes close. I don't use an airlock or a blowoff hose - I snap the lid on and let positive pressure keep any potential nasties out.

I know when it's done because my hydrometer tells me.

 

[hunter_le five]

Whether or not your airlock bubbles is irrelevant. It's fun to watch, but entirely unnecessary.

Whether or not your lid seals is equally irrelevant, at least for primary fermentation.

 

[Clonefan94]

Is there a reason (other than peace of mind from seeing bubbles) that people worry about the seal on their buckets?

I ferment in a plastic garbage can style vessel. No seal or gasket or anything that even comes close. I don't use an airlock or a blowoff hose - I snap the lid on and let positive pressure keep any potential nasties out.

I know when it's done because my hydrometer tells me.

The only reason I would be concerned, is because I've always seen bubbles. I've never had a ferment where I didn't get at least some airlock activity within the first day or so. So my reason for concern would be wondering weather the yeast took off or not, that's it. Once I knew the yeast started, I could not care less about airlock ativity.

I guess I've never had a yeast that didn't take off either, but I would still want to make sure to know if I needed to get another yeast packet in there or not.

 

[masaba]

You can always check if your bucket has a good seal. Put the lid on, put your airlock in place, then press down on the lid. If you have a 3 piece airlock, you should see the little cap rise. If it rises and stays in place until you release the lid, then you have a good seal. If it rises and then falls (or doesn't rise at all) you have a leak. For a one-piece airlock you just look at the water level.

 

[Jordancwilk]

Thanks for all your help guys. FWIW, my main concern was that I have always seen bubbling in my first 4 batches but none on this. My bucket is from a Midwest starter kit, and does not have a gasket.

I know I shouldn't be relying on the bubbles and don't necessarily have to have a leak-proof bucket either. As far as carboy talk goes, regardless of glass or plastic, I think I would really benefit from being able to actually SEE my beer and get a better idea of what it's doing. I guess that's a preference thing.

Thanks again for all the help and good convo!