another fermentation question!

[megamanisrad]

hi everyone, I am brewing my first ever batch (Red Ale) and I am having tons of fun with it. It's from a kit that has already prepared the wort. You just dump it into the primary fermentor, add the (baker's) yeast and water and pH adjuster, and let it sit for 5 days, then rack it into the carboy. It's been in the carboy for about a week now, and to this day I haven't seen any activity in the airlock. There are small bubbles that sit along the side of the airlock, but nothing that has been described to me. (i.e. 3-4 bubbles every couple seconds, etc)
Any ideas? I've been very careful not to disturb it, but part of me just wants to give it a shake and yell 'show me some action!!'
Thanks everyone! I appreciate it.

 

[BendBrewer]

Water level in the airlock?

Do you have a hydrometer?

 

[b33risGOOD]

You used baker's yeast? Unless im mistaken you need BEER yeast, which would explain why there is no activity

can someone please verify this.

 

[megamanisrad]

sorry! it's brewers yeast! I've filled the airlock about halfway up. I had a hyrdometer but I broke it during the initial fermentation (dropped the bugger!) i took a reading of 1.050. Haven't been able to check it since!

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

Bakers yeast will ferment wort.......go buy a hydrometer and check the gravity. If you had it in the fermentor bucket for 5 days then it has been in the carboy for a week... it is quite possible your fermentation was done BEFORE you put it into the carboy.... Revvy will also tell you that airlock activity is not a TRUE indication of fermentation.

 

[BendBrewer]

Yeah I would check it with a new hydrometer. You probably just didn't have a very good seal on your primary and it fermented just fine is is all but done in terms of appearance of fermentation.

Which is nothing to worry about. Get a new hydrometer and be careful with it.

 

[megamanisrad]

awesome! thanks so much. funny thing is I live in a pretty remote area in canada so buying a new hydrometer requires getting one shipped in haha! i hope to do that today. maybe ill get it by the end of the week!
so if there is no activity, and general consensus says it's done fermenting, should I just bottle? i was going to wait till this coming sunday (instructions state to wait 10-15 days)
another thing I did that could affect things was I used the same airlock for the initial fermentation as well...could that affect it?

 

[OHIOSTEVE]

awesome! thanks so much. funny thing is I live in a pretty remote area in canada so buying a new hydrometer requires getting one shipped in haha! i hope to do that today. maybe ill get it by the end of the week!
so if there is no activity, and general consensus says it's done fermenting, should I just bottle? i was going to wait till this coming sunday (instructions state to wait 10-15 days)
another thing I did that could affect things was I used the same airlock for the initial fermentation as well...could that affect it?

Order the hydrometer....wait until it gets there......check fg.....check it again in 3 days....if it is the same, bottle.