Fermenting problem? No airlock activity/bubbles

[rkhanso]

Hello,
I'm brewing my 4th batch of beer. I'm also using a homemade CraftBeerPi for controlling fermentation temps. It's also my first time using a new cap on the carboy so I can have both the airlock and my temp probe in use. This is the cap:

After brewing, when getting fermentation control set up, I connected a temp probe backwards and fried it. It took me a while to get a new temp probe soldered up and with the cold temps in my garage, the wort temp dropped down to 60F before I got the controller up and running. It took quite a while to get the temp up to the 68F I have it set at. It's been at 68F for about 1.5 days (late afternoon or early evening on Saturday).


I see fermentation activity floating around in the wort, but there are no bubbles coming through the airlock. Might I have a leak somewhere at the cap? I have the airlock in the large/center hole and my temp probe in the small hole on the side - with a zip-tie making it tight around the temp probe wire.

I've not used a cap like this before, and am hoping I'm not going to have problems with bad bacteria or anything entering the carboy.

Am I OK? Or, is there something I need to do or correct?

Thanks.

 

[LepusLucis]

Just looking at it I'd guess that its not a good seal around the temp probe. I might try wrapping it in some thread sealer? Sometimes it just needs a little something to make it air tight. Hope this helps!

 

[Rockit]

duct tape.

 

[mongoose33]

Hello,

After brewing, when getting fermentation control set up, I connected a temp probe backwards and fried it. It took me a while to get a new temp probe soldered up and with the cold temps in my garage, the wort temp dropped down to 60F before I got the controller up and running. It took quite a while to get the temp up to the 68F I have it set at. It's been at 68F for about 1.5 days (late afternoon or early evening on Saturday).

That temp change is not an issue for you.

I see fermentation activity floating around in the wort, but there are no bubbles coming through the airlock. Might I have a leak somewhere at the cap? I have the airlock in the large/center hole and my temp probe in the small hole on the side - with a zip-tie making it tight around the temp probe wire.

You've got krausen and activity in the wort--you have fermentation ongoing.

What you have is a leak somewhere. It's not a problem at this point as you're producing a positive pressure and it's still just pushing CO2 out, as it would through the airlock if that were the only exit for the CO2.

I've not used a cap like this before, and am hoping I'm not going to have problems with bad bacteria or anything entering the carboy.

As long as you have positive pressure you aren't going to have problems.

Now, that said, it sure looks like you don't have much headspace left in your fermenter. I'd watch it very carefully so you don't get a blowout.

Am I OK?

That, my friend, is a question for a psychologist.