Fermentor air lock not bubbling

[Chickendriz]

Hey guys I just brewed a 5 gallon batch of beer last night and the air lock isn’t bubbling up. Is this normal?

 

[Pappers_]

Its not unusual. There could be a number of explanations - if you're using a bucket, the seal on the lid might not be completely airtight and some CO2 is escaping that way, for example. Also, some yeasts take a little longer to show signs of active fermentation. The yeast start doing their work before you can see the signs of fermentation - krausen and CO2 off-gassing.

 

[Chickendriz]

Thank you!

 

[Pappers_]

Another common reason is when a brewer pitches a modest amount of yeast cells and they are spending this time reproducing before they can get to work fermenting.

 

[Lefou]

Another common reason is when a brewer pitches a modest amount of yeast cells and they are spending this time reproducing before they can get to work fermenting.

This is something you may see called "the lag phase"...

 

[Lefou]

If the yeast wasn't underpitched and are healthy, it's just a matter of time.
Yeast starters can accelerate the process by introducing active yeast cells into the wort. When dry yeast is properly activated in a batch, you should see obvious activity within 6-8 hours, sometimes less.
During active fermentations with a vigorous ale yeast you can shine a light into a glass carboy and it might remind you of a snowglobe. Lager yeasts can be just as vigorous but may not leave the obvious krausen on top of the wort.

 

[hawkbox]

It might just not be a good seal either, I have a 7.5G Fermonster I use because it's easy to clean but it never seems to generate bubbles in the air lock. My assumption is the lid isn't properly sealing and the gas is going out through the threads, as that would be the path of least resistance.

 

[Jako]

how cold is it in your house? i keep my house 62 when i am out and 65 at home. it could be cooler and taking a bit to get started.

 

[lagerman71]

I was worried about the same problem but it turned out to be the seal. The lid is bowed under the pressure of the co2 so I was happy to leave it and it turned out fine. I’ll eventually invest in a better quality fermentation tub but for now I’ll keep using it