no krausen, no bubbling in airlock 2 days after pitching yeast in primary

[mboardman]

Should I be alarmed yet? I have made two extract batches in the last two days, neither has begun bubbling. Both were using Safale dry yeast, both from Midwest. Any chance the yeast is dead or do I have some sort of contamination, or should I just avoid the panic, wait it out and pull a gravity sample in a week?

If gravity doesnt indicate fermentation has begun then, can I save it using a yeast starter and another packet of Safale? What are my options?

I have begun using A&H super washing soda around the time I brewed these batches, using it clean almost everything - kettle, carboys, etc. Any chance a residue from this stuff would defeat or kill yeast? I know its a major component in PBW, which I have used before, but I rinsed well. Still, might have been a chance some of it got left behind. Could that be the cause of the above?

edit - sorry mods, I see now this might belong in another category, feel free to move.

 

[bransona]

It's unusual to have that long of a lag time, but not unheard of. Best option is to wait and take a gravity reading in a week. Then, if it hasn't started, you could potentially try more yeast.

Tell us about your process. Your recipe. Did the mash go well? Did you sanitize or just clean? What temperature are you fermenting at? Which safale is it? Did you happen to check the expiration date on the yeast?

 

[mboardman]

I usually use bleach and water to sanitize everything, carboys sit for days with a weak bleach solution, not just a quick rinse. But I know my process isnt foolproof....and discovered/heard about the super washing soda and wanted to try it out. Liked how I didnt smell so strongly after using it, so I switched to it....but I dont think that is the culprit.

I put primaries in an insulated basement closet with a thermostat controlled ceramic heater set at 70, which has always worked well. Nothing new there...

Had to go back and edit my post, Im just an extract brewer at this stage. So, no mash for me yet.

Safale US-05 Ale yeast 11.5g

 

[bransona]

My first concern is the bleach wash. I would switch over to iodophor/starsan combo (available at dairy supply stores). Then I would also recommend fermenting in a colder place. 70 is very warm for us-05. However, I don't know how this stuff would stop your ferment from happening. If you didn't get the bleach rinsed out well enough, that may be your issue. I *guess* the new cleaning solution could be it if not rinsed well enough, but I haven't used that or pbw. I'd probably wait it out, if I were you.

What was your recipe? OG? Did you aerate?