Not bubbling

[Abrayton]

Hello,
Brewed my first batch of kit beer on Wed. It is now Sunday and there is no bubbling of the airlock. Possibly due to over consumption of beer while brewing, I forgot to add water to the airlock and didn't realize it until Friday when I corrected the error. To note, I did separate one gallon of the five into a gallon glass carboy and that is bubbling away nicely. The four gallons left in the fermenting bucket is not bubbling from the airlock. Thought?
Thanks!

 

[JonM]

there's probably a leak in the lid seal. I bet it's fermenting just fine and the CO2 is escaping through the leak rather than through the airlock.

 

[myelo]

The most common cause is the lid on the fermenting bucket is not air tight so the CO2 is leaking out instead of through the airlock. If so, no problem.

It's also possible fermentation was done by the time you added liquid to the airlock. Also not usually a problem.

One other thought is your imbibing caused you to also forget to add yeast. That would be a problem.

 

[Abrayton]

For my peace of mind would it hurt to transfer into a glass carboy at this point so I can see it and be sure it's the seal?

 

[BrewerinBR]

I would not do that. Use a flash light and look through the plastic bucket to see if you see foam or a ring left by foam. If you see either it is fermenting. I would say just relax and leave it for 21 days, I bet it ferments just fine!

 

[ncbrewer]

I agree with the flashlight method, but I have better luck if I darken the room and set the flashlight on the lid pointing down - the kraeusen shows up pretty well. I also agree with not transferring it.