Sealing a Plastic Primary

[HomerT]

I have noticed the same thing on my last five or six brews. I rack my wort into my primary (Ale Pail) , pitch, seal the lid with satisfying snap/hiss and add my airlock securely in the grommet.

The next morning I come down and find...nothing...no airlock activity at all. A little push on the lid produces the satisfying "glurp" that shows its working. Pry the lid off, nice krausen layer.....replace the lid (same snap/hiss) and boom....airlock starts to bubble, bubble, bubble.

Its not a big deal, but it has me stumped. I don't know why the "seal" doesn't take the first time.

-Todd

 

[Reno Homebrewer]

I wonder if it's not the Airlock, and not the seal. It almost sounds as if the Airlock is sticking up, and then pushing on the lid frees it up. Next time you make Beer, try pushing on the lid after a few hours without breaking the seal to see if you get the same results.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Ya' know, I guess I have just learned to be patient.

Once fermentation has officially started there really isn't any reason to have the lid, much less the airlock, except that it makes anxious wee homebrewers a little less, anxious.

Typically, I will pitch my yeast (dry pouch or starter) and wait 24 to 36 hours. After that, I will check to see if a Krausen has formed. If it has, I pop the lid back on and forget about the bucket for at least 7 days.

If it hasn't, then I pull a sample to see if any fermentation has begun and deal with it then.

The latter is rare.