airlock not bubbling

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lagerlad

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2015
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hi everyone,just joined and done my first brew,bulldog brews ipa it comes in a bag,anyway got it going sunday morning but still no bubbling at airlock,the lid of the fermenter is swelling and the beer looks like it has a head on it,should i leave it to see how it goes? cheers lagerlad
 
thanks for the rapid replies,when i left the house earlier it was sitting at 22 and the fv is just getting used for the first time and lid seems to be secure cheers lagerlad
 
Daft question maybe, but have you tried pressing down on the middle of the fv lid, to see whether the airlock is working? If the seal is OK, pushing the lid down should displace gas and force the airlock to produce a bubble or 3
 
yes taz and joe thats exactly what happens push on the lid and bubbles come out airlock
 
Maybe try going round the seam of where the lid clips on with vaseline to seal the edges. I got a plastic bin from Boots many years ago where the lid had been shoved inside the bin and had a curve. I eventually had to immerse it in hot water and then clip it on with a board and half a dozen bricks sat on top to flatten it to the shape of the bin's rim.
 
If lid is swelling it is fermenting may just lack power to bubble... or be getting out elsewhere.

No need to worry and that layer of CO2 will keep out nasties so do not worry of slight leak in rim.
 
Funny though that when the Op pushes down on the lid the airlock bubbles, yet the pressure in the tub is enough to bulge the lid. Can't work that out.
 
Yeah seems strange but being new to this still unsure about the process if all is well and it is fermenting away how long should I leave it as I can't tell by the airlock cheers lagerlad
 
It 'slowly' escapes through the lid... when you push on it, that's too much instant pressure and has to go out the bubble.

All my 25L FV's (Wilko's) seal perfect and bubbles work perfect with no issues at all but... my small Young's 15L FV has this exact problem. Lid seems a lot flimsier too but hey, don't worry, the beer (AG#1) came out great :cheers:
 
Hi all again thanks for the advice I have just checked beer as I am just home it is looking flat now with no head so took a hydrometer reading it is 1.050 am I correct in thinking no fermentation is happening if I am should I bin it or add yeast it was put in fermenter on 28th (2days ago). Cheers lagerlad
 
No don't bin it! Obviously you had to open the lid, check again tomorrow to see if the pressure is back on the lid. It's only been two days, some brews take a wee while to really kick in.
 
Cheers Joe was hoping to hear that gonna try and get new yeast tomorrow and chuck it in if still no movement by tomorrow night I think
 
Some folk on here report that their air lock never bubbles and their brew still ferments fine. The pressure on the lid tells you that co2 is being produced, meaning the yeast is doing its job. I know it is hard with your first brew, but try to relax and let it work, the worst thing you can do is open the lid too often, the co2 protects the beer from nasties, and it is lost if you open the lid.
 
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