I used a new bucket recently. It was my first lager, so I was more paranoid than usual. Two+ days went by with no bubbles. I cracked the lid and found a decent bit of krausen in there - everything was fine. Some buckets just don't seal so good.
numsquat wrote:Probably just a loose lid. I never seal the lids on my buckets, as long as they are sitting square on top so nothing falls in, you'll be fine. Your gravity readings look good.
I tell people that is like what they say on an airplane about the oxygen masks, "Oxygen will be flowing but the bag may not inflate". It is pretty much the same with buckets and airlocks and even carboys sometimes. CO2 is being produced but may not be noticable by watching bubbles in the airlock. Especially if it is being fermented on the colder side, the CO2 could be being absorbed by the wort. Time and Gravity readings are your friend.
Don't even bother with the lid... pain in the arse anyway.
Just stretch some clear plastic sandwich wrap (I think you Americans call it seran wrap??) over the lid and hold it on there with a big rubber band. It will seal well enough for fermentation, excess gas just leaks out around the edges. You will be able to see inside the bucket and you will know for sure whats going on.
